We received over a dozen letters from people who told us they were having problems with that very same situation. Here’s an extract from one of the letters and my advice on a few ways you can improve the situation…

So I’ve always been artistic throughout my life. Just recently, I’ve been smoking cannabis.

Ok, so I see two different issues here. 

1) She’s having trouble getting her work done

2) She’s using cannabis as a crutch to try and overcome problem number 1.

So let’s look at issue number 1 first. An artist who’s having trouble getting her work done. There’s nothing new there and I’m sure we can all relate to it. 

I could write a book on why artists struggle to get their work done – and plenty of others have – but I’ll try and keep this short and practical. 

It’s not exclusive, but in my experience, if you dig deep enough you often find that creative block comes down to one of two things - 

Either;

a) The artist simply has nothing of any value to say.

or

b) The artist is scared of being ridiculed when they publish their work.

If it’s a) then you really need to to go find a cause. What is it that’s driving you? Why have you chosen to be an artist? 

The life of an artist is one of self expression. What is it that you want to express, what is it you want to “get out”, what is it that you want to share with the world? 

I’ll paraphrase that great Salvador Dali quote again - An artist isn’t one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.

How is your work inspiring others? 

Maybe you don’t know, maybe there just isn’t some inherent message within you, bursting to come out.

If you feel like you really haven’t suffered any great tragedy in your life or you haven’t experienced any overwhelming joys, if you don’t feel like you have anything to share, then go live a little.

Get out into the world and find a cause, a message, an experience. The place is full of them, so you won’t have to travel very far.

There are plenty of people who would love to have someone to talk about their cause, to communicate their story on an artistic level. 

If it’s b) and this is far more common, then you really need to sit down and think seriously about the life you are choosing.

Here’s the thing. To live a life of self expression. To be an artist of any discipline – requires publishing your work.

And the one thing that is inevitable when you publish your work – is that someone will ridicule it.

To be great, you have to separate yourself from the pack.

You can’t be a leader AND a follower. 

What you can do is change, inside your head, what it means to be ridiculed. 

You can’t stop people criticizing your work but you can change what it means to you.

One way to do this, is to start small and condition yourself to it. 

I’ve spoken in the past about “the busker principle”.

I believe that any aspiring artist can learn a great deal from the busker because the busker is out there learning ALL the fundamentals and building a solid foundation for a great career. 

Most importantly the busker is facing the public, facing rejection and ridicule and asking for money at the same time. 

And it’s this fear of rejection and ridicule that is behind most procrastination and artistic block.

It’s also a big factor that prevents creatives sell their work efficiently enough to make a sustainable living. 

So, here’s a quick fix that you can put to work right now to help overcome this fear:

Go find a cause, find a reason WHY you want to produce some work.

It might be a selfish reason. You might choose to create something that will inspire someone else, so they will buy the work from you and you can go buy a new pair of shoes.

Or you might go and align yourself with a more noble cause. You could discover a way to use your art to help communicate someone else’s message, maybe an injustice or just an imbalance in the world. 

Whatever the motivation you come up with, (and there’s no right or wrong) before you sit down and start your work, try and picture the end result in your head.

See the inspiration on the face of the patron buying your work, she the shoes you will buy when your work is sold or see the people who’s lives might be changed by your intervention in their cause.

Turn it over and over in your minds eye and I’ll bet you find that blank page starts to fill itself. 

So, let’s look at issue number 2.

She’s been using cannabis as a crutch to overcome the artistic block. 

Just realizing why cannabis sometimes helps her can be of value. I mean, what is it that the cannabis actually does? 

Does it open up the mind to some mystical, spiritual, creative dimension, where inspiration and artistry suddenly start to flow? 

Of course it doesn’t. It simply changes her state of mind. 

It changes her state of mind from one of Fear to one of Relaxation. 

So, temporarily, she is able to forget that she is afraid of ridicule and her work starts to flow more naturally. 

But there are two things to note about this process.

Firstly, it’s addictive. 

It’s not so much that cannabis itself might be addictive, that’s not the issue.

It’s that anything we do regularly that has a short term positive effect, tends to become addictive. 

If she ate a couple of chocolate doughnuts instead of having a joint, the sugar rush would change her state of mind and her work would start to flow.

