Who doesn’t want to be successful in this life! We strive in hopes that somehow we will find our niche.
Reading @dudutaulois’ article ‘the-moment-i-knew-i-was-a-true-entrepreneur,’
I was struck by his determination to do what he loved most. No matter how many times he had failed, he couldn’t help himself… he still push on… Surely he will succeed in the end.
Philosophy: Success is where the heart is:
This made me think of my own experiences. For those who haven’t read of my background (http://www.adafagan.co.za/artistic-expertise/artist-ada-fagan/)...
I will briefly fill you in:
It was declared by my high school vice-principal that I “won’t be able to make art my career.” He said, even though I was a very good artist, been a female it meant I would land up working behind a sink and spending all my days as a mother and doing housework.
Well, that chauvinistic statement is bound to make anyone angry. My thought was, ‘why should women be labelled and discriminated against, just because they were females. Women have ambitions and talents too!’
I didn’t say anything to him. I knew I would be wasting my breath. But inside as I was walking away, I was planning some action to prove him wrong, that women can be accepted as good artists too.
I realized straight away that `it’s all well and good’ thinking you can achieve something. But you also have to take into account what you are up against. So you can work around it or over it, anyway you can, to achieve your goals.
My situation at the time:
In my case I was the last of four children and my parents were pensioners who expected all their children to leave school at standard eight. My parents having lived recluse lives in the country, I had no connections to sponsor my talent, or capital to invest in an apprenticeship or higher education.
That meant I would have to find my own way, to gain my purpose. To start with, I took an office job, hoping it would provide me with the money to enhance my chances of getting a career into a field where I could use my artistic talent.
I didn’t want to get marriage after what the vice-principal had to say. But as it turned out I was married by the time I was twenty! And I’ve enjoyed been a mom of five children.
Aaah I can hear you thinking, “What the vice-principal prophesied... happened!”
Yes you are right. But at the back of my mind, all the time, I wouldn’t let my dreams fade. I would find and arrange time to paint and sell my art.
- While my baby was sleeping I cleaned house and stocked up the fridge for the older children to help themselves against the time I would be paining.
- When we went on holiday or went out picnicking, you would find me painting (doing location work) the scene close by or seeking out and photographing fantastic scenes to paint later.
My first attempts at selling art:
They always say, “Start a business at grass roots and work yourself up the ladder.”
I started out displaying my artwork on the village green with other artists and through a gallery.
And then moving on, doing demos at galleries and procuring commissions. I think my success was built on the fact: I wasn’t shy to take up challenging commissions. No matter what they were. It is amazing what courage can do for you.
But being positive isn’t enough.
Knowing you can’t take on a commission, unless you have the appropriate skills… You must know what you can do.
Once I had the commission, I would research what had to be done and then go for it. Talking with the client and getting to know them. And finding out what they envisioned was a great help.
Sometimes they would give me material samples or I was invited into their homes to see what their décor colour scheme was. With all the facts gathered, it was possible to build a colour chart. Making swatch mixtures would then confirmed the primary pigments I had selected would indeed produce the desired effect.
Okay, that sounds all well and fine, but…
- Things don’t always run smoothly. There is bound to be opposition, criticism and people demanding your time.
- The thing I had to remember was: You can’t please everyone all the time, no matter what you do to help and please them.
- When people see a willing workhorse, they think they can palm the job (they don’t want to do themselves) onto you. If you allow them! You have to stand up for yourself. You are a person too with desires and dreams.
“Fight the good fight,” my mother used to say.
I don’t like to use the word ‘persistence’. It smacks of hard endless grueling work. To me art is fun, a life full of adventure. So I prefer to use the word ‘determination.’
I’ve boost my determination through thick and thin. Sometimes, I must admit, I’ve wondered why I keep doing what I do. But then, like @dudutaulois, I can’t help myself… art is in my blood!
The thing that convinced me to stay on track was:
Someone once said, “It’s important that you decide what you what out of life, or want to be, early in life. If you established a hobby or style of life, by the time your children are all grown up and leave home, you’ll have something great to do and enjoy in your old age.”
So I want to know:
- What keeps you going? Doing what you love most?
- How much do you believe in yourself? How strong is your determination to succeed?
- What is your story? What was your turning point to success?
agreed
Its great when we get results after all our effort.
A nice posting with great core questions, (too lengthy to really answer).
One short reply is about the passion and drive to forge ahead.
For me it is helping and empowering people to do the same.
My main intention is to help empower others. And threaded through whatever I may say, someone somewhere will see something that will spark off a thought that will motivate them to achieve something great in their own lives.
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I suppose it's also about defining success - what does success really mean to you? How do you measure it? By the money in your bank account, your material possessions, your relationships with your friends and family, your impact in the world?
To most people it is money. But to me its about what I've done in this life, that I can say when I leave this earth, that I did something worthwhile. To leave a legacy, that others can enjoy and have something to build upon.