The Art of Letting Go: A Pathway to Success
In order to take enormous strides forward in your career, it’s important to take a look back and reflect on how far you’ve come. That’s why I decided to take some time to look back at the major milestones in my career journey and share what I’ve learned in the process.
I come from a pretty traditional and quite conservative background. I grew up in a middle class family with a teacher mom and truck driver dad.
Both my parents came from more meager beginnings (I recently found out that my grandpa lived with 8 people in a 1 room house with dirt floors in Kansas before he moved to California).
I have had a lot of scarcity mindset ingrained in me, because of the level at which my family had to work to make ends meet. I’m in awe at the level of success my grandparents and parents achieved and the full lives they have created despite some not-so-favorable circumstances.
Revisiting my origin story helps me remember how far I’ve come, and feel a massive appreciation for the work that I've done so far in my life.
I may not yet be where I want to be (#goaldigger), but I know that by focusing on what I do have rather than what I don’t have will only inspire me (and others) to keep going.
Here is a timeline of my career through the years with lessons that I have learned from each chapter:
Timeline:
1. Chapter one: Drawing as a kid
What it taught me:
How to focus on one thing for long periods of time, be present in the moment, feel free to express myself, and deal with my anxiety in a therapeutic way
2. Greeting card company Hillmark
What it taught me:
That I love coming up with creative ways to share inspiration with others.
3. First real job at Mervyn’s in the children's section
What it taught me:
You don’t have to love work all of the time. Sometimes certain jobs are just stepping stones.
4. Oxbow Single Semester Art High School
What it taught me:
How much I love science, philosophy, and literature and how important it is to take risks in order to grow.
5. Getting my BFA in Illustration from California College of the Arts
What it taught me:
How to work hard, think outside the box, tell stories through images, composition, color theory, and that I love poetry. Also, that you’re going to make a lot of bad work before you make really good work.
6. Internship at Napa Chamber of Commerce – redesigning graphic and web assets
What it taught me:
How to just go for it! I had zero experience designing logos (besides in art school) and pretty much executed an entire rebrand.
7. Art Consultant at Aerena Galleries in Napa:
What it taught me:
Sometimes working for free can turn into lots of money and experience. I started as an intern with no experience selling art and 6 years later I was the top salesperson with over $4 million dollars of fine art sales. I also learned how to work with artists, consign artwork, design exhibition invitations and marketing materials, host events, install large-scale outdoor sculptures, as well as invaluable sales techniques.
8. Becoming a wholesale representative for the international art book publisher TASCHEN
What it taught me:
How to present in front of large groups, tell captivating stories, prioritize large workloads and work travel, be independent, prospect new business, how to reinvent your brand over and over again to stay trending, what innovation looks like, brand partnerships, and relationship skills.
9. Entrepreneurship and my business as a Career Coach for Creatives
What it taught me:
Building a business takes time, and showing up consistently is key. No one is going to believe in you unless you believe in you first. Be willing to test out your theories over and over again. Your thoughts and feelings create your reality and It’s important to feel all the feelings that come with disappointment, overwhelm, and confusion, but massive appreciation, gratitude, and celebration are what create abundance. Meet people, tell them what you do, and make offers to work together.
10. Podcast at TASCHEN Beverly Hills and correlation to all steps in my journey
What it taught me:
Start before you feel ready, it doesn't have to be perfect, you will feel like an idiot sometimes (especially when you are out of your comfort zone). Be courageous and ask for things that you're terrified to ask for and don’t keep your world separate because of fear, because you're allowed to be multiple things!
Taking time to do this kind of introspection uncovers lessons you can continue to learn from, and creates a way to celebrate the small and large steps you’ve taken in your life and career.
I invite you to sit down and have fun with this activity for yourself – you can download the PDF below as a guide!
What I’ve learned from doing this activity is that continuing to push myself outside my comfort zone towards my goals will keep me expanding and growing so that I can feel a sense of fulfillment and success.
If I don’t hit the exact target right away, that’s okay. As they say, it’s a marathon and not a sprint!
To me, what matters most is that I continue to grow. If I keep going and keep reaching, I know that eventually I will succeed and my goals will continue to grow along with me.
Isotta Page and I recording at the TASCHEN store in Beverly Hills.
Stay tuned for Season 5 of Art Is… a podcast for artists, which I will be co-hosting with the wonderful Isotta Page! If you want a sneak peek, I’ve previously been featured in two episodes of Season 4, which you can listen to here and here. Enjoy!
And if you’ve been curious about 1:1 coaching, but still aren’t sure what that means for you and your business, YOU’RE IN LUCK! I’ve created a new detailed description HERE. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.