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Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.

–Advice from an 80 year-old man

Moving through life is not a guaranteed path. On each street and around every corner lies the beautiful, the horrifying, pain, pleasure, and everything else we might want or fear. Some of our days begin like a fairy tale, with sun peeking through the windows, the air sweet and clear as the day beckons us to rise and enjoy the simple pleasures that only that time of day can give us. Others may begin with an unpleasant phone call, with someone wanting or needing something from us, or perhaps the announcement of dire news that we did not expect to hear. In any case, we get out of bed, perhaps eat breakfast, and think about what the day might present. Starting the day on a positive note is preferable, yet life often calls on us to put aside what we might wish it was and face what is in front of us. 

A deep breath, a long, slow exhale, and then the day starts. The days are gone when we must literally ‘gird our loins,’ ‘sharpen our blades’ and the like to meet the day, but sometimes figuring out how to move through what we do know is more difficult. Our days in these modern times are less about defending ourselves and our loved ones, making sure there is enough food for all, but is more about cutting through the sophistication of our days that sometimes hides what should be obvious about moving through and possibly improving our lives. Asking for that promotion or pay raise can be trying and we may wish to avoid it altogether, but the benefit of it for us and our families can work as our impetus. Yes, even when we are afraid of failing in this task, it is still worth the effort for good reasons. Reason number 1 is that we might succeed in obtaining what we are asking for and can then move to a different plane of our lives and in how we live, work, and play. Reason number 2 is that even if we fail in our request or plan, we can use the experience and the conversation to learn how we might prepare ourselves better for a particular opportunity in the future while learning how we can better ourselves. 

And yes. All it requires for us is to be brave. Even if we are not! Even if our knees are shaking, we’re the only ones who have to know that. As has been said, ‘no one can tell the difference.’  Experiencing that can teach us that we can certainly ask for what we want or need and deal with the answer like an adult, whatever the outcome for us. It allows us to move forward armed with knowledge, with more self-confidence, and with the experience that we can do this again. Perhaps more bravely, perhaps not, but each time we learn and get stronger. Teaching us that all experience allows us to move forward, even when it feels like we are slouching forward going nowhere. Everything teaches us.

Finding the Better Way is pleased to have Jessica Brody writing for us again. Her thoughtful insights into many topics has been great for our readers as well as most appreciated. Again, thank you Jessica!

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Showcase Like a Pro: Tips for Artists to Capture the Limelight

and makers are finding dynamic ways to unveil their talents to a wider audience. Whether it’s through the tactile feel of a local art show or the global reach of social media, opportunities to shine are more abundant and accessible than ever. From Daniel Barr, here’s how you can leverage these platforms and strategies to carve out your niche and captivate an audience that’s eager to discover fresh, creative perspectives.

Master the Art of Visibility through Shows and Exhibitions

Participating in local and online art shows is a vital strategy for increasing your visibility. These platforms provide you with the unique opportunity to showcase your work directly to an engaged audience, receive immediate feedback, and even compare your work with that of your peers. Furthermore, the exposure you gain can lead to opportunities such as collaborations with other artists or invitations to more prestigious events. When you display your work, make sure it represents your best and most unique pieces, as these exhibitions could be the launching pad for your creative career.

Engage and Grow with Your Community

Engaging with your community by hosting workshops or attending networking events is crucial for building relationships and enhancing your reputation as a knowledgeable leader in your field. These interactions not only increase your visibility but also allow you to exchange ideas, receive feedback, and stay updated on industry trends. Community engagement positions you as an approachable and invested creative, which can attract more collaborative opportunities and deepen your local support base.

Cultivate Exclusive Experiences for Your Audience

Offering exclusive content or early access to new works through a newsletter can create a sense of exclusivity and loyalty among your followers. This strategy not only incentivizes people to subscribe to your updates but also establishes a direct line of communication with your most dedicated supporters. Share behind-the-scenes content, previews of upcoming projects, and special offers to keep your audience engaged and looking forward to your emails.

Consider a Business Degree to Hone Your Skills

Pursuing a business bachelor’s degree can significantly boost your capabilities in marketing and selling your art by equipping you with essential skills in marketing, finance, and strategic planning—key components for managing a successful creative enterprise. The flexibility of online business programs allows you to balance your studies with your artistic pursuits seamlessly. This integration ensures that you can develop your business acumen without sacrificing your creative output.

Diversify Your Presence Across Media Platforms

Exploring alternative platforms like podcasts or YouTube channels to share your creative process can open up new avenues for audience engagement. These platforms offer a more in-depth look at your work and personality, which helps to build a stronger connection with your audience. Sharing your journey, challenges, and successes can inspire viewers and listeners while giving them a vested interest in your creative outcomes.

