Art, Philosophy and Stuff Or...how I finally, finally got a move on with this busine

I think my hibernation snag has come to an end and I'm ready to get on with things (two new pieces almost completed in record time). The shop is closer to being added to the site and I anticipate it will be sorted by end of April. This blog was intended to show the steps I take for getting an art business going (as someone who has never done any business related things) but as the concepts and plans got clearer, my reluctance to step out there had only increased!

There was a thing which nudged me into action and the outcome was that I gradually came to terms with a few things:

1. The fact that I'm never going to be not anxious about getting started and that's ok, so I may as well just start. I'm probably not the only person who imagines everyone else is more confident than I am but the fears we have about going for what we want are not our own – they’re what we’ve created from the doubts, dismissals and fears of others who have no vision of their own. There's no need to pile pressure on yourself by thinking you have to be fearless – you won’t be, but that’s fine.

2. BPS might not come to what I'd like but that's ok too; pursuing a goal is worth it if you love what you do (and I do), regardless of outcomes (and regrets and 'what ifs' is the worst thing I can imagine feeling when I'm old). Trying and not succeeding isn’t necessarily failure – failure is not trying at all. Be at ease with the idea of things not working out then just get on with doing what you want. Success and failure are just opposite ends of the same stick and you can’t only have one end. Just stay on the end you want. The experiences and ‘warnings’ of other artists are simply other’s experiences. It’s demonstrably true that many have had and continue to have different experiences. Each artist must create their own. What they create will be based on what they want to achieve.Ask yourself why you want to do this. What's the emotional pay off for what you do?

3. Finally, I don't have to know how to do absolutely everything before I start (we can naively assume others do because they talk as if they did) or have answers to all possible outcomes – no one can do this. I’ve read so much about the business of art but it gets pretty overwhelming when you're still at the theoretical stage. At some point you have to stop reading and think about what you need right now and in the immediate future - not what others say you need. Sometimes they will be the same thing, often they won’t. This is your business – shape it for the place you are at now while preparing in stages for the way you want it to be in years to come.

Basically I've just chilled out about the whole thing!

And that's the end of the blog series.

OK maybe not...

All obvious enough? Yep, but things we 'know' and things we really know - enough to change what we do - can be separated by an awfully big gap and until now, I couldn't close that gap. Anyhow, this weekend, I packed a bag with some sculptures and a few basic flyers and went to gather some feedback. A visit to the National Centre for Circus Arts and Dancia on Drury Lane produced some really helpful views from a couple of girls who very kindly took a few minutes to look and comment (particularly in Dancia which is staffed by youngsters who clearly know their field) and gave me confidence that I had something that people might buy. As a result, I'll be doing slightly smaller pieces in future, which will actually simplify a lot of things, and be adding some elements that I'd wanted to include before but never got round to, and that addresses a gap I'd noticed and wanted to address. Hmm, lots to do then, as always.