Have you ever felt like an hourglass that’s always running out? Of time? Of ideas? Of patience? You may be struggling with a scarcity mindset. It truly damages our ability to create with confidence and find our voice. On this episode, I want to dive into why we as artists feel like we don’t have enough, the differences between scarcity and abundance, and how to rewire your brain so you can thrive creatively.

 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:50] The relationship between time and a scarcity mindset
• [6:38] Creating from abundance
• [12:22] Breaking out of the “fight or flight” response
• [13:07] How scarcity and abundance impact our ideas
• [21:56] Why choosing abundance changes everything

  A picture of scarcity

Most of us struggle with time. We’ve all felt like there is not enough time in the day to get everything done on our list. However, when a scarcity mindset takes over, our brains become a broken record, constantly telling us how busy we are and that we have so much to do. We start hoarding our time and get super possessive of it. We don’t want to let one second of it go. Even our relationships might suffer because we always feel like someone is trying to get a piece of us. Everything becomes big and overwhelming because we really believe that we don’t have enough time. Ironically, the more we worry about having enough time, the less time we have to accomplish the things we are worried about completing. If we create from scarcity, we just end up creating even more scarcity. We also become hyper-focused on making sure our time matters. We want to know that time investment is worth the return before we ever make a decision. The result is refusing to take risks as artists because doing so might mean failure, which feels like a waste of time even if the experience was meaningful.

  A portrait of abundance

Scarcity may feel like a broken record playing in our heads, but what would happen if we turned it off and walked outside? What if we chose an abundance mindset as artists instead of one steeped in scarcity? When we live in abundance, we tell ourselves that we have enough time. We start creating from our vision instead of our fears. Cultivating an abundance mindset means we don’t do sloppy paintings because we’re rushing to get things done. It means we allow ourselves to focus on the canvas in front of us instead of all the other ones that will come after. Choosing abundance over scarcity means we’re able to take risks. This is what allows our voice to come through our work! Abundance releases our most authentic selves into our art. It helps us trust ourselves instead of stressing over a deadline or filling every moment with the pressure to succeed. 

  Rewiring your brain to thrive

Abundance is possible when we’re not stuck in a “fight or flight” response, the part of our brain that is solely responsible for survival. Who wants to simply survive, anyway? It’s time to thrive! We need to access the part of our brain that controls rational thought and imagination called the pref

Do you spend more time thinking about making art than actually making it? Start things you never finish? Make work and then stack it against the wall, facing inward, so you don't have to look at it?

If any of that sounds familiar, I'd love to chat.

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