Marketing Your Art the Right Way

Selling Art, Not Selling Out

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"I am still learning." - Michelangelo
Quote by Michelangelo

“I am still learning.” – Michelangelo Quote Art

December 5, 2015 / / 2 Comments

“I am still learning.” – Michelangelo

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Michelangelo is considered one of the greatest artists to ever live. His art defines the Renaissance, one of the most prolific art periods in human history.

People flock from far and wide to view his statue of David and frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He even had a cartoon ninja turtle named after him.

Unlike many artists, Michelangelo did not die in obscurity. After his death, he was revered by the people of Florence and was given the title “father and master of all the arts”. He also lived to see two biographies written about him.

Through all of this, you might assume Michelangelo had it all figured out. You might think his mastery of painting, sculpture, and architecture would make him content with his own skills. But that is not the case.

[bctt tweet=”Learning helps us grow our minds and ourselves. “]

Michelangelo’s quote about learning shows us the futility of settling. We should never stop learning. Learning helps us grow our minds and ourselves. It helps us build our skill set and also helps us relate to others.

If you ever become content with your knowledge of a craft, remember the masters like Michelangelo. They were not happy with what they knew. They did not settle for good enough. You shouldn’t either.

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"You can't TRY to do things, you must simply DO them." - Ray Bradbury
Quote by Ray Bradbury

“You can’t TRY to do things, you must simply DO them.” – Ray Bradbury Quote Art

November 28, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“You can’t TRY to do things, you must simply DO them.” – Ray Bradbury

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Have you ever caught yourself thinking any of these things?

“I want to try social media, but I don’t know the first thing about it.”

“I know I should build a website, but it’s just so hard.”

“How in the world am I supposed to build an email list? It sounds like a lot of work.”

You’ve attempted to build your art business, but you just can’t seem to get it right. You’ve dabbled with so many different strategies, but nothing seems to work. Why is that?

It’s because you spend too much time trying and not enough time doing. What does that even mean?

[bctt tweet=”Stop testing things out for a week and giving up when things don’t go right. “]

It means you give up too easily. Stop testing things out for a week and giving up when things don’t go right. Most things won’t work right away. Everything takes time. You have to experiment and see what works.

[bctt tweet=”Stop making excuses for why you haven’t succeeded. “]

It means you often hold yourself back. Stop making excuses for why you haven’t succeeded. Figure out what the problem is and tackle it head on. If there are obstacles in your way, find a way around them.

[bctt tweet=”Success and notoriety are the result of, hard, deliberate work.”]

It means stop hoping for success. Instead of hoping and praying for people to discover you, seek people out. Being discovered is a myth. Success and notoriety are the result of, hard, deliberate work.

If you want to do something, then do it. Be intentional with everything you do and take accountability for yourself.

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Photo by Igor Trepeshchenok Barn Images

"Fear is a Liar"

Fear is a Liar Quote Art

November 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“Fear is a Liar”

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This is quote and writing comes courtesy of one my readers Diana Casabar who is a Contemporary Jewelry Metalsmith.

Fear is a LIAR. What about this quote speaks to me?

Hmmm ~ It speaks to every aspect of my life and helps me to keep kind and loving thoughts of Myself in my mind.

I say it to keep me from not comparing my work to others and feeling inadequate.

I think of it when I see a call to artists and I don’t feel brave enough to submit my work for those juried exhibitions or galleries.

I say it when I’m shy about contacting old clients to let them know I have new work.

I think of it every season so I can design AND create a new line.

I say it while I’m trying desperately to bring my art to the next level.

I think of it when I’m sketching a piece, and fall off the path of my chosen brand.

I say it when I’m trying to figure out a new way to market my work.

I think of it when I peruse magazines and see other’s work, but not mine.

It speaks to my personal life too, helps me balance my family, my sport and my work.

I’m training right now to test for my third degree black belt in Taekwondo. It’s a two day test in November. It’s very strenuous. There are lots of younger kids. I’m 54 years old, with two kids and I hammer metal all day. There are a lot of days when my lungs, muscles and brain sing for attention. I think of it when they’re are singing, just to get through the workouts.

I think of it when I’m lost on a hiking trail.

I think of it when the husband is away on a trip.

I think of it when I have to clean the house, get the boy to school, let the contractor in to fix the air conditioner, mail a package, go to the grocery store ANNNNNNDDDD hammer 5 new pairs of earrings and two pendants.

Fear is a LIAR. I can do this.

—-

Thanks Diana for the wonderful words of inspiration and encouragement. If you have a favorite quote of your own, don’t be afraid to share it with me!

