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It's hard to change, at first.
When career change is calling, artists and others often need support navigating the undertow of conflicting directions. We artists are tempted to answer the call, but we also prefer to stay in familiar territory--precisely because it is familiar. The circumstances of our creative project or career direction may change drastically. If so, it is highly important we adapt to the changing circumstances and switch course. But we have to work through resistance in order to do that, and sometimes it's hard.

Fear of change can immobilize us; the antidote is to take action.
Fear can actually be good for art careers in transition. Fearing things may get worse can prompt us into action. It can prompt us to get the artist career support we need. But fear is not good when so intense that it weighs us down. It's often unwise to wait until we are "ready" for change. It's often better to look 90 degrees to the right or left, and take that first plunge into the unknown. As an Artist Career and Creativity Coach, I notice that clients often feel, during their first steps, a strong pull to maintain the status quo (i.e. to keep the creatively-draining job, or to stay mired in relationships that run counter to their creative core.) No matter what we are feeling at the moment, it's important to take a deep breath, and begin to move...slowly.

The good news is: it gets easier.
Once we are past the gate, the art career in transition feels easier. We come to realize that it's actually safer to stumble around in the newness than to remain where we were. We begin to wonder what the heck took us so long to move out of the stagnant position! Movement shifts us away from fear and into the moment. Our energy is transferred from worry to problem solving. And the journey feels better and better.

The bad news: it ain't over yet.
New desired outcomes rarely come fresh out of the gate. It takes some time. Often clients in transition form a new, desirable vision that doesn't pan out in the short run. This can be discouraging. The fear may creep back in at this point, to a rather high pitch. We might start imagining a frightening scenario and feel pulled back into old situations no longer working. Here it's most crucial to keep faith that the new direction will bring results. We must look into the fears born of our imaginations--stare them down, and lighten them off their backs. It helps artists to imagine actions they would take if unafraid, and then employ them.! As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "We must do the thing we think we cannot do." Many an artist in transition, upon learning to sustain through discomfort, will discover help and nourishment. They begin to feel freed up and more alive. The road is challenging, but nothing as dark as we had feared. The journey of change actually becomes something to enjoy.

Creativity is empowered when we imagine a new situation before finding it.
With a positive attitude about what is possible, we feel more energized. We bring the mind's attention away from what we are losing and shift it to what we are gaining. Change never has to lead to something worse. If fact, much more often, it leads to something better. Again, action is key. Steps in one new direction will, at the least, lead us to a another, revised direction.

Old beliefs will not lead to new desired outcomes.
New beliefs about our creativity encourage new behaviors. When we let go of worn out beliefs, we gradually behave differently. We can choose to resist change, believing it will harm us. Or we can choose to embrace change, believing that a new situation will support our creativity and art career transition.

Losses experienced can teach us to change course sooner.
Once in the swing of creative transition, we may notice missed opportunities along the way--things we might have pursued and won if we hadn't waited so long to act. When this happens, it's time to digest the lesson and regard it as a signal that another opportunity is around a corner--if we keep going. Creative doors shut, yes, but others open. By learning the lessons of change, we are empowered to move out of denial, hesitation and fear sooner when next faced with a changing situation. We take new steps to create new positive outcomes. An added benefit is being empowered to share this learning with friends and other loved ones.

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*Essay by Barbara Bowen of GatewaysCoaching.com - the definitive source for artists and creative careers in transition. Contact Barbara with your questions about the creative process and creative art careers. She would love to hear from you.*

Copyright ©2008 Barbara Bowen, Art Career Support Coach for professionals in transition. All rights reserved.