If she drank a strong cup of coffee, the caffeine would change her state of mind and her work would start to flow.

If she chugged an ice cold beer, the alcohol would change her state and her work would start to flow. 

I’m sure you’re starting to get the picture. 

And I’m sure you are smart enough to create your own mental picture of how anyone might end up, if their strategy for being creative is linked to any of the above. 

The short term effect for using any of these techniques is a change in your state of mind that get’s you unstuck. 

The long term effect is an overall drop in energy, an increase in sluggishness – even less motivation that you started with and probably a fat ass. 

But you can take advantage of that addictive nature we all possess.

You can turn it to your advantage by associating something positive with kick-starting your creativity. 

When you are facing a blank page, canvas or screen and your mind is dwelling on the fear, then the three most effective things you can do are;

a) Breathe 
b) Drink more water
c) Move your body

It’s as simple as that.

Our mind and body are one system. So when we sit, hunched over for hours consuming caffeinated drinks in an unnatural environment, it effects our body and mind.

Our breathing gets shallow, we get lethargic and that effects our mental performance.  

So, when you start to lag a little bit and you notice that your brain’s not firing on all cylinders;

a) Check your posture. Are you hunched over? Is your breathing shallow? Stand up, take some deep breaths, better still, open a window or go for a short walk. Learn a couple of Yoga or Qi Gong breathing exercises or meditate for 5 minutes (It’s just breathing dude). 

b) Go get some water. With air conditioning and central heating and the crap food most people eat, you’re body and your brain (which are 70-75% water) are likely screaming out for more of the clear stuff.

Remember I said WATER: We aren’t made up of 75% coffee or coke or whatever caffeinated drink you have adopted as part of your creative “work all night” persona.

Being able to think CLEARLY is far more valuable than being able to work all night, so use caffeine only in emergencies and flush that crap out with lots of water.

c) Get up and jack your body. Walk up and down the stairs a few times, do a few press-ups, I have a weights bench and a punch bag in my office, that’s how important we take regular short bursts of exercise.

The human body simply isn’t designed to sit still all day so give it a break :)

Ok, here’s an idea, if you’ve been suffering with the same issues, why not give these ideas a go.

Make it an experiment.

You don’t have to believe in their effectiveness to try them.

And don’t worry about the consequences of giving up your chemicals and your comfortable habits. Just make this a trial, for 30 days and see if it increases your performance and gets you any closer to where you want to be.

If it doesn’t work for you, just revert back to being an over caffeinated stoner :)

And let’s not sugar coat this. You should be aware that quitting any habit, will have consequences in the short term.

Especially food and chemical habits. You may even feel like crap for a week whilst your body tries to detox. Such is the price of growth and taking back control of your life.

Good luck and let us know in the comments how you get on. 

Paul.

Illustration by Cathryn Weatherhead.

We receive submissions from people who would like us to use their work on a daily basis and I can’t help but get disappointed by how little effort the majority of people put into the task. This lack-luster approach isn’t limited to submissions for the magazine either, over the years I’ve had to review countless portfolios for people wanting an interview for different creative positions within various companies. The good news is, most people do it so badly, it’s really easy for YOU to do it well and stand out!

Here are the 3 most common mistakes I see people make;

1) Mediocre. They simply don’t don’t put enough effort in, they don’t try to sell themselves. They don’t try to stand out.

2) The confession. A surprising number of people find it almost impossible to make contact with strangers without pointing out all their personal weaknesses and insecurities.

3) One shot wonder. There’s nothing, I repeat NOTHING in life worth having that you can expect to obtain on your first try, but 99% of people will only ever submit their work once before giving up.

So what does a good cover letter look like?

Here’s a letter we received this week (published with permission). I’ll break down why I like it in a minute…

Subject: I would really like to be featured in Subvert Magazine. :)

While studying in Swansea, I developed a style of contemporary illustration that utilizes different media; including embroidery and mono-printing to create original artworks. I have sent some of my favourite work for you to look at with this email.
 
Since graduating I have worked on a number of self initiated projects, launched my own website, www.cathrynweatherhead.com. I also achieved a ‘High Commendation’ in the Cheltenham Illustration awards and I am going to be appearing in Martin Dawber’s ‘Big Book of Illustration’ which is out this autumn. And although this is all good, I want to be in YOUR magazine!
 