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"The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all." - Richard Branson
Quote by Richard Branson

“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” – Richard Branson Quote Art

November 14, 2015 / / 3 Comments

“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” – Richard Branson

Print available on Storenvy.

When you look back on your life, will you be happy with what you see?

[bctt tweet=”If you want to leave a lasting impact, you have to be willing to take chances.”]

If you want to leave a lasting impact, you have to be willing to take chances. Otherwise, you will look back in disappointment.

Look at the world’s most memorable people. Do you think they were cautious?

What would the world be like if our forefathers didn’t fight for our freedoms? What would life be like if Guttenberg hand’t taken a chance and built a printing press? What if Edison decided building a more efficient light bulb wasn’t worth the effort?

[bctt tweet=”We must be brave if we want to achieve our dreams.”]

We must be brave if we want to achieve our dreams. Cautious people accept their fate and life. There is nothing wrong with the cautious life. Just don’t expect things to happen to you. You have to seek them for yourself.

If you want to make a living from your art, you must be intentional about it. If you want people to recognize you for your gifts, you can’t just create and expect people to find you.

I’m not saying it will be an easy or short journey. It is scary putting yourself and your work on the line.

We fear rejection. We fear our work won’t be good enough. We fear failure.

People have fought and died for what they believe in. Is putting your art out there really that scary?

[bctt tweet=”Make your life worth looking back on.”]

Living the life of your dreams takes bravery. Stop being so cautious. Make your life worth looking back on.

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Photo by Ghislain Mary

“Creativity takes courage. ” - Henri Matisse
Quote by Henri Matisse

“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse Quote Art

October 31, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse

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Whether you’ve been creative your entire life, or you are just now exploring it, one thing is true. Creativity takes courage.

As creatives, we spend our whole lives fighting against the system. Our parents tells us to stop drawing on the walls. Our teachers gave us bad grades because we didn’t do their assignment the “right” way. Our bosses are dead set in their ways.

Each day we live within the confines of the establishment. Most of us fall right in line. We feel stifled and held back by the people around us, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

[bctt tweet=”We can choose to be courageous. We can take the unbeaten path”]

We can choose to be courageous. We can take the unbeaten path. We can take risks without knowing how things will turn out.

Most of us choose to accept the status quo, but there are many people out there who have created their own way. Here are a few of the people I look to while trying to form my own path:

Tim Ferriss

Tim is one of the best known examples of someone who doesn’t let people dictate his life. He built and sold his own company after deciding he could maximize his time and delegate his work.

He has written multiple best-selling books including his seminal work The Four Hour Workweek, he has one of the top ranked podcasts on iTunes, and he is also an angel investor.

Tim has built a massive following around the idea of doing maximizing your efforts to get the greatest results and has inspired many people to do the same.

Lewis Howes

Lewis was fulfilling his dream as a professional football player until an injury ended his playing career. This injury devastated him. He was broken and living on his sister’s couch.

At that moment, he could have felt sorry for himself and accepted his place in the world. Many people would. Instead he embarked on a new path.

Since that moment, he has built multiple companies, he has created an extremely popular podcast, and he recently released his first traditionally published book about achieving greatness.

In that moment of weakness, instead of giving up, he chose to seek greatness. Now he is helping people seek their greatness too.

Maria Popova

Maria is the wonderful mind behind one of the internet’s favorite blogs: Brain Pickings. While most blogs on the internet explore very specific topics, Brain Pickings features Maria’s thoughts on culture, books, and any topic that interests her.

Brain Pickings started as a weekly email to seven of her friends. Now it receives millions of visitors a month. She has built that following by exploring her own interests, and is able to sustain her blog through donations from her readers.

Although she could be making much more money through ads, she chooses to make money through affiliate links and donations from her readers. This allows her to work on things she enjoys instead of working on things that will make her money.

Srinivas Rao

Srinivas is the creative force behind one of my favorite podcasts: The Unmistakable Creative. This podcast features amazing interviews with everyone from artists to entrepreneurs to ex-cons.

Like many people, Srinivas thought he had to seek the traditional path to success. He went to business school and got a 9-5 job, but wasn’t fulfilled. So he hosted a podcast called BlogCast FM and gradually grew the podcast interview by interview. He then re-branded it into what it is today, the Unmistakable Creative. It is now one of the most popular podcasts for creatives.

Tina Roth Eisenberg aka swissmiss

Tina is one of the most popular designers on the internet. She came to the US from Switzerland and worked for several prominent NYC design firms.

