Creative Unpleasantries and Finding Ways to Cope

There is nothing more devastating than hearing the cry for help from a fellow creative who I was acquainted with so many years ago. The gentleman has had a string of bad luck. From relationships to room mates, etc… He’s definitely had a steady string of shitty things happen.

He’s a painter. A damned good one too! I’m not certain if he’s held any other work other than trying to pursue painting full time, but like publishing, or a music career things take time. Come to think of it… I don’t think he’s held any job beyond painting as of late. I’m sure he has his reasons–at least I’d like to hope so, but honest to Pete, the percentage of people who are successful right off the hop is extremely small. I’m not sure what made this young man think he didn’t have his dues to pay.

Over the years, I’ve had a few friends say goodbye to their day jobs to pursue writing full time. Some have managed to swing it off without a hitch because their partner/spouse we’re fine with supplementing the income, while others have put themselves in dire straights. Here’s the thing, while we all dream of having a brilliant career at writing, not all of us are going to have what’s totally in right now. Some of us just have to keep on writing 20, 30, sometimes 40 books (shorts, novellas, or novels) before we hit it big time. Say for example the amazing deal Sylvia Day landed last year. Ms. Day didn’t hit big until her Cross Fire series came along, so what does that say about those of us who are 5 or 10 yrs into our careers. There’s still hope for us. Never give up! Yet, at the same time, be responsible and make the right decision for your future too.

Book and art sales may be down right now, but don’t let that prevent you from writing, painting, or submitting to publishers/agents. Genres, tropes, and economics, and life in general play a huge part in why people aren’t interested in purchasing your art. Not everyone has the space to hang custom paintings, or can afford to pay for it when their mortgages and rent continue to climb around the world.

When life gets you down and hands you lemons, you make lemonade. Find the goodness in what you’re doing. We’re fortunate enough in our culture that we appreciate, and can express our creative side.

Still hung up on sales, then re-evaluate your marketing tactics. In an age where competition is just as hellish as the one for the ruling seat of the seven kingdoms, you need to stand apart from the rest of your peers.

Can’t get a publisher or even land a decent ranking in a contest for a book you only just wrote less than two months ago. Unless you’re Nora Roberts or have a ghost writer collaborating with your work, most writers take more than two months to write and properly edit a book with a minimum of three drafts.

Not to sound like a broken record, but there’s more to life than letting our failures bleed into the other aspects of daily life. Our blessed life is already full of ups and downs, and the only person who can change that is YOU!

I think I’ll get off my soap box now, but please know that this post is not meant to demean anyone who suffers from depression.

Been there, done that, and found myself hospitalized two times many moons ago. All thoughts leading to self-harm are serious, and you should seek help. No problem is large enough that you can’t talk with a professional with to help you sort out things.