If you want to see more or know more please feel free to contact me on [phone] or at [email]. I would be over the moooon if you selected me to appear in Subvert or even if you just had some advice to offer.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this
 
Cathryn Weatherhead

So let’s break it down…

Subject: I would really like to be featured in Subvert Magazine. :)

She kicks off with a good title, it’s clear and confident in it’s intention and the smilie adds an informal friendly feel like a real email from one human to another. (Why should ‘first contact’ be formal and fake as suggested in so many resume guides?) Most emails we get contain the single word ’submission’ which generally results in it being filed in the ’submissions’ folder to be dealt with later. That’s what you don’t want.

My name is Cathryn Weatherhead. I am an Illustration graduate from Swansea Metropolitan University and I would really like to be featured in Subvert Magazine. Currently based in South Wales I am embarking upon an illustration career with much gusto, imagination and patience. However, I am in need of exposure to really get going :)

Angel has connections with this particular university, so pointing out the connection, or any connection between you the author and the publisher you are contacting will start to build the rapport. As humans we are always looking for connections and similarities in the people we meet.

But the next sentence is the real killer for me because she does two things;

a) She makes it clear that she’s doing her part “embarking upon an illustration career with much gusto, imagination and patience.”
b) Whilst acknowledging that she can’t do it all on her own and she needs our help “However, I am in need of exposure to really get going :)”

If you’re submitting your work to someone you’re actually asking a lot of them. You’re asking them to put their neck on the line in one way or another. If we publish your work or give you a job, then we’re publicly staking our reputation on your performance. That’s a big deal. Publishers and employers want to see that you are hungry for it, you will really make use of an opportunity that you are given and that you won’t make us look like fools for backing you.

On top of that, never forget that there is a human being at the other end of your email. And human beings love to feel wanted, we like it when someone says they need something that we can give them. (Even when we know we aren’t the only one getting this email)

While studying in Swansea, I developed a style of contemporary illustration that utilizes different media; including embroidery and mono-printing to create original artworks. I have sent some of my favourite work for you to look at with this email.

Here, she tells us why she’s different and why her work is original. The human brain is exposed to so much information on a daily basis, to help us cope its hard wired to pay particular attention to what’s new and novel, so making sure you have something new and novel and pointing out what it is, can make all the difference.

Since graduating I have worked on a number of self initiated projects, launched my own website, www.cathrynweatherhead.com. I also achieved a ‘High Commendation’ in the Cheltenham Illustration awards and I am going to be appearing in Martin Dawber’s ‘Big Book of Illustration’ which is out this autumn. And although this is all good, I want to be in YOUR magazine!

Now, she continues to tell us about her achievements so far, further reinforcing the idea that she’s a self-starter, a person who can be trusted to get the job done, who won’t let us down and is someone worth backing. It doesn’t matter that we’ve never heard of the award or the book, it tells us that she’s active, she’s out there, doing her work and getting it out into the world. The more we can see that she is likely to succeed and still have a creative career in 5, 10 years time, the more we will want to help her. She also emphasizes for the third time that she wants to be in OUR magazine. The magic number of times you should repeat anything of importance in a communication.

If you want to see more or know more please feel free to contact me on [phone] or at [email]. I would be over the moooon if you selected me to appear in Subvert or even if you just had some advice to offer.

Cathryn Weatherhead

And now to the closing. I’d say the email length is about just right. Although you can always add more information if it’s relevant, I’d suggest that multiple emails over a period of time each containing new information are a better way to go. She closes by giving us a mobile and email address, a clear sign that she’s accessible and waiting for our contact. (Most people don’t include a phone number and many will take up to a week between checking their emails. )

She adds a very clever touch by telling us how much it would mean to her to be selected. We all want to make people happy, especially if it’s helping them get closer to their goals and particularly when they have demonstrated who much effort they are putting into it themselves.

Her email ends with a strong finish, acknowledging that the process of even looking at submissions is very time consuming and therefore costly and thanking us for taking the time to read it.