In 2005, she started her popular blog, swissmiss, and ran her own design studio with clients including the Museum of Modern Art and Food Network. While building the studio she also started other side projects including Creative Mornings, TeuxDeux, and Tattly. These projects allowed her to drop all her clients to work on them full-time.

Chase Jarvis

While at San Diego State University, Chase had plans of going to medical school after graduating. A few weeks before graduation, his grandfather passed and left him all of his photography equipment.

Instead of going to school after graduating, he took a trip to Europe, where he discovered his passion for photography. While pursuing his Masters degree at the University of Washington, he licensed photos to REI, which allowed him to leave school and start up his own studio.

Since then, Chase has photographed for clients like Nike, Apple, Miscrosoft, REI, and Lady Gaga. He also launched CreativeLive which offers free classes for people who want to learn photography, design, and other creative topics, and hosts interviews with creatives on Chase Jarvis Live.

—

[bctt tweet=”Be courageous and let your creativity guide you”]

Most of us believe we can’t pursue our creative dreams. We lack the conviction to step out of our comfort zones and do the thing we love most. Instead of letting your preconceived notions stop you, let them go. Be courageous and let your creativity guide you.

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Photo by Mike Kniec

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” - Stephen King
Quote by Stephen King

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Stephen King Quote Art

October 25, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Stephen King

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We live most of our lives in fear. We are afraid to be alone. We are afraid of trying new things. Most of all, we are afraid of failure. This single fear prevents many of us from doing the things we want to do.

The question is not whether we have fear, the question is why. While I don’t claim to know why anyone else has fear, I do know why I am afraid.

I am afraid that I am not enough. I am afraid of other people’s judgments. I am afraid that I will fail.

[bctt tweet=”When we are afraid, we don’t take action.”]

Fear is a powerful de-motivator. When we are afraid, we don’t take action. We stay inside our comfort zone. We are trapped in a bubble.

While our fears will never go away, we can acknowledge them and let them go. If we let fear win, we have given in to death. In the words immortalized by Drake, “You only live once.”

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.”
– H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Nothing in life is guaranteed. We should be grateful every day we wake up. It can all disappear so quickly. No one knows what comes after death, so we should spend our time living in the now instead of some distant future.

[bctt tweet=”If you are waiting for permission to live your life, here it is. “]

If you are waiting for permission to live your life, here it is. That doesn’t mean you need to be a reckless or live your life like a daredevil. It means finding out what lights you up inside. Live the life you want to lead. Don’t let everyone else tell you how to live your life. Don’t go to your deathbed with all your regrets.

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Picture by dave.see

Picture by Philipp

"What we do in life echoes in eternity." - Maximus (Gladiator)
Quote from Gladiator

“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” – Maximus (Gladiator) Quote Art

October 17, 2015 / / 1 Comment

“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” – Maximus (Gladiator)

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In ancient times, people were obsessed with legacy. People were not just representing themselves in the sphere of public perception. They were representing the legacy of their family name. They wanted to live a life their ancestors could be proud of.

Somewhere along the lines, we lost touch with the idea of legacy. When going through life, we often focus on the future. What can I do to become a full time artist? How do I get my work in front of more people? Where’s the best place to market my art?

[bctt tweet=”We are so absorbed with our future that we rarely stop to think about the legacy we will leave behind”]

We are so absorbed with our future that we rarely stop to think about the legacy we will leave behind. After all, it is hard to think about life after death. No one really knows what happens to us when we die. The only thing we can do is live the best life that we have.

The perfect embodiment of this idea is the late Scott Dinsmore. Scott believed the world would be a different place if “we all did work that actually mattered to us.” That is a powerful idea.

Through his site, Live Your Legend, Scott inspired thousands of people to find their passions and live life on purpose. He built a community with meetups in 150 cities and 48 countries around the world. He gave a TEDx Talk that has millions of views. But in the end, his greatest legacy was the impact he made on other people.

[bctt tweet=”Instead of always thinking about ourselves, we need to look at the impact we are making on others”]

Instead of always thinking about ourselves, we need to look at the impact we are making on others. Are you making a positive impact on the world? Are you doing everything you can to make your ancestors proud?

When you die, will your life be something you can be proud of? What legacy will you leave behind? After all, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

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"People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of." - Paulo Coelho
Quote by Paulo Coelho

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” – Paulo Coelho Quote Art

October 11, 2015 / / 9 Comments

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” – Paulo Coelho

Print available on Storenvy.

