Selling Art, Not Selling Out

Author: Kevin Chung (Page 5 of 21)

“Dream big and dare to fail.” – Norman D. Vaughan Quote Art

“Dream big and dare to fail.” – Norman D. Vaughan

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I have to admit that I’ve been holding back. It’s easy to give advice or prescriptions, but it’s much harder to do it yourself. That’s why I want to put myself out there.

For the most part, my dreams have been small. I’ve self-published one book and have another one on the way. I’ve started up a podcast, built this site, and an e-mail list, and I’ve had some wonderful conversations with artists and creatives. But none of these things are part of my ultimate goal.

I’ve heard multiple times, in several conversations, people talk about what they would do if they had a magic wand and could do anything at all. All I know is, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.

Even though I’ve enjoyed the work I’ve done up to this point, I think I can do much better. I want to visit creatives and see what it takes to create beautiful works of art. I want to help artists grow their businesses. I want to bring artists and creatives together so they can help each other.

I’ve been able to complete my smaller short term goals, but I need to reach much farther. I need to dream big. I need to dare to fail.

[bctt tweet=”Even if you fall on your face, you can always get back up and try again” username=”kevin_chung”]

We only get so much time on Earth. Which means we need to take some chances. What’s the worst that could happen? Even if you fall on your face, you can always get back up and try again.

It all starts with having a plan. What would your ideal day look like? What would you be doing? How can you begin to make your way towards that ideal life?

I want to live a creatively fulfilling life. I want to spend my days exploring what it means to live life to its fullest. And I want to help you do the same.

So, this is a call to you. What are you struggling with? What is your big dream? Are you pursuing it? If not, I want to know why.

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Nicolas Cole on Learning from Everything You do, the Importance of Helping Others, and the Benefit of Marketing- Cracking Creativity Episode 63

Nicolas Cole looks like someone out of a fitness magazine, but it hasn’t always been that way. When he was growing up, he was sick almost every day. By the time he was 17 years old, he weighed less than 100 pounds. He missed school a lot and didn’t have many friends. So he turned to World of Warcraft.

World of Warcraft became his escape from life. He played so much that he was one of the top players in the entire game. That is until he was faced with a tough decision. He could either continue to pursue his video game career on his own or receive his parents’ help and go to college. He chose college.

It was at this point that Nicolas took the principles from gaming and applied them to fitness. He went from less than 100 pounds to 170 pounds by gamifying his workout routines. He also wrote about his fitness routines and his journey on Quora and became one of its top writers.

In this episode find out why you should learn from everything you do, why you should help others, and why marketing is not your enemy.

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Why Every Creative MUST Listen to The Unmistakable Creative

The Unmistakable Creative is just that: unmistakable. If you have not heard an episode of the show, stop reading this post and look through the archives. Listening to an episode of Unmistakable Creative is an absolute joy. I am not the only one who thinks so. At the moment, the show has over 550 five star reviews on iTunes and over 650 reviews overall.

Srini Rao, the host of the show, makes sure each episode is interesting and informative. He does not settle for the ordinary answers you hear from most podcast guests. He gets some of the world’s most interesting people to open up about topics they normally wouldn’t talk about.

In fact, without the Unmistakable Creative I might not have my own podcast. Srini showed me what is possible through the wonderful medium of podcasting. His thoughtful interviews are one of the main reasons I wanted to get into podcasting myself.

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Monica Kang on Thinking Like an Outsider, the Importance of Asking Questions, and the Power of Self-Awareness – Cracking Creativity Episode 62

Monica Kang knew early in life that she wanted to work in international affairs. Her upbringing in two countries compelled her to understand how people related to each other, and steered her towards her role working with the government.

Monica worked for years in international affairs, and even though she loved her job, she still felt something was lacking. She saw that people weren’t creatively fulfilled at their jobs and knew she wanted to help them. She knew she could fulfill that gap, so she started up InnovatorsBox.

In this episode learn why you should think link an outsider, the importance of asking questions, and how self-awareness can improve your problem solving.

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Speak your truth even if your voice shakes. Live your truth even if your body breaks. Spirit survives. – Katy Perry Tweet Art

Speak your truth even if your voice shakes. Live your truth even if your body breaks. Spirit survives. – @katyperry (Katy Perry)

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What are you afraid of? I ask myself this question a lot.

[bctt tweet=”My biggest fear is often being my true self ” username=”kevin_chung”]

It’s not because I’m afraid of scary movies or video games. I am not afraid of heights or tight spaces. My biggest fear is often being my true self.

What does it mean to live truthfully? After all, we are supposed to present multiple versions of ourselves to the world. You wouldn’t act around your parents like you would with your closest friends. You wouldn’t act around your co-workers like you do with your family.

We are all chameleons adapting to our environments. But the question is, Do we have to be? I often wonder about this, and I still don’t know the right answer. Is there even a right answer?

I think the problem is, I haven’t defined who I truly am. What do I believe in? What values are important to me? What kind of person do I want to be?

It’s okay to act differently in different situations. We don’t necessarily need to be the same person at every moment in our lives, but we should always hold the same values.

[bctt tweet=” If we can’t live by our own truth, what kind of life are we really living?” username=”kevin_chung”]

We need to ask ourselves what we stand for. We need to live up to those truths no matter what. Because no matter what everyone else thinks about us, we are the ones who have to live with ourselves every day. If we can’t live by our own truth, what kind of life are we really living?

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Kaitlyn Guay on Creative Growth as and Evolution, Finding Beauty an Gratitude, and Overcoming Resistance – Cracking Creativity Episode 61

Kaitlyn Guay grew up wanting to be in Broadway. She grew up in a household where she wasn’t allowed to watch TV and could only watch movies on the weekends. She grew up in a cultural bubble where she entertained herself by writing poems and song lyrics for fun.

