February 2025
One of the challenges of starting anything new is getting clear on your vision. Who are you and where do you want to go?
The hardest part of this is we have been raised in a world where mistakes and failures are ridiculed. We therefore believe there is no room for failure. At least that is how I have always felt. I grew up with a father who’s work was specializing in crisis management and I took this a little too literally. Any time I have an idea I brainstorm everything that could no wrong. Not to strategies to avoid it, as my dads work was, but to decide if it was a good idea or not. In the end it usually ended with me deciding it wasn’t worth going ahead. I became a successful dream squasher, and as a result I squashed my truth, my authenticity, and in turn, my wisdom/intuition.
It has taken a lot of unravelling of old ways, old beliefs, and old systems that were running the show to overcome this. Something that has truly helped was hearing a mentor of mine say “ ‘mistakes’ are clarity”. What she means by this is that there is no such thing as a mistake, because if it isn’t a success, then it brings clarity to the vision and to who you are and want to be.
For a while now I have felt a little like I’m flailing around starting up a business. I love art, and I am also on this deep healing journey which has changed everything about me and these gifts are something I want to share. How do I put the two together? Is that even possible? And how do I go about starting up a business? Do I want to get gallery representation or sell online? Do I want to be charged 40-60% commission and thus earn very little, or do I want to learn and do the hard yards to sell online? (note to self here…. what if there is another option I haven’t even thought about? What if it isn’t a “hard yards” sort of experience. Stay open kiddo.) So many overwhelming things!
Clarity comes from putting one foot in front of the other and trying things out. Some things will work and can be seen as wins, whilst other things won’t feel aligned and that’s good to know for next time.
Some of the things that don’t feel aligned at this time for me (also note maybe in a year they WILL feel aligned, and that’s okay too) are:
- Entering art competitions that involve a ton of driving or a ton of money to deliver the artwork
- Having my art available on a ton of sites that I don’t understand and don’t regularly check (i.e. Etsy). What if instead we could focus on say 2-3 spots and TRUST they will begin to sell?
Some of the things I have done that feel magnificently aligned:
- Joining art competitions or exhibitions that are raising money for charity. I recently took part in an exhibition at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Peppermint Grove which was raising funds for the BrightSpark Foundation which I absolutely loved. I have included photos at the end of this post.
- Lending some of my artworks that were in my storage space to Headspace offices in Fremantle, an organisation for helping youths with mental health.
It has taken a lot for me to learn these lessons, that mistakes don’t exist and that it is okay to NOT know. It is okay to take your time. It is okay to play and explore. It is okay to be a work in progress, putting together one piece of the puzzle at a time, and not know the picture of the end piece. All this is not just okay, but it is beautiful, brave and a part of life.
I share this in the hope that it may help you be a little less hard on yourself and know that each step you are taking, even if it is uncomfortable and feels like it is blowing up in your face, it is at least offering you clarity. Clarity shows you the next step. Clarity really is actually a win.
Happy March to all,
xx Sabina P