Fuel Growth with Customer Referrals

Implementing a customer referral program is a powerful way to encourage word-of-mouth promotion, which remains one of the most credible forms of advertising. Offer incentives for referrals, such as discounts or exclusive access to new products, which can motivate your customers to share your work with their networks. This strategy can help you build a larger following more organically and cost-effectively.

Keep Your Portfolio Fresh and Inviting

Regularly updating your portfolio with new work is essential to keep it fresh and engaging. A dynamic portfolio not only shows that you are active and evolving in your craft but also helps to attract new clients and opportunities. Ensure that your online portfolio is easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and truly reflective of your best work.

Use Analytics to Sharpen Your Marketing

Utilizing analytics to understand your audience and tailor your marketing strategies accordingly can significantly enhance your promotional efforts. Analyze data from your website and social media to learn what types of content perform best, who your audience is, and the best times to post new work. This information can help you make informed decisions that optimize your visibility and engagement rates.

Embracing these strategies will not only increase your visibility but also establish a sustainable foundation for your creative career. With persistence and adaptability, you can ensure that your work does not just speak for itself but reaches the ears—and eyes—of those most willing to appreciate and support it.

Once again, I am pleased to host writer Jessica Brody on Finding the Better Way. The past few years have been fraught with finding new ways to do things, finding different methods for accomplishing our goals and employment has been a difficult path for many. Enjoy Jessica’s writing and feel free to pass this on to others who might be interested in this path.

Best, Dan

In today’s rapidly evolving world, the ability to harness and cultivate creativity is crucial for both personal advancement and professional achievement. Whether you’re an artist pushing the boundaries of your craft, a writer in search of new inspiration, or an entrepreneur on the forefront of innovation, the strategies outlined here (and shared via Finding the Better Way: An Outsider’s View) aim to rejuvenate your creative energies and propel you toward your aspirations.

Explore Different Artistic Avenues

Venturing into new artistic realms not only broadens your skill set but also encourages innovative thinking. By experimenting with different forms of expression, such as learning a new musical instrument, exploring digital art, or diving into creative writing, you push the boundaries of your comfort zone. This exploration challenges your usual thought patterns and reveals hidden talents, sparking new passions. Each unique medium offers a fresh perspective, enhancing your creative journey.

Revitalize Your Career with a New Path

Changing careers can significantly reinvigorate your creativity, presenting an opportunity to explore new horizons and challenges. Exploring a cybersecurity degree through an online program allows for the flexibility to work full-time while gaining critical knowledge in protecting a business’s computers and network systems. This path not only broadens your skill set but also injects a fresh wave of inspiration and innovation into your professional life.

Broaden Your Literary Horizons

Exploring a wide range of literary works, from timeless classics to enlightening non-fiction, exposes you to various perspectives and styles, fueling your creativity. By reading beyond your usual choices, you challenge your preconceptions and ignite your imagination. This immersion into diverse narratives not only generates new ideas but also builds empathy and enhances your problem-solving skills. Each book serves as a gateway to different worlds, expanding your creative vision and inspiring broader thinking.

Embrace the Unfamiliar

Stepping into the realm of the unknown and welcoming risk and innovation serve as powerful drivers of creativity. Pursuing unique and untested ideas distinguishes you in any domain, demanding bravery and a readiness to face failure. Such challenges are the birthplace of revolutionary concepts, as innovation often emerges from the confluence of diverse ideas and fields. By adopting a mindset open to experimentation, you lay the groundwork for significant breakthroughs and personal development.

Enhance Your Professional Image with a Resume

Securing a job that fulfills your creative desires begins with the foundational step of crafting a stellar and professional-looking resume. By utilizing a free online resume builder, you can effortlessly create a resume that stands out, choosing from a library of professionally designed templates. This allows you to personalize your application with your own copy, photos, colors, and images, ensuring that your unique creative flair and professional skills are showcased effectively to potential employers.

Foster a Sense of Wonder

Nurturing a constant curiosity propels you towards endless discovery and learning, essential components of the creative process. By questioning the status quo, exploring diverse interests, and deepening your understanding of various subjects, you not only expand your knowledge base but also uncover novel insights and connections. This quest for knowledge encourages deeper exploration, leading to more profound, creative ideas and solutions.

Create Your Creative Sanctuary

Creating a dedicated space for your creative projects is key to maintaining concentration and productivity. A workspace free from distractions allows you to immerse yourself in the creative flow, where your best ideas can emerge. Tailoring this space to reflect your inspirations and goals can further motivate and support your artistic and professional endeavors. Such a sanctuary acts as a tangible representation of your creative journey, aiding in the realization of your artistic and career aspirations.

Incorporating these strategies into your daily routine not only reignites your creative spark but also lays a solid foundation for navigating challenges and achieving success. Creativity flourishes with change, curiosity, and the courage to explore the uncharted. By dedicating yourself to these principles, you unlock a world of endless possibilities and embark on an exhilarating journey of continuous growth and discovery. Embrace this path with an open heart and mind, and witness the transformative power of creativity in your personal and professional life.

