Juan Sepulveda is a painter and the creator of The Winding Stairs Podcastand The Gentleman’s Brotherhood. His art focuses around the lessons and symbols of free masonry. In this episode, Juan talks about marketing and creating art, why you must have the right mindset, and why you need to diversify your income streams.
Here are three things you can learn from Juan:
Artists are often opposed to the idea of marketing their work. People often criticized Juan for selling his art because they couldn’t sell theirs too.
If you are having trouble selling your art, you need to separate your artistic creation from your business. It requires to completely separate parts of yourself to be able to sell your art. You need to be able to put on different hats depending on whether you are selling or creating your art.
You can’t let selling get in the way of your creativity. Let your creative side work its magic on the art, but then, when you are done, you have to switch hats. Juan believes you have to be authentic to your inspiration, but you also have to be wiling to sell your work once you are done creating.
Your mindset determines everything about the way you approach the world. Just look at one of the artists you admire the most. They have the same amount of time as us, and sometimes they have even fewer resources, yet they are still able to create something amazing.
Juan believes that you create your own limits. We are the ones who confine or restrict ourselves from achieving our true potential. The good news is, in order to change that, all we have to do is change our mindset.
If your favorite artist can get their painting in a museum, you can too. Learn from those who came before you, and apply those lessons to what you want to accomplish. Just know that you can do it, and you are on the way to achieving it.
If you are relying solely on selling your art to make a living, you are missing out on some great opportunities. Art sales are hardly steady, and if you rely on that income, you can get yourself into some trouble.
Diversifying your sources of income can lead to more stability with your finances and with your life. Juan does not just create art. He also does public speaking and a podcast to help promote himself and his art.
By creating other income streams, you can have a bad month selling your art and not have to worry as much. These other income streams will allow you to rest more easily without worrying about selling your next painting to survive.
James Wightman and Kristen Cruz are the co-founders of Rebel Advisorsand the authors of The Rebel Way. They want to show students that college isn’t the only path towards success.
Here are three things you can learn from James and Kristen:
The problem with most students who go to college and don’t finish is, they never stopped to think about what they wanted out of the college experience. They are told by their parents and counselors that college is the path they need to take. They are never given the chance to decide for themselves whether college really is the best path.
That is why conversations with those who want to help you are so important. These conversations can help students identify the paths they can take, find something that makes them comfortable, and build the skills they need for what they are seeking. They can help you find the motivation necessary to find what lights you up inside.
It can be hard to find what you want to do with your life. The majority of college students change majors at least once and only 27% get their first job in their given major. That is why it is so important to do research and self-reflection before you choose a path.
James begins the process of helping students by doing research. He sees what options align with the skills they have. Then guides them towards something where they can use those skills.
Kristen begins with self-reflection. She has the student figure out what they want first before she can begin to help them. It is only when you know what you want that people can help you get there.
By doing research and self-reflection you can align your skills with what you want to do. These things will give you a better idea of what you should pursue in life.
One of the main problems with the education system is, we have taught people that there is only one right answer in life. Schools teach for the test instead of the process, and it has stifled our ability to be creative.
This has led to a society of people who are afraid to make mistakes. But mistakes are where you learn the most.
The thing is, you shouldn’t try to fail. Failure in itself isn’t the goal. It’s the lessons that you learn from failure that are the key to success.
One thing to consider is finding something you want to do, even if you fail at it. What thing are you willing to take risks for? What has a strong enough pull that you are willing to let go of fear?
Pursue that thing without fear of consequences and you will no longer look for the single right answer. You will try and try again until you’ve found the path forward.
More shownotes for episode 38 with James Wightman & Kristen Cruz
Tim Noxsinz aka Timitude is the creator of CreativeMondays.net and co-host of the Middle of Nowhere Show. In this episode, Tim talks about enabling others, seeking what you want, and reaching your potential.
Here are three things you can learn from Tim:
Although Tim is a writer and co-host of a podcast show, he believes his greatest strength is enabling others. Through his work on Timitude, Creative Mondays and the Middle of Nowhere Show, he is able to give people a platform to express themselves in an empowering way.
Here are Tim's four keys to empowering others: connecting, creativity, catalysts, and challenging. Connecting creates value through the connections you have. Creativity happens through his Creative Mondays platform. He is a catalyst of change through the Middle of Nowhere Show, and he challenges others through consulting.
Tim believes people spend too much time waiting for good things to happen to them instead of seeking them out. If you wait for good things to happen to you, you could wait your entire life.
That is why he likes to give people the belief that they can change the world. We often undervalue our ability to make a significant impact. If you truly want to make a difference, you need to believe in yourself first, then you must go out and seek it.
You can achieve your goals if you are intentional about it. Stop playing in the small pond of life. Go out and make a big splash in the ocean.
Everyone has the potential to achieve something great in life. We are more powerful than we believe. Don't let anyone tell you you are not good enough.
Tim believes it starts with believing in yourself. In order to go from where you are to where you want to be, you must first embrace the man in the mirror.
Then you must be willing to test and learn from your mistakes. Mistakes in life are inevitable. It's what you do after making those mistakes that really matters.
Don't take failure as a reflection of who you are. They are a part of becoming a more complete person.
If you are able to do these things, you can achieve your full potential.
Brandon Lee is an an entrepreneur and writer. After spending three years an an international speaker for churches and nonprofits, he reinvented himself and became a real estate investor. In this episode, Brandon talks about reinventing himself, making an impact, and mentorship.
Here are three things you can learn from Brandon:
While working as a speaker for non-profits, Brandon learned the impact he could have on people. He didn’t need to go to school or take a course to learn it. He discovered it intuitively.
After giving speeches, people would approach him and tell him how much his talk meant to them. It was in this moment that Brandon realized that something that seems trivial to you can mean the world to someone else.
This just goes to show that everything we do can have an impact on others, regardless of whether we are conscious of it or not. That is why it is so important to be aware of what we do and say around people. An insult can destroy a person’s day and a compliment can make someone else’s.
Most people believe once they choose a career they are stuck there. They think they have to live the rest of their life doing the same thing.
Brandon proves that statement is completely untrue. After building a successful career as a speaker for non-profits, Brandon felt the need to change. He didn’t think the non-profit space allowed him to to make enough money to make a difference doing what he truly loved, helping people.
So he shifted his focus and got into real estate, and he did it without knowing anything about real estate! He taught himself from the ground up and was not afraid to do it.
If you do not feel fulfilled in your current situation, make the necessary change. Just because you chose a certain career path does not mean you have to stay there.
Everyone seems to be enamored with the word passion. It feels like we need to find our passion or we will never be fulfilled.
Brandon sees it another way. Instead of trying to discover what you are good at or passionate about, find something you are interested in and explore it.
Many of us feel the need to go all-in on things in order to make something out of them, but that isn’t true.
Brandon uses the example of learning All of Me by John Schmidt. One day after hearing the song, he decided he wanted to learn it. So he bought a keyboard and began learning to play it.
Does this mean he is passionate about learning to play the piano? Not necessarily. Does it mean he could eventually develop that passion? Possibly.
Far too often we live in this black and white world, but the world doesn’t work that way. Instead living in the world of all or nothing, do some exploring. You might be surprised by what you find.