D is for Discipline

Dawn on the Lake



Ah Discipline!  Talk about a dirty word to an artist.  It’s what makes us different and creative, yet the lack of it is our worst enemy.  Let’s face it we’re dreamers, we’re very opinionated, we generally look at the world in our own eyes and would rather question rules than follow them.

That being said, we do need certain structure in our lives if we are to succeed in our artistic endeavors.  Are you a writer who has been working on a novel for ten years, a photographer with 5,000 photos in a box that need to be sorted or a painter with 100’s of paintings in the attic or basement?  If so, your lack of discipline is your biggest enemy. 

We need to set aside time to write, time to sort, time to expand our craft, time for networking, time for volunteering and time to market our works or you just may be the owner of the greatest novel never read, the best song never heard or the greatest painting never seen.

Late Edit:  I ran across this post and it is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about when it comes to the ugly things we hate to do and need discipline for. Spunk on a Stick Blog.

Rule #3 Discipline, take a look at your shortcomings, set rules for yourself and start following them.