Comments on: Business 101: If You Believe It, It Will Become

By: Business 101: Big fish, Small Fish | Fuel Your Illustration

Business 101: Big fish, Small Fish | Fuel Your Illustration — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:13:55 +0000

[...] (be sure to check out Jonathon’s previous post, Business 101: If You Believe It, It Will Become) [...]

By: George Coghill

George Coghill — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:30:39 +0000

I gave just this advice to a friend about a month ago. Even with a full-time web development job, I told him to start referring to himself as “a musician/guitarist who’s doing web development in the meantime”.

People love to bash “positive thinking” advice like this, but even just some cursory research into the concept of cognitive dissonance shows that indeed our minds are looking to find an equilibrium between our “inner world” and our “outer world”.

With a negative thought-process — or one that matches our current state — it’s easy enough to achieve that equilibrium. But when one begins to envision and refer to themselves differently (and ideally more positively), that new mindset will result in a change in behavior that will eventually produce results.

Referring to yourself (mentally, or to others) as “a pizza delivery guy that wants to be an illustrator” is a result easily achieved, since it’s already true. But to reword that as “an illustrator working temporarily part-time delivering pizzas” makes the mind uneasy — if you stick with it, your behavior will change to match this statement. You’ll need to still work hard, but hopefully that cognitive dissonance will work to spur that behavior change on.

Another thing to think about: referring to oneself as “a pizza delivery guy” is identifying yourself with that job; “a guy delivering pizzas” is more of an action you are performing. The words you use —either mentally or verbally — have a tricky way of defining you, whether you realize what’s happening or not.

So-called “positive thinking” isn’t a replacement for honing your skills and marketing yourself, but rather a way to get yourself doing those things unconsciously.

By: Thomas James

Thomas James — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:29:31 +0000

Hello Jonathan,

I completely agree that Illustrators, and other creative professionals, must diligently monitor their own brains to be sure that they are their own best motivator. Artists have the uniquely effective ability to psyche ourselves out. I have interviewed many successful artists who speak of the simple step of moving forward with confidence and a clear vision of their destination. Thanks for adding to this type of conversation.

Thomas

By: Design Informer

Design Informer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:11:02 +0000

I had to do this when first starting out as a freelancer.

So true!

By: JB

JB — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:23:46 +0000

Thanks gentlemen, its nice to have this wonderful outlet to publish such musings…

By: Dan Denney

Dan Denney — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:03:16 +0000

This is wonderful. The advice is spot on and can (and should) be applied to many creative positions. Rob said it first, but thank you for writing this!

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:43:37 +0000

Sometimes I downplay things that I do. When I work on my novel, I say I’m “just fiddlin” with words. When I’m designing, I’m “trying to figure out this program”. I think people will laugh or second guess me because I second guess myself. I will never learn to be comfortable in what I do if I don’t start with my own brain. Because of this article, from now on I’m not going to say those things. I’m going to record a new “voice in my head” for future use…something like this:

Hello, I’m Emily. I’m a graphic artist and author. How are you?

By: Rob Bowen

Rob Bowen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:27:00 +0000

Hey Jonathan, great article, man. Really resonating advice that strikes home in the heart of the creative community. Thanks for writing this. Sometimes, people just need to hear that said to keep going towards their dream. This post could just be the push they need.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:13:07 +0000

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