To top it all off, she finishes with her full name. Cathryn Weatherhead. Now this might sound like the simplest step in the world, but it’s one that shouldn’t be overlooked. The fact of the matter is, we get a lot of correspondence from a lot of people, as does any other publisher or employer you will contact. Until they hear from you a few times, unless you make an instant impression, people will forget you! It’s nothing personal, they just will. So making sure that your name is clear is very important.

In this case, “Cathryn Weatherhead” is included, (in full), four times in the email.
It’s in the ‘From’ header of the email, it’s in the introduction at the very start of the letter, it’s in her website domain in the middle and it’s in her closing at the end.

“Cathryn Weatherhead”
“Cathryn Weatherhead”
“Cathryn Weatherhead”
“Cathryn Weatherhead”

We are going to remember Cathryn Weatherhead.

Now, is this the only way to write a submission? No
Is this how YOU should write a submission? That’s not what I’m suggesting.
Isn’t it all about the work and not the email? No, of course your work must be great – but talent alone will not get you selected, it certainly won’t get you selected more than once. Attitude is more important to most people, because most situations are about one person having to work with and trust another person, the work is just the end result.

A summary of what you CAN DO to get your submission noticed

1) Make the HEADLINES. A catchy title always sets the tone.

2) Create rapport, explain why there is a connection between you and the publisher.

3) Tell them how much you want it and why you’re worth backing. Show them how other people have backed you. Convince them that you’re doing your part, you’re willing to put in the work and you’re not just out for what you can get.

4) Remember you’re talking to a human, make them feel special, make them feel valued.

5) Tell them what makes you new, UNIQUE and different.

6) Create a clear distinguishable brand (how you want people to remember you) and repeat your most important messages, the things you really want to sink in at least 3 times! Not once or twice but three times. You don’t have to repeat your point in exactly the same way, you can say the same thing, different ways, as long as you are repeating it; 1,2,3 times :)

If you’re currently submitting your work to publishers or employers, why not run a split test between your current method and this one? Send out half your emails or letters as normal and half like this. Let us know what you learn.

Paul.

PS. We will be releasing the “Creative Secrets” series as a free online book / magazine shortly. We’ve had so much great feedback on the creative secret emails that we really want to get them out to as many people as possible, but we want to do it in a fun way, in a number of different styles.

There are 13 chapters in the creative secrets book / magazine and whilst the text will remain the same, we plan on releasing a number of versions over the coming 12 months, each featuring a different up-and-coming artist / illustrator or photographer in each edition.

It’s an opportunity to get your work seen by tens of thousands of other creatives, around the world, so if you have the time, energy and commitment to take on a project where you will be interpreting and producing 13 pieces of work (it’s a lot) then you know what to do! Send examples of your work to Angel AT subvertmagazine DOT com ;)

Now, following your creative dreams certainly gets our applause, he’s half way to success already.

But the second paragraph of his email set off the money alarm. (In the last readers letter I pointed out how frequently we often hold conflicting beliefs about money that can really limit our success.)

Here’s what Sam said;

I know musicians are the new starving artist, but I don’t care. This is what I love and I would be more than happy to be playing music in bars for the rest of my life, rather than be rich and famous. But of course the riches would be nice to have, for a rainy day.

This will upset a few people

Now I’m going to tell you something that will upset some people and it will upset them because deep down they know it’s true.

1) Many ’starving artists’ are only starving because they are insecure, lazy, and walk around in their own little dream world.

2) Many ’starving artists’ use art as an excuse to opt out of the commercial world (because it’s tough and involves making something of real value). Instead they choose to live their lives on the charity of others. They do this by actively producing useless crap that nobody wants or needs and calling this self-indulgence “self-expression”.

3) If you identify with the ’starving artist’ as a romantic, alternative lifestyle, that’s exactly what you will end up with. (But there’s nothing romantic about it, you’re just a bum with a hobby.)

Some people would have you believe that we live in a world that doesn’t value art in all it’s different forms. That to truly express yourself you must give in to a life of noble peasantry.

What utter bollocks

An artist has more opportunity to deliver value to the world than at any time in the evolution of the human species.

A million TV channels. A million radio stations, A billion websites. A trillion homes with enough disposable income to buy anything that inspires them.

So why should the creative person starve?

