How to Work Effectively as an Artist
“Genius is One Percent Inspiration, Ninety-Nine Percent Perspiration.” Thomas Edison, the inventor famous for his persistence, coined this expression. While it may seem drastic to think of inspiration accounting for such a little amount of the effort going into the creation of something, there’s a lot of truth to this expression, but the implications of it make it all the more interesting.
It only takes a thought to get the process going. Just one idea is what begins the momentum into a creative endeavor. Moments of genius may be fleeting and sporadic, but that is all we need to get the spark going. It’s a matter of turning that spark into a flame and learning how to make the intangible into a reality – that’s what takes most of the time.
What’s interesting to note, is the implication of this expression says that high levels of creativity, genius and inspiration are not required to be successful. What is required is that you actually try hard and put in the effort. Every man has enough talent in him to be successful at something. Some people are naturally inclined to be creative, however that doesn’t give them any guarantee of success.
Hard work is what is going to pay off – however the key is to be mindful of what direction you put that effort into. What is equally applicable is that you need to “work smarter, not harder.” This still doesn’t imply that you need to be a highly creative genius – it’s saying that you need to be educated and be understanding of what you’re doing.
If I were to work really hard at photographing everything around me, learn all the cutting edge techniques, and spend a lot of money on new lenses – then I could say that I’m trying really hard. However, unless if I’m spending an equal amount of time marketing myself, socializing, and making connections, then I’m not going to get anyone to notice my photography! People aren’t going to notice me just because I take a lot of photos – I need to connect with those people to get noticed
We need to work smart by creating a balance so our energy is being utilized to produce the maximum possible impact. In modern society, there are a lot of different things you can do to promote yourself as an artist - almost too many things. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and exhausted with all the options, but once you understand and learn the basics of social media, blogging, and networking, then things tend to flow more easily. Just take one thing at a time – there’s no need to rush and do anything sloppy – you’ll want to leave the best impression you can.
If you need a boost in getting some inspiration, read: Overcome Creative Blocks and Lack of Inspiration to get the creative juices flowing. Connect a willingness to work hard with the right direction to move into – add a strike of inspiration, and you are on your way to successful and effective creating~
