When you’re lying on your deathbed, would you rather say, “I am so glad I tried” or “I wish I had another chance”?
If you're anything like me, then you'll go with the former. You'll be glad you took a risk on whatever wild and crazy idea it was, because that will mean that you lived, instead of hiding from that idea out of fear.
Back when I had the insane idea to become an artist with relatively no experience, I took a risk on my idea. Heck, I took a risk on myself. I told myself I could do it, and so I did. Over the span of six years, I refined my creative and business processes through a turmoil of failures and successes.
Then last summer I just sort of hit this peak. I stood at the top of the “mountain” I had climbed and for the first time maybe ever, I looked around to enjoy the view. Then I looked down and saw how far I'd come.
I thought to myself: “Okay I've gotten this far, I've reached this summit, so what's next?”
It's not that what I had built wasn't working. In fact, my art business was thriving. It had grown over 30% each year for five consecutive years. I was hitting over six figures in profits. It's just that I am never the type of person to settle. I always need a new goal, and here I was at the mountain top. The time had come to descend the peak and set my sights on a new summit.
What better way to close a chapter than to share the successful formula I had developed with the world? Everything I had learned. All those failures I'd had. All those wins.
So one day last summer, I began writing incessantly. I wrote down all of the answers to the questions I had received from up-and-coming artists over the years. Most importantly, I wrote the answers to the questions for the younger version of me.
And before I knew it, after hundreds of hours of writing and editing, and with the help of my partner, Kory (who helps people publish books), an editor, and a proofreader, I had written the book that I wish I could have read when I began my career as an artist. Naturally, I titled it “So You Wanna Be an Artist" for all the wannabe's out there who wanna BE something more than just an idea or far away dream. Just like that, I had compiled this chapter of my life into a beautiful, cohesive book-form.
As for what the next chapter is?
I'm still building it, trial and error! And I cannot wait to share what's coming down the pipeline this next year. Stay tuned!
xx,
Gianna
