Post 13 of Dream, create and make money in the arts – My Series on becoming a Successful Creative

Vision Board it. This is the 3rd  part of the 3 blogs on making and utilising a vision board. Making it is one thing but we are trying to power use it 😉

Part One                                                                      Part Two

So what  is the next step? Let your vision board tell you what is next.

I have decided we need a few Jedi quotes first, nothing like an arbitary decision by the blogger ;-,) the reason being is that your vision board has brought some stuff into the light, ideas, concepts, dreams, fears. All the scary stuff and the hope is laid out in front of you, so now you get a chance to trust yourself, just remember that you are not given the idea of a dream without the means to fulfill it 😉

The ability to do a thing is not all there is.
You must know the thing.
You must master every facet of it.
You must understand how it fits with everything else you know.
You must possess it for it to be truly yours.
Luke Skywalker

To do one’s duty is not always to do right.
Concern yourself with right action.
Let duty take care of itself.
Qui-Gon Jinn 

“Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter.”

“Do or do not… There is no try.”

-Yoda

So let us get practical with our wisdom, dreaming can only get you so far.

(Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

If your vision board is about taking a show to Edinburgh or putting on an exhibition to coincide with Bowie’s birthday or some other set date, is there an earlier deadline for images & 50 words about your work/show? Or a press kit to the press that needs to be sent out 6 weeks before (if you want to be in magazines they have a 3 month lead in…) but with Social media being what it is now, don’t panic re traditional press, they may not be your initial market anyway.
Best to know and look at what you need press release and marketing image wise  now, than mad panic just before the Festival brochure and press goes out.

So look at what is the first area do you need to tackle.
Is your deadline such that you need to get press stuff done quick?
Do you need photos, a bio or a quick one page website out almost before you start the work?
Do you need to do a Youtube video of 3 min of your book reading up as a taster for the final press launch (once you have finished the actual writing and editing!)
Do you need to find one image that can represent your work now begins you start? Or a great publicity shot?
Do you need to set up a Facebook page or event page?
Do you need to start thinking now about funding? Are there people or organisations you want to approach now to consider funding the project, do you need a brief outline guide (hint – your vision board should have thrown a lot of ideas up). You can always fill in your vision board with extra details and brainstorm funding ideas further, just pop them all in the funding corner of your vision board and see what clicks for you.

Looking at the vision board,  it’s a place to dump extra thought and see areas that need lots of extra work or knowledge to add or ideas about some maybe difficult to make but worthwhile phone calls.

Also think on collaborators, are there any obvious ones that come to mind? Whether to involve other actors, painters, musicians, do you need a director or an editor, dancers or funding of the materials you are planning to use. Are there a couple of venues you need to approach now to see about their availability?

Do you need to start research on the background of the piece?
Or do you actually need to start the piece or a first draft ?

Again trust your soul/inner wisdom that it knows what to do next.
Schedule your next 2 steps ahead.

Tomorrow we will talk about actually starting.

Cover shot – Key Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About this series – Being a Successful Creative – The Business of Creativity
This is a series of daily blogs for you on how to dream up, build, market and sell a creative event, gig, festival, book launch, cabaret night, exhibition of rude plastic cupcakes or whatever creatively inspires you. It is time to create and put on that play about your family, a series of drawings about hedgehogs, the album you have talked about making or the short film you always wanted to write and make.