TWO CONVERSATIONS (THAT changed my life)
All of us need to challenged at times. We get stuck, sidetracked or distracted. Sometimes we need a good friend to give us a kick up the backside to keep going! At other times we need to know we have people standing with us who care about us and share our vision. Key conversations at the right time can make all the difference.
If you don’t have people like this, be proactive, find someone who knows you well and values your art, and ask them to journey with you. These are two such conversations as best I remember them…
Julie Spence, who has since gone to be with her God.
CONVERSATION ONE
HOLD FAST TO YOUR VISION
I have been part of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) here in Auckland, New Zealand for many years. One Friday morning I walked down for morning tea (a New Zealand tradition) and recognized Julie Spence, who I had last seen in Hawaii. Julie was Dean of the College of Arts in YWAM (she has since passed away).
What followed was an hour and a half heart-to-heart conversation in which God spoke directly to me through her. Not your “normal” conversation, it was both encouraging and challenging.
I could be really honest with Julie, since she has been through similar challenges herself.
I started by explaining that our organisation had lost five of the seven buildings on our campus and most of the land we once hoped to buy. Staff numbers have dropped and many times I had grieved the loss of the dream that once seemed so bright.
Julie answered, “Nothing is achieved without struggle”
“YWAM has lots of “success stories”, but we don’t often hear the stories of struggle. There have been times of loss and disappointment in YWAM. There are seasons in life.
I said that some leaders had made “big vision statements” but disappointment followed when these “prophetic statements”, for whatever reasons, didn’t come to pass. She responded, “You must learn to be single minded—don’t worry about what others say, what did God say? If God said it, do it. Don’t compare yourself with others or with their vision—what God has told you to do? Spend time with Jesus, listen to his heart. You can’t stay in this place. Get back up and move forward. You can’t allow these things to hold you back from doing what God wants you to do”. She suggested I read the book, “Failing Forward”.
Julie continued, “We all face disappointments. There’s lots we don’t understand about God and why things happen the way they do. There just is! We have no way of explaining or understanding everything God allows to happen.
I said that I felt called to start a creative arts program, bringing together painters, photographers, graphic design, video, animation, music and dance. Julie said, “You need to have strong vision. People are attracted to vision. This vision needs to come directly from God, not from others.
You will find out that some people will share your vision and be excited by what you are doing and stand with you—but many won’t. They won’t see the value of what you want to do. Identify with those who do and build strong relationships with them. Go to them and ask them for guidance—don’t wait for them to come to you.
Don’t think you are alone
There are already others with similar vision around the world. Join them, connect, network, share the vision.
As Dean of the College of Arts, I need people who will hear from God and fight for what they want to achieve. There are huge challenges in whatever we do for God. It’s almost never easy. All leaders go through times of extreme stress and testing.
Julie went on, “Once, in China I didn’t get a permit to hold a major event until 25 hours it was scheduled to begin! Some people dropped out, others became disillusioned and started to doubt and question. There have been times when we have had to cancel programs, people didn’t show up, money didn’t come. I felt humiliated. My husband has had major health problems. The question is: Are we going to give in, run away from the problems and become disappointed or stand and fight for what God has said? We must all learn to persevere and fight through the adversities.
Don’t wait for others
You be the one to step forward, you be the solution. Something initially may look insignificant but start with what you have now. Don’t despise the small beginnings. Many successful programs in YWAM looked stupid to those around at the beginning”.
At the end of our time together Julie said, “This morning has been a foundational time. We met here today for a reason. It wasn’t just “chance”. God has been doing something today!”
CONVERSATION TWO
Developing GOALS - and HOLDING THE COURSE!
My son-in-law Tyge phoned asking if he could stop by later. When he arrived, we sat down and he asked me a hard question: “Is your art just a hobby or something more serious?”
I answered that I did indeed want to take it out of the hobby category and make it something much more professional.
His next question: “So, what are you doing about it?”
Me: Uhhh….hmmm…!
He then asked, “Are you being effective? How many galleries have you talked to?” I came up with a few (pretty lame) examples of places I had emailed and some I had talked to—one was a café/gallery at which we had attended an Opening the week before, with a possibility of showing my work there. He told me that I need to stop dreaming and start doing.
I had to admit in the end that in terms of building of my art business almost nothing had happened. He said it had been months now and he keeps hearing about my dreams for my art, but nothing concrete actually gets done. He reminded me on Sunday at church the talk had been about how God moves in partnership with us; we take the initiative and make the first move, then God responds…we take the next step, then God responds again. Tyge challenged me not to just sit back and expect God to drop something into my lap. “If you just sit and wait for God to do everything, nothing ever gets started. We do what we can, then God does what only He can!
Know where you want to go
Be intentional about creating a plan. We talked about me stopping painting for a while to create a window of time to develop a business plan for marketing my artwork. He quite rightly pointed out that I love to be in my studio painting, but what is the point of having dozens of finished paintings sitting around that nobody ever sees? I need to have a solid plan in place for promoting my art. One that I could build on over the years ahead.
His advice was to stop painting for a season and prioritise writing a business plan for the next few years.
I mumbled about the possibility of finding a person who could do some of the groundwork, who could represent me and contact galleries on my behalf. He answered, “People buy paintings from a person they know. They are in fact buying you and their relationship with you, not just the art. Gallery owners want to see and talk to you face to face, they want to hear about your vision and work from you directly, not from someone else. You can’t get around the fact that nobody can represent you better than you.
We moved on to the topic of pricing. You may need to bring down your prices as you build your reputation. I was reluctant to do so and pointed out how much materials cost (here in New Zealand, watercolour paper is $44 a sheet, one tube of paint can run $30 and framing costs $200). In the end we agreed to find a middle ground in terms of pricing.
Next, “What about your website?” Well, I explained, I have my work on Art Span. (A large website with tens of thousands of other artists on it). He asked, “How much have you sold through it?” I paused. “Actually…nothing”.
By the end of the afternoon, we had agreed on my next steps
I will get hold of some good lights and you will have two days to photograph all your paintings.
You will then design and post a website that reflects the quality of your work.
You will design and print a professional-looking brochure with samples of your work and some business cards. You will put everything into a folder, so when you walk into a gallery you can present your art in a professional way.
And you will develop a schedule to go out and start connecting with galleries.
He challenged me again: there are times where we need to sacrifice something we are holding onto in order to clear the way for God to move. What, he asked, could I fast—give up—for 21 days in order to see God move in taking my art business taken to the next level? The great thing was that Tyge was not only going to hold me accountable to get these things done but very willing to help in any way he could. He said times; this is doable (I needed to hear this!) You have the skill, now you have to be confident and committed to seeing it done!