As creatives, we are often thought of as dreamers. We dream of our art being “discovered”. We dream of people clamoring over our work. We dream of a life where we can just create.

The thing is, we are dreamers, but often times, we are not doers.

A little over a year ago, I was a dreamer too. I dreamed that I could help artists get exposure for their work. I dreamed that I could help artists in the subject they are most uncomfortable: marketing. I dreamed that I could have my own podcast and share my thoughts with the world.

I am no longer just a dreamer. I am a doer too. Instead of letting my dreams die, I took action on them. That is the only reason you are reading this. Without action, I would be like many creatives, dreaming my life away.

[bctt tweet=”Dreams will get you nowhere without action”]

There is nothing wrong with being a dreamer. In fact, I would argue it is absolutely essential for artists to be dreamers. The problem is, you can’t just be a dreamer. Dreams will get you nowhere without action.

The only thing that separates those who succeed from those who don’t is taking action and not giving up. When I embarked on this adventure, I didn’t have everything planned out.

Often times we want a perfect blueprint of what we should be doing and when we should be doing it. We want someone to tell us exactly what to do without figuring it out for ourselves.

[bctt tweet=”The path to success is not linear. Nothing is ever perfect”]

I’ll tell you this, the path to success is not linear. Nothing is ever perfect. If you have been waiting for the perfect formula to bring you success, you will be waiting a very long time.

And that’s a good thing. If life were a formula you could just follow, it would quickly become dull. Life is about the journey, not the destination.

I’ve talked to many creatives and one commonality they all have is their unconventional paths. No one told them what to do. They discovered it on their own.

When we are children, we think the adults have it figured out. We think there is this magical switch that turns on and we’ll know exactly what to do. If you haven’t figured it out yet, that switch doesn’t exist.

[bctt tweet=”If you have a dream, there is only one thing left to do: take action”]

If you have a dream, there is only one thing left to do: take action. Instead of hoping your dreams will come true, make them come true.

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Photo by Flickr user pslee999

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
Quote by Winston Churchill

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill Quote Art

October 3, 2015 / / 3 Comments

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

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Like I have talked about many times before, failure is not something to be ashamed of. Each of us encounters failure in some form or fashion throughout our lives. Artists from Walt Disney to J.K. Rowling had to go through hardship to find success.

Here are just a few notable examples of people who have failed:

Walt Disney

Early in his career Disney created an animation studio called Laugh-O-Gram Films. This studio became loaded with debt and ended up bankrupt. He could have quit after this failure, but he chose to go Hollywood instead. There Walt and his brother Roy set up another studio.

Now, Disney is one of the most iconic brands in the world, and his characters are nearly universally recognized.

Steven Spielberg

Spielberg may be known for his many blockbusters, but he hasn’t always been so successful. Before becoming the icon he is today, he was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Cinema Arts three times for having poor grades.

Spielberg went on the create some of the most iconic movies in film history. In 1995 he was rewarded an honorary degree from USC, and in 1996 he became a trustee.

Harrison Ford

You may know Harrison Ford as one of his many iconic characters like Han Solo or Indiana Jones, but Ford was not always a successful actor.

Ford began his acting career as a contract player earning $150 a week. Initially, he did not find much success. One studio official even told Ford he would never be a movie star. Before catching his big break, he had to become a carpenter to supplement his income.

Ford is now one of the most well known actors in Hollywood and has acted for over 40 years.

Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was the editor-in-chief of the Darthmouth humor magazine Jack-O-Lantern, and was kicked off the staff for breaking the Prohibition law. So he began using the pseudonym “Seuss.” He later became known for his pen name Dr. Seuss.

Seuss spent years making a living by drawing cartoons for advertisements and magazines. On his boat trip back from Europe, Seuss, the rhythm of the ship’s engine inspired his first book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. This book was rejected 27 times.

Seuss was going to destroy the book until he had a chance encounter with a friend who had just become editor at a publishing house’s children’s section.

That moment changed his life. The book became a sensation, and he wound up publishing over 60 books including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

Stephen King

Stephen King may be known as one the the greatest horror writers, but it wasn’t always this way.

When King left university, he got a teaching certificate, but wasn’t able to find a job initially. So he had to work at a laundry, where he wrote short stories on the side.

King even threw away his first novel, Carrie, because he became discouraged writing. His wife retrieved it from the trash and encourage him to finish it. That ended up being the tipping point of his career.

Since completing Carrie, King has written over 50 novels and nearly 200 short stories. He has sold over 350 million copies of his books and many of them have been adapted into films and mini series.