Sure, when you’re starting your journey, it’s going to be an uphill battle. Your dinner might be beans-on-toast for a while. Let’s be honest, you might be living on beans-on-toast for a couple of years whilst you “play music in bars” or whatever your creative equivalent is. That might be an essential part of your journey to develop your skills and get to know what your fans really value.

But that’s no place to aim for, that’s no place to even think about ending up. That’s no final destination.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to really think about where you want to end up, to set your sights high and to focus on that destination constantly.

It’s no secret and there’s really nothing metaphysical about it – but whatever you focus on is what you will end up with. It’s just how the human brain works.

A million small decisions

The path for Sam, between his first gig and his final destination is a journey of a million small decisions. Each time he is faced with a decision, the picture he holds in his head, the vision of where he wants to end up, that picture will play a part in the choice he makes.

If his picture of happiness is being famous, that’s where he’ll end up.
If his picture of happiness is riches, that’s what he’ll get.
If his picture of happiness is inspiring millions of people, that’s what he will achieve.
If his picture of happiness is playing in bars, that’s exactly what will happen.

Is it really so bad playing music in a bar?

That all depends on why you’re there;
If you’re music is just a hobby, playing in a bar might be pretty cool.
If you’re building your fan base and developing your skills, a bar might be an essential part of the journey.
If you’re still playing in bars 15 years later, then you’re probably doing something wrong.

You’ve either not developed your own confidence to the level necessary to break out of the bars or you haven’t developed you skills enough to fill a bigger venue or you simply don’t offer enough value to enough people to make them want to come see you.

That’s no place to end up. And unless you have very low expectations of yourself, you won’t be happy there.

Do you believe in your work?

If you believe in your work, if it inspires others, then why oh why would you not want to share that with as many people as possible?

The world is brimming with people looking to be inspired. Why would you want to settle for a couple of dozen drunks who probably didn’t even come to see you?

I beg you to follow this advice

If you’ve found the courage to start your creative journey, don’t sabotage yourself by walking around with a “back-up plan” in your head. Don’t tell the world that you’re off on a journey to conquer Mount Everest, whilst unconsciously telling yourself, you’d actually be satisfied if you just made it to the base camp.

Life is too short to be happy with the mediocre and musicians really aren’t the new starving artists, musicians are the new Kings and Queens.

Many a wise man will tell you that life is not a destination – it’s a journey, and often it’s a series of different journeys, loosely strung together. But as we travel through life, enjoying every moment of the journey, it’s useful to have a destination in mind, those who don’t tend to drift aimlessly. What picture do YOU carry around in your head of your final destination? Is it really worthy of a lifetime of effort or could you set your sights a little higher?

Paul.

PS. Thanks to “Sam” for his letter and for allowing us to share it so that other people might benefit as well. (Names changed to protect the innocent)

This is a real letter from a real reader who gracefully agreed to let us share his problem so that others might benefit from our humble opinions. Names have been changed to protect peoples privacy.

Like many people all over the world, Music is what gets me excited.
It’s my lifelong dream to just express myself through the art of music. To express myself & touch the lives of people at the same time. And I want to make music for the love & joy of it, I’m not looking to make loads of money.

Andrew.

Don’t want no evil money

The first thing that strikes me is the ‘money disclaimer’ which Andrew announces early in his letter “I’m not looking to make loads of money”. I hear this a lot and it’s almost always a cover-up. When someone tells us out of the blue that they don’t want to make money or they don’t care about money a little digging usually reveals one or more of the following;

- they don’t know how to make money
- they are scared of not being able to make a lot of money (scared of failing)
- they have been brought up to believe that actually making a lot of money makes you a bad person (this is very common)
- they are scared of doing the things that they think it will take to make a lot of money, like performing in public to lots of people, or actually mastering their skills beyond the amateur level.

It’s very similar to another disclaimer I’ve heard several people say over the years “I want to get fit but I don’t want to go to a gym because I don’t want to end up looking like a body builder”.

Well guess what, no one goes to a gym, trips over a barbell and comes out looking like a body builder! In just the same way that no one commits to their music, performs on stage once and walks out with a suitcase full of cash.

Money helps us keep score of the value we are delivering

Money is merely a token that we collectively use to make bartering more efficient.