Photo:Keith_Johnston/Pixabay

As humans, we all like to do things in our own particular way. This may be tempered by being left or right handed, tall or short, or unable to do things in multiple ways. There is a comfort to this for all of us. So when we are challenged by a parent, a spouse, a teacher, or a coach to learn a ‘new’ way of doing things, we sometimes don’t see the reason we should change. ‘Why? This is working perfectly well for me,’ is a common response. What we don’t often see is the necessity of making something better, yet as both artist and sculpture, it is difficult to admit—to ourselves, largely—that other ways may, indeed, serve us better, particularly when we are working to make ourselves better.

As a result of not being able to see ourselves in any kind of neutral way, we go through life doing things and making decisions based on what we know, what we have experienced, tempered with our triumphs, our fears, and our doubts. When we look around and see others doing things in a particular way, there is a tendency to imitate what we have seen modeled for us, even if it doesn’t quite work the way we think it should. We know when we make mistakes, and it’s never a good feeling admitting such, yet it is the best thing we can do. As Einstein is famous for saying that he didn’t fail, but that he just found 1,000 ways NOT to make a lightbulb. For most of us, this is not comforting, but leaves us feeling sheepish, not to have seen the errors in our thoughts. 

We all do this, yet as small children, we were not born with the innate ability to walk, run, talk, or sing, yet the mistakes we made while learning to do so, were, indeed, simply one particular way NOT to do something. We go on to talk, sing, walk, run, and do all sorts of wonderful things that bring pleasure to our lives and let us enjoy our lives. As a junior tennis player, I had a coach who thought a particular way to serve might be better for me, given my strength, my height, and my playing style, and so when she suggested that I learn the new motion, I jumped on the idea, and with many errant balls not going in any direction I wanted them to go, I finally caught on to how my body went through the motions of this new serve, practicing—in frustration or triumph—and one day I was amazed to see the ball go precisely where I wanted it to go, and I had a new serve in my game. Not letting go of the old motion or refusing to try a new one would have simply left me where I was, which was not a bad thing in particular, but without doing that I would never have learned ‘what I was missing.’

My way. It works for me. And when it ceases to ‘work’ it’s time to let go of ‘my way’ and find another. The journey to that new place may be frustrating, or painful, but when I live my life seeking the Truth—my truth as well as the truth of others—I am able to see other horizons I might have missed…sticking with the tried-and-true.

Photo: Free-Photos/Pixabay

Language is one of the great gifts to human beings. With it, we express those thoughts, emotions, and feelings that would otherwise remain hidden within us. Language is, however, a double-edged sword that can hurt as well as defend. As a race, we are often in disagreement about things, large and small, and tend to stand by our choices and beliefs vehemently, sometimes attacking the opinions of others in defense of what we believe to be right. When we use the gift of language to build up, and not tear down, to display truth and not falsehood, we are making moves toward a more open, honest, and cohesive world.

‘But what about those people who don’t do that? Those people who attack things they don’t even understand fully, just to be difficult, or to make things difficult for others?’ These people are, indeed, with us, and it is frustrating not only to hear their words, but to see and understand that there are those who believe what is being said, not questioning anything, but simply taking it as truth. Which it is not. What to do then? Many will dismiss those others as ‘stupid,’ ‘ignorant,’ ‘uneducated,’ and so forth, but what purpose does that serve? It serves only to further separate ‘us’ from ‘them’ in belief, and it creates a situation where not only is no one listening, but there is no one trying to connect in any way at all. There are, to be sure, those who are doing this to create tension and encourage separation, but this is not using language as a tool to connect, but to divide.

Speaking in languages of respect, help, listening, and love, so that we actually hear each other, especially when we are in disagreement, especially to those who doubt our words and thoughts, is the only way to ensure that some kind of civil discourse can prevail. Even if we finish our discussion still in disagreement, we will have heard what others are saying, what they are thinking, and how they think things should be done. Within those words could be the nuggets of an idea that has not been presented, that actually brings a number of things together, and in most ways, satisfies everyone. If it was not heard, though, how can it be nurtured and allowed to grow into something bigger and better than a single idea or thought presented originally.

To reach our goals as humans, there is a lot of speaking and listening, picking up one idea and discarding another, arguing about the merits of one thing and not the other, and coming to some conclusion on how to best go forward. We face this situation at every age, in every situation, in life and in work, and we navigate it as best we can. Going into these situations, though, with a mind more open than not, can be one of the best things we do…for ourselves. Prepared like this, we are able to listen, perhaps question our own ideas, ask questions for clarity, and discuss how particular ideas might be the best template for what we desire. To use our gift of language to the ways for which it was intended.