It turns out they a lot about you.
Creative blocks?Inner critic?Tension and injuries?Burnout?Lack of motivation?Difficulty making a living?The secret fear that your art may not matter in today’s world?
These are not random experiences.
Nor are they a sign that there’s something wrong with you.
-> Instead, these challenges reveal your *mastery mindset*.
Your mastery mindset comprises what you think artistic mastery is and what you think it takes to create a masterpiece.
(Even if you have no ambitions to fully master an art form.)
If you have an outdated mastery mindset, then you will experience any or all of these artistic challenges.
It’s like having your creative compass set in the wrong direction — how can you go where you want with a faulty compass?
Perhaps you have inherited outdated ideas of artistic mastery:
FameFortuneTraditionAccoladesMere technical virtuosityPraise from peers and audiencesMere intellectual or theoretical advancement
Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with these. They can even be an important part of your path to mastery. BUT…
Are they truly what your soul longs for?
Do they fully encompass what you were born to create?
Are they the kind of mastery that will make your (and your audiences’) soul sing?
Probably not.
In fact, these are probably at the root of your artistic challenges. For example:
If you go for technical virtuosity alone, you risk becoming a skilled robotIf you go for fame or fortune alone, you risk burnout and lack of inspirationIf you go for praise and accolades alone, you risk anxiety and self-doubt
SO…
What’s the ideal mastery mindset?
-> It’s one that helps you fulfill the true purpose of the arts.
What’s the true purpose of the arts?
-> To bring us more alive; to inspire, to heal, to bring us together, and connect us with something larger than ourselves.
This is the arts’ true function. To create art that fulfills this function is the truest form of mastery:
Mastery that leads to the full flowering of your Soulforce!
When your mastery mindset is in alignment with the true purpose of the arts, then:
You will feel at ease, confident, and relaxedYou will consistently create “in the zone,” and connected with your creative soulYou will feel the intrinsic motivation that comes from skillfully creating things that make the world a more beautiful place
Here’s my challenge to you.
Look deeply inside yourself. Be honest and unflinching.
What’s your definition of artistic mastery? The one that’s been subconsciously guiding your artistic life? The one that you use when you’re on auto-pilot? What form of mastery feels truer to your creative soul?
Write these down in the comments below.
–
Want to go deeper? Get a FREE excerpt of my new book in the link below! “Soulforce: How to discover your artistic purpose, create more freely, and make art that matters” explores these topics in depth and gives tons of practical tips.
