047: Be a Detective

Starving Artist No More

It’s Tuesday of the last workweek of 2023, and it’s a time when lots of us are thinking about what we’ve done over the past twelve months and what we’re looking forward to in the coming twelve months. Those kinds of looks backward and dreams forward can be really exciting! But it can also be really difficult to think back on the year gone by. If I’m being honest, I’d have to admit that while “yearly review time” can be exciting and motivating, it’s also a time when it’s really easy to get discouraged and to judge yourself for what did or didn’t happen in the past year. When those self-critical thoughts start creeping in and taking over your inner-monologue, what can you do? My recommendation: be a detective.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why curiosity is a powerful mindset to cultivate, and what exactly a mindset of curiosity is.
• What factors to consider as you review your work: from the big to the small, from the year-end reviews to the individual project reviews.
• How being a detective about the careers of your creative colleagues can actually help you in your own.
• What it means to “hunt for a star” and how that mindset can help you in your creative business.
• How curiosity can help your creative business thrive.

In this episode, I mention the Thriving Artists Academy. You can learn more about this dynamic and supportive community on my website, www.starvingartistnomore.com/thrivingartistsacademy.

In this episode, I reference Merriam-Webster's definition for "curious," as well as to several past episodes of this podcast:

• 021: Your Unique Pace
• 024: Overriding Imposter Syndrome
• 045: Your Personal Definition of Success
• 046: Year-End Planning

I also read the first stanza of "As You Go Through Life," a brief poem by 19th century American poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox. You can learn more about Wilcox here, and you can read the full poem here.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here. Full transcripts of every episode will always be available at the Starving Artist No More Blog.

Thank you for listening. Please feel free to reach out to me at www.StarvingArtistNoMore.com, with any questions, comments, or feedback. I'd love to hear from you.