The Thriving Christian Artist
The Thriving Christian Artist
300 - 5-Minute Mentoring: What to Do When Nothing Is Working
Have you ever felt like your career - or your life - is taking one step forward...and two steps back?
Like you’re pushing a giant boulder up a mountain and making little progress? Like you’re doing all you know to do, but nothing you do seems to move you any further ahead?
It’s frustrating, confusing...and can make you want to throw up your hands and quit!
My friend, I have been there more than once...so you are not alone! We all go through seasons when things just don’t seem to be going our way, no matter how hard we try.
But the key word there is “season.” Experiencing a season like this doesn't mean it's time to give up your calling as an artist. It means it’s time for a shift.
In this episode of 5-Minute Mentoring, I'm giving you some real advice for what you can do when things just aren't working. Some suggestions are spiritual. Some are practical. All of them will serve as life preservers to help you navigate those times in your life when the seas are rough.
Remember...God sees the bigger picture. He wants you to thrive. He created you to thrive!
If you’d like to learn more about how you can thrive as an artist in the Kingdom, I invite you to check out a new resource I’ve created, “The 3 Biggest Misconceptions to Thriving as a Christian Artist.” Click below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox!
The 3 Biggest Misconceptions to Thriving as a Christian Artist
https://thrive.matttommeymentoring.com/misconceptions-to-thriving
Connect with me online:
https://www.matttommeymentoring.com
https://www.instagram.com/thethrivingchristianartist
https://www.facebook.com/thethrivingchristianartist
https://www.youtube.com/mjtommey to watch the podcast on YouTube!
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Hey, my friend, it's Matt. Listen, what do you do when everything that you're doing seems to not be working? We've all been there. I know I've been there. And I'm going to give you some real practical advice today here on 5-Minute Mentoring to help you through this process and come out on the other side with a lot of strength and a lot of vision. God created you to be. Well, hey, my friend, so glad that you're with me here today on 5-Minute Mentoring. Listen, when you're doing everything you know how to do and it's not working, listen, there are a few things that are as frustrating as that. And I want to give you some tips today and just some really practical advice of things that you can do when things aren't working. Number one, I would say you got to realize that you and I don't see the whole picture of what's going on. You know, God sees the beginning from the end. He knows exactly where you are in the process. And although it doesn't make sense to you, and it may feel a little frustrating, may even feel like you're taking a step back, God knows exactly where you are. He's faithful to you, even when it feels like you're all alone. My friend Aaron Brown often says that when you feel like you're taking a step back or even two steps back, actually what can happen many times is like God's pulling you back in a slingshot, getting ready to launch you into the next thing. And that may be really encouraging for you today. If you feel like, gosh, I take one step forward, two steps back, I don't know what God's doing. Doors are closing, things that have always worked have not worked. Listen, trust me, God's got a plan. Jeremiah 29, 11 says, his plans are to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a hope. And so you have to have to have to trust that and be faithful in the middle of this season, even when you don't understand the full process and the full picture of what's going on. So, you know, I always tell people, if you don't know what God's doing, go back to the last place you heard the Lord. And if the last thing you heard the Lord was, you know, being in your studio, making art, being faithful to him, doing the thing that he's called you to do, that you just do that until you have clarity on the next thing, because you know that that was what he said the last time. last time. And as you're faithful in that, God will bring the resources, relationships, opportunities, open doors, closed doors. He'll bring all that to you as you're faithful. What you don't want to do is get out there and start striving and trying to make something happen in your own strength. Hunker down with Jesus, be faithful in the things he's called you to, and trust that he sees the beginning from the end. You know, also, I think many times we forget when things are not going the way we want. You forget that the Holy Spirit is there to be our guide, our friend, the one that leads us into all truth, that brings us wisdom from the Father. And so ask Holy Spirit to begin to show you through dreams and visions, through speaking to you, through words of wisdom, words of knowledge. Prophetic words from friends or mentors, leaders, other people that are in your life that trust the Lord. Ask them to be praying for you as well and speak those words into your life. All of that works together to encourage you as you're in a season that doesn't make sense. Again, usually what people do in seasons that don't make sense, either they get paralyzed and don't do anything or they go into the work, sweat and strive mode and just try to make things happen and kind of bust their way out of that neither one of those are great things to do. Asking the Lord, being faithful to what he's called you to, connecting with other friends who can help you hear the voice of the Lord, that's going to be a really, really great recipe for success in moving through these seasons. Now, the other thing I would say is that many times it's not a spiritual issue that's going on. Many times it just can be practical. There's some practical business things. For example, maybe the thing that you've been doing as a marketing plan or a You've been doing it for years. It's been working great. Guess what? Now the season's over or it's ending. That show is no longer around or that marketing opportunity is just not producing the way it used to. That doesn't mean God doesn't love you. That doesn't mean he's left you. That just means the season is ending. And so you've got to be on the lookout for the next thing that the Lord has for you. That's why I love our community and Created to Thrive because there's so many artists that are doing so many things. We're all learning from each other at the same time. what's working, what's not, what's next. And that's just, that's really, really huge. So being on the lookout for what's working and what's not working is really a key thing. The other thing I see so many times, you know, you can be a great marketer, but a lot of times the reason your art is not selling is because it's just not up to the place that it needs to be in the marketplace. So have you taken time to have a respected artist that you know, look at your work and actually ask them, hey, like for real, like legit, I would love for you to give me a real, honest, critique of my work. Where do you see it in the marketplace? Where do you see that I could come up? What about the aesthetic? What about my skill level? I need to know. Listen, having that kind of valuable input into your life is so, so critical. Otherwise, you're operating in a bubble where you think everything's great. All your friends are saying, oh, it's great. Your mama says, oh, it's beautiful. Everybody at church loves it, and yet you don't have a realistic idea. of where that actually fits into the marketplace. That is super, super important, I think, to realizing why your art may or may not be selling. And then the other thing, I think, just many times, the things that artists are making great work, maybe they're out there, but maybe they're just not out networking and building new connections like they need to be. Maybe you're just sitting at home in the studio thinking, well, God called me to be an artist and I don't know why he's not bringing me all the clients that I need. Listen, part of him bringing you clients is you being out in the marketplace where those people are. And so being out there, not just with friends and family, but at shows and meeting new people and applying for exhibitions and volunteering with your art guild and just doing the things that you need to do in the marketplace, all of that is a part of being an artist and moving through seasons that don't feel like they're being all that they could be and they're working out exactly like you thought. So many times it's just, again, not necessarily the spiritual things, it's just the practical things of life, being out there connecting with people, having great work, and also just knowing the season of where you are in marketing and being able to follow the next thing that's coming up and not getting stuck on doing the same old thing and wondering why it's not working anymore. All right. Listen, wherever you are, again, realize God sees the beginning from the end. He created you. He knows exactly where you are, loves you, is for you, and has good things for you as long as you're walking with him and asking him to be a part of that journey every day. My friend, I'm so glad you're here with me. I love you very much. I'm praying for you, believing God's best for your life. Until next time, remember, you were created to thrive.