The latest Artisan Advantage Book Club pick was Karla Starr’s, “Can You Learn to be Lucky?; Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others.” A theme that kept popping up in my mind while reading this book was control the controllable.
Takeaways
Taking action is the first right step.
Remember the Kettering Principle:
Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.
Be memorable.
You may not be able to control the order in which your work is juried or your booth’s location at the arts festival, but it is within your control to be memorable.
Don’t take it personally.
You don’t always know the factors that are involved when people are making decisions about your work. Choose to frame your losses as learning experiments.
Show up.
Woody Allen was right: 80 percent of success is just showing up
Act the part.
Be professional. Don’t unknowingly eliminate yourself with “weird online IDs, unprofessional looking websites or goofy profile photos…”
Be aware of yourself and others
Keep your eyes open for opportunities.
Focus on your own bright spots.
Don’t worry about or be envious of what another artist is doing. Focus on the positive in your work and world.
Always be improving.
Take a class. Clean your studio. Take care of yourself.
Have a vision.
Focus on what you have to do today to get closer to your preferred future.
Write your vision out and reflect on it regularly.
Overall I enjoyed the read and found it to be a good reminder of how while we can’t control everything, there are many small things that we can do to make a big difference in our success.