J.K. Rowling

Before J.K. Rowling found fame with Harry Potter, she considered herself a failure. She had a failed marriage. She was jobless and raising a child by herself. She was clinically diagnosed with depression and contemplated suicide.

Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book while on welfare. You might think after the outrageous success the books had that publishers would have killed for the chance to publish the book. You would be wrong. The book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected it.

We know the rest of the story. Rowling ended up writing seven Harry Potter books in total, which turned into eight films. According to Forbes, she became the first billionaire writer and the second-richest female entertainer.

—

These stories show the failures of some of the most well known artists of our time. Each one reached a low point in their careers, but was able to overcome them and move on to great things.

[bctt tweet=”Failure is not uncommon, it is inevitable.”]

If you are to learn anything from these people it’s that failure is not uncommon, it is inevitable. It is only by making it through these failures that one will find success.

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Thanks to Business Insider for the list of failures.

"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." - Babe Ruth
Quote by Babe Ruth

“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” – Babe Ruth Quote Art

September 25, 2015 / / 2 Comments

“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” – Babe Ruth

Print available on Storenvy.

Babe Ruth was one of the most prolific hitters in baseball history. In 1923 he broke the record for most home runs in a season. He also had the second highest batting average that year.By the time he retired, he held the home run record at 714.

These statistics may be well known, but what isn’t as well known is, he also had the most strikeouts that year. Not only that, he also held the record for the most career strikeouts at 1,330.

[bctt tweet=”Great accomplishment does not come without great failure”]

Both of these records lasted many years before they were broken. The point is, Babe Ruth was not afraid to strike out. He realized that great accomplishment does not come without great failure.

This quote also comes in many variations. The words are different, but the message is always the same. Without risk, there is no reward.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg went to Harvard, one of the most well respected schools in the entire world. He could have played it safe and gotten a degree, found a good job, worked for 50 years, and retired.

Instead, he started working on a little project in his dorm room with a few classmates. They began sharing it on other campuses, and it became so successful that they dropped out of Harvard and brought it to Silicon Valley. That was the start of Facebook.

“Never was anything great achieved without danger.” – Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli is considered the “father of modern political theory.” He was a diplomat in the Florentine Republic for 14 years while the Medici family was out of power in Florence.

When the Medici family returned to power, he was suspected of conspiracy, sent to jail, tortured, and exiled. While exiled he wrote one of the seminal works of political theory: The Prince.

In The Prince, Machiavelli writes about monarchical rule and man’s ability to determine his own destiny. The book is known for showing politicians how to be ruthless, self-serving, and cunning. It even inspired the term Machiavellian.

[bctt tweet=”You should not be afraid to disturb the status quo”]

Machiavelli’s story shows that you should not be afraid to disturb the status quo. He could have sat by and let circumstances happen to him. Instead, he stuck by his ideals, even though he was punished for them, and is now immortalized through his work.

“The greatest risk to man is not that he aims too high and misses, but that he aims too low and hits.” – Michelangelo

Michelangelo is often cited as one of the most influential artists of all time. He has created some of the most recognizable pieces of art known to the world.

This only happened because he was willing to take risks with his art. Two great examples of this come in the form of his statue of David and his fresco painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Before Michelangelo created the statue of David, two prior sculptors attempted and abandoned it. A committee consulted several artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, about creating the statue. Yet Michelangelo, who was only 26 years old at the time, convinced the committee he deserved the commission.

This feat is so impressive because the statue stands at 17 ft tall and was made from a single giant piece of marble. It is now one of the most recognizable figures in the world.

The ceiling painting of the Sistine Chapel is an equally impressive feat. Although he was known as a sculptor, not a painter, Pope Julius II commissioned him adorn the ceiling with twelve large figures of the Apostles. Michelangelo negotiated a much grander scheme. He eventually created the painting with over 300 figures.

It took four years to complete the massive, complicated painting. An estimated six million people visit the chapel each year to catch a glimpse of the painting.

If Michelangelo did not take risks, these two complicated and spectacular pieces of art would have never been created.

—

[bctt tweet=”No one ever made something great without taking on great risk”]

These are just a few notable examples of what can be achieved when you are willing to take a risk. No one ever made something great without taking on great risk.

[bctt tweet=”Don’t let the fear of failure prevent you from achieving greatness”]

There is so much we can learn by studying those who came before us. Don’t let the fear of failure prevent you from achieving greatness. Don’t be fooled by the safety of the status quo. You have to be willing to strike out if you want to hit a home run.

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Photo by Charles Conlon

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