How do you make decisions as an Artist & Designer? By ArtSHINE associate marie-nicole

How do you make decisions?

There are so many opportunities that come our way and so many ideas that enter our thoughts that it can be difficult at times to decide on what can seem like a simple decision to make... be it big or small. So what do you do?

Do you go ahead with it because it seems like a good idea? 

Do you list the pro's and con's? Or 

Do you wait for a sign?

For me, I have found the best way to make seemingly tough decisions is to refer to my core values. This can be for either business or personal decisions. Of course you do need to know what your core values are in the first place. Today I'd like to share with you how I make a decision based on my core values.

I look at like this:

Will it take away from valuable time with my family? 

Time with my family not just in the way of play time, but working on things together, teaching my children the art of living in a productive and enjoyable way, is very high up on my list of core values for me. Anything that could potentially eat into that too much does not make it to my short list.

Is it really what I want to be doing 'right now'? 

Growing organically in both my professional and personal life can mean that jumping three steps ahead and growing too rapidly may cause me to miss out on valuable lessons that can be learnt by taking baby steps. So even though an idea may relate to something that I have in my sights for the future, I have to ask myself is 'now' really the right time for me to take it on?

If money is involved, will the cost of it take more away from my cash flow than my limited budget can handle? 

Again this relates to both business and personal decisions, growing organically and living within my means. Even if taking part in something may be great for promotion and exposure is the time necessary to spend on it going to reward me financially. When working for yourself it can be tricky finding the balance between working in and on your business, so I believe it is important to not do too much of one or the other.

Will it take my focus away from other opportunities that are more in line with the direction that I want to head and the ethos that I live by?

Especially knowing myself and that when I take something on I grab it with both hands and give it one hundred and ten percent. So sifting through what's important and what's not is crucial for me.

This is just a snippet of the thought process that I personally go through. Depending on the decision I am trying to make there may be other questions that come up in the decision making process. My core values do change as my circumstances change but the essence remains the same; "be there for my family, live consciously, take pleasure in the little things and minimise the impact of my lifestyle on our environment.”  

Of course there have been times when I have taken on something that has worked against me and then the tough decision of whether or not to continue with it has to be made.

So the next time you are faced with a decision that you are finding difficult to make try asking yourself a list of key questions that relate to your core values and that decision may not be so hard to make after all.

I believe that as an artist & designer, having control over your own life should mean the decisions you make should give you both a sense of purpose and the feeling of freedom... freedom to decide on what is right for you and those involved in your life!

by marie-nicole


www.bymarienicole.com
info@bymarienicole.com
po box 73, yass, nsw 2582
a b n:   83  510 980 759

BLOG, ONLINE STORES & STOCKISTS:
www.bymarienicole.blogspot.com
www.bymarienicole.bigcartel.com
www.bymarienicole.etsy.com
Shop Handmade, Shop 20, Allara St, City Walk, Canberra ACT