In any situation your earnings will be directly in proportion to;
a) The amount of focus you give to money.
b) The amount of value you deliver to your audience.

If you are truly delivering value as an artist, people will naturally want to reciprocate, they will want to give you something that they value in return. In ye olden days, that might have been a chicken or a bundle of wheat, but some rock star, way-back-when, got sick of being given chickens by his adoring fans and started exchanging CD’s and T-shirts for golden coins.

So, my point isn’t that Andrew should be focusing on making money, more than making music, but he can explore his feelings about money. If money is an issue (and for 99% of the population it is) he can educate himself and remove a few limiting beliefs that could hold him back from the success he wants.

Attitude is everything

At the end of the day, money and resources have NOTHING to do with how successful we are, it’s 99% ATTITUDE and attitude is simply how we choose to think about the world.

Money is nothing but a tool. It can be used to do great good as well as make a mess of your life. And if you have a genuine message to spread, it’s a lot easier to achieve that goal with a pot of gold you can dip into.

It’s also a lot easier to protect ourselves from the fear of failure by saying we don’t want something that is actually very useful. If Andrew mastered his music and he put it out into the world where it did touch people and inspire them, it would most definitely have the potential to earn him a lot of money. Now if he really didn’t want that money, he could still use it in a positive way to change even more lives on an even deeper level.

Do you really not want to make any money?

So my advice to anyone who has a habit of shunning money is, just ask yourself, is it really money that you don’t want. Or is it all the hard work and effort that is required to master your craft?

I don’t own a Learjet

The rest of Andrew’s letter talks about all the other things besides money that he hasn’t got and how all these things that he hasn’t got make him helpless.

Well, that’s pretty much self imposed helplessness.

I don’t own a Learjet, but it doesn’t stop me getting around.

I’ve yet to meet someone who truly had a resource problem. Andrew’s real challenge is his state of mind. If he can change his state of mind, if he can develop his attitude, he might suddenly find himself in a world full of resources.

If you haven’t read the David Horvath Edition yet, I recommend you check it out. David is co-creator of the Uglydolls. He’s experiencing global success and he started off with a few scraps of material and a needle and thread. Literally. It’s a great, true story about starting with no support and no resources.

There are others like you, near you

What I would suggest Andrew do is find other people who are ambitious and who can help him grow and compliment his own musical skills. This is unlikely to be ‘friends’. But there will be people out there, in his location who feel exactly the same way, you just have to put yourself out there and find them. A lot of musicians join lots of different bands before finding the right people that they can make great music with.

Joining a band is just like joining a team or building a company. Doing it with friends isn’t always a good idea. You don’t want people who think and act the same as you, what you need is people who compliment you. There is also nothing to stop you joining more than one band and practicing more than one type of music, there’s an unlimited amount of learning to be done and trust me when I tell you that even world class musicians who have ‘reached the top’ continue to learn and develop their skills through out their lives.

As ‘The Donald’ would say…

As for acquiring any other resource, there is always a way, you just have to focus on the solution, not the problem.

A piano is an expensive piece of equipment, both to buy and to maintain. That’s a problem. But a keyboard isn’t. You can buy a keyboard on eBay for $50 and spend a couple of years learning from the thousands of totally free tutorial videos on YouTube.

When you progress past the basics, you can put some feelers out in your neighborhood, there is always someone with a piano, a school, a church, the teacher down the end of the road. If you can’t afford lessons yet, offer to clean their windows, or mow their lawn. Lots of artists love to pass on their skills, but only to people who demonstrate they really want it and are willing to put the effort in. There are a million ways to find a solution, it just requires the willingness to put yourself out there and not be defeated by a few NO’s.

The truth about success

The truth is, the path to success is littered with a thousand rejections, a thousands NO’s, and years of making-do, whilst enjoying yourself and moving forward. And that’s what it’s all about, setting yourself in motion. Because the more you do, the more you put yourself out there, the more people you will meet who want to help you and the more opportunities you will come across.

Cue the music…

It doesn’t take a lot of resources to get your creative ball rolling, a pen and paper, a stereo, a tape and….

Keep em coming

Thanks again to ‘Andrew’ for letting us share his letter. Let us know if our advice is useful to you all and keep your letters coming, we love to hear from you.

Paul.