It’s Never Too Early to Lay a Foundation

Have you ever dreamed about starting your own art business but got stuck knowing when and how to begin laying the foundation?   

I see this frustration show up all the time in artists who have emerged past the hobbyist phase with their art. Maybe they have been selling a little bit of art from time to time, and now they are starting to see the reality where art can grow from being a lucrative side hustle into their full-time vocation.

This is when the questions I get from these artists start to change.  I start getting asked things like…

•  “Matt, when do I need to start thinking about the things that you are teaching?”
•  “You know, marketing, developing a brand, and starting to do Facebook lives?”
•  “When do I need a website?”
• “What does it mean to really thrive in the Kingdom?” 
•  “What do I need to understand mindset-wise to really get what God has for me?” 

I hear all this and more, and I always tell people this; It is never ever too early to lay a solid foundation for your art and your art business. And every time I share this bit of wisdom, the very next thing I hear is, “well, Matt, what do I do next?”  Here are the top three things I always share.

Accelerate Your Confidence
As you start working intentionally on your art business and while continuing to develop both spiritually and artistically, you begin to gain confidence in an accelerated way.  It never ceases to amaze me that once you start to get some success under your belt and people start responding favorably to what you are creating, all of the old fears and hesitations seem to melt away.

Fear of failure, fear of technology, and even the fear of not being good begin to be replaced by confidence as you take that leap of faith to get out there and start doing stuff. And to be clear, this isn’t something that can be bought or even something that God is just going to download to you supernaturally.

This release of confidence comes with the territory.  As you step out, God is there to release grace and confidence in your life equal to the task that you are pursuing.  So, gaining confidence is a huge reason why it is never too early to lay a solid foundation.

You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Runway
Building a successful art business is a lot like building a long, beautiful runway.  A lot of people think that they are going to build this great “plane” of an art business, then all at once, their art career will begin to take off and soar.  While I would love that that to be true, here is the deal:  your “plane” will never get off of the ground without a runway. The truth is, you have got to have a runway to begin to build up speed and accelerate in order to take off and be who God has called you to be.  

Laying a foundation for this “runway” starts in your spiritual life. You begin by aligning your mindset, your heart, and your mindset with the truth of how the Kingdom works, how money flows, and how to connect with the broader move of what God is doing in the earth and raising up this army of artists. With this started, then begin to focus on all of the marketing, business, and art stuff that it takes to really thrive as an artist.

As you are faithful to do this little by little each day, you’ll be laying a firm foundation for that “runway.” Then when the day comes and you are ready to push the accelerator on your creative life, you will shoot down the runway, take off, and soar as an artist.

Start Healthy, Stay Healthy
Laying a healthy foundation early on avoids do-overs later in life.  I don’t know if you are like me, but when I get something that has to be assembled,  a curtain rod, a bookshelf, a piece of lawn equipment, whatever it is, I never look at the instructions.  I always jump in and start doing it. Maybe this is a guy thing, but I don’t think it is.  

Inevitably, I get to a point where the thing I’m building doesn’t look like the picture on the box.  Maybe it’s because I’ve put “Part F” backward into “Slot A” while using “Screw I” instead of “Bolt L” to hold it together.  Then I have to take the whole thing apart and redo it. This entire process wastes time, makes me frustrated, and always leaves me wondering “Why didn’t I just read the directions?” 

Laying a solid foundation in your spiritual, art, and business life is a guaranteed way to avoid a bunch of unnecessary do-overs in your journey.  Otherwise, you are forever trying to figure things out on your own, and having to come back weeks, months, and even years later to undo negative patterns of thinking and ways of doing things.  Seeking the advice of someone who has traveled this journey before you, a mentor, can be one of the best first steps you can take in laying a firm, healthy, do-over free foundation in life and art.

I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. 

Thanks for reading