While she wanted to be an artist and entertainer, those around her thought it would be too risky, so she became a musical teacher. This allowed her to share her passion for the arts with others. That is until a severe case of Chronic Lyme Disease forced her to change her path. Instead of letting the disease break her, she leveraged it into creating a young adult book series and jewelry line.

In this episode, learn why creative growth is an evolution, how to find beauty and gratitude in every day life, and ways you can overcome Resistance.

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“Kindness is a free currency from a well that will never dry up” – Lady Gaga Quote Art

“Kindness is a free currency from a well that will never dry up” – @ladygaga (Lady Gaga)

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If you are anything like me, you are tired of hearing all the terrible news around us. Whether it’s scandals, diseases, or death, it feels like the world is crumbling around us. If you regularly watch the news, you might think it’s best to never leave your home.

I refuse to believe the world is such a horrible place. In fact, we are living in one of the safest times in human history. There are no worldwide wars. Most of us aren’t in danger of conquests, pillaging, or raids. So why are we all so worried?

I believe there are two reasons for this. One is, fear sells, so the media tries to sell it to us as much as they can. The other is, we remember tragedy and travesty more than other things. So when we hear about bad things happening, they stay with us, even though we usually aren’t in danger.

What can we do about it? I think the answer lies in kindness. Just think back to a time when someone was kind to you. How did it make you feel? How did it change your day? I’m assuming you felt amazing and wanted to carry that feeling with you. That’s the power of kindness.

I admittedly could be more kind. Although I try my best to be kind to everyone I meet, I think I could do a hell of a lot better.

I can be petty. I can be jealous. I get annoyed and frustrated. But that doesn’t mean I can’t also be kind.

[bctt tweet=”We feel trapped in the box people put us in. It doesn’t have to be that way” username=”kevin_chung”]

We tend to look at the world as either black or white. You are either mean or kind. We feel trapped in the box people put us in. It doesn’t have to be that way.

You can choose to be kind even if you are afraid. You can be kind even as jealousy or frustration pulls on you from the inside.

It’s all about your mindset. Anger, fear, jealousy, and greed are draining emotions. They weigh you down like a ton of bricks. Kindness, on the other hand, is an endless well.

That doesn’t mean you have to be kind all the time. We are human after all. But the more kindness you spread, the more it comes back to you. If it is true that we are the sum of the five people closest to us, then the more kind we are to the people around us, the more kind they will be to us too.

[bctt tweet=”Don’t get trapped in the cycle of fear and hatred.” username=”kevin_chung”]

Don’t get trapped in the cycle of fear and hatred. Just listen to the Golden Rule and treat others the way you want to be treated.

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Adam James Butcher on Sharing Your Work, the Importance of Habits and Routines, and Why Artists Need to Sell – Cracking Creativity Podcast Episode 60

Adam James Butcher didn’t take the traditional path towards becoming a full-time artist. He went to university to study sculpture, but never pursued sculpting as a career.

For a while, he created art in an alley and worked as a sandwich maker, but realized it wasn’t right for him. So he became the head of art for London schools.

During his time teaching, schools began using iPads to allow kids to create art. This was a pivotal moment in Adam’s career. After seeing his students work so well with technology, he began painting himself. Adam did so well with his digital art that he was able to move to Mexico to sell his digital art full time.

In this episode, Adam talks about why you should share your work, the value of habits and routines, and why selling is crucial for your business.

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The Grind Never Ends – Usher Tweet Quote Art

“the grind never ends”
@Usher (Usher Raymond IV)

It doesn’t matter if you’ve made one dollar or one million dollars from your art, one thing will always hold true: you can never stop working. The key to being a successful creator is not dependent on how much talent or luck you have.

It depends on how much effort you are willing to put in. It depends on how persistent you are. It depends on showing up every day to do the work.

[bctt tweet=”Hard work, directed in the right place can take you farther than talent and luck ever could” username=”kevin_chung”]

Sure, talent also plays a role, but there are millions of talented people who never find success. Sure luck plays a role, but luck can only get you so far. Hard work, directed in the right place can take you farther than talent and luck ever could.

We all want to believe our work will speak for itself. We keep hoping and praying them someone will come along and discover us. But what if we are discovered? What if someone came to you and made all of your dreams come true? Would you stop working? What would you do?

Just ask all the one hit wonders what a few minutes of fame did for their careers. Are they still rich? Are they still adored by fans? Nope.

[bctt tweet=”In order to build a sustainable career as an artist, you must keep going” username=”kevin_chung”]

In order to build a sustainable career as an artist, you must keep going. You have to show up and do the work. Artists like Usher know how to stay on top. They are constantly creating new work. They innovate and try different things while everyone else becomes stale. They are willing to put in the hours while everyone else is taking it easy.

You may not want to be rich and famous like Usher, but everyone would love to be respected like he is. It doesn’t matter whether or not you like his music, you can still admire the fact that he has been able to build such a sustainable career.

You can do this too. You just have to be willing to put in the work to make it happen.

Andrea Dantas on Learning, Leaning in to Your Why, and Doing Work that Matters – Cracking Creativity Episode 59

Andrea Dantas could have ended up poor and broke in Brazil. Her father went bankrupt when she was a child and her mother struggled to feed two kids. Her one saving grace was her love for acting.

Andrea left Brazil to study acting in Australia. While she was able to get a tourist Visa, she had trouble getting a work Visa. So her mother smuggled her money by putting it inside books she sent through the mail. While she survived on a diet of canned beans, she was still happy because she was learning and doing what she loved.

She has been able to build a successful career in acting through years of studying, performing, and working in multiple countries.

In this episode, learn why you should never stop learning, why you should always remember your why, and what it takes to do work that matters to you.

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