Today’s topic has come up a lot in my one-on-one practice and in my Making Artists Mastermind, so that’s what I want to talk about today. We’re often told to dream big, set the impossible goal, and believe wholeheartedly that you can get there. As an artist though, if the belief isn’t 100% there, that can keep you from taking the next step.

We don’t need to worry about what the Academy will think of your performance if you go to that audition. We don’t need to worry about winning a Grammy if that stops you from writing that song. Don’t think that big. Play for the next point, not the whole match. Stay in the game, one point at a time.

Have just enough belief that would have you showing up in your craft today. Accumulate enough of those mini-milestones, you will be on your way to being your best.

What can you believe that will get you to take the next step?

The story of Serena Williams and Ajla Tomljanovic: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/serena-williams-us-open-us-open-09-02-22/index.html

Ready to start making art, making, money, and making an impact? Visit makingartistspodcast.com or connect with me on IG @thenancysun.

Music credit: Positive Experience by Sunny Tones

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Hey artists.

This week I actually want to share with you a lesson and or a story that

has been incredibly valuable to the artists I've been coaching this week,

both in my one-on-one practice and in the Making Artist's Mastermind.

And this lesson is to really disrupt the belief that you have to believe in

the biggest final end game of your goal.

Before you're allowed to take the next step.

So this is for you if you are worried that, because right now you

don't think you can win an Oscar, so because of that, maybe you can't

even audition for this role or.

You are thinking, Oh, what I have created isn't gonna win me a Grammy.

And that stops you from even showing up to this songwriting session.

So if you have thoughts like, I'm never gonna be good enough.

I'm too old, it's too late for me, and I won't be a success.

This particular lesson is for you and the lesson is, , stop thinking that big

. You don't have to worry about what the academy is going to think of your acting.

You don't have to worry about whether or not this screenplay is worthy of an Oscar.

You don't have to worry about the Grammy, the Tony, the Emmy.

You don't have to worry about the Pulitzer, the MacArthur,

the Guggenheim, the McDowell.

You don't need to think that big.

You don't need to believe you can win the Super Bowl before you let

yourself even play for the nfl.

I say this because I find so many artists think that if they don't have this big,

big, big belief that they need to give up.

When in reality all you actually need is that little bit of belief that

would have you take the next step.

So I am going to use a tennis metaphor to illustrate this point, and if you don't

know me already, I love a good tennis.

So I'm just letting you know that you can expect on this podcast to hear a

lot of tennis metaphors, and you will also not need to know anything about

tennis to get value out of them because I barely know anything about tennis.

So you probably know that there is a tennis player named Serena

Williams who recently retire.

, she's commonly known as the goat, the Greatest of All Time.

She's been ranked the number one women's singles tennis player for 319 weeks, and

she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

The most of any player in the open.

Now, I only know these statistics because I looked up her Wikipedia page

in order to share the facts of what a great player she is upon retirement.

Now, this story is actually not about Serena, but really about the person who

was playing against her at the US Open.

Who?

Spoiler alert Serena Williams lost.

and that is actually the 46th ranked player at the

time named Ila Tommy Janovic.

I hope I'm pronouncing her name correctly.

You can look for her the spelling of that name and if you wanna look

up her as a player, that information will be in the show notes now.

Well, you would think that the person who would beat Serena

Williams would have believed they were capable of beating Serena

Williams in a Grand Slam tournament.

And actually that is not what Ila believed at all when she was interviewed at the

end of that particular match, which she.

In three hours and five minutes, the sportscaster asked her what,

what her thoughts were, what had her win, and Ila said, I just

thought that she would beat me.

So she didn't have the belief in the big, big, big goal of winning

this match against Serena William.

And even if she did have that belief, there were a bunch of competing

beliefs, which had her say, I thought that she would beat me.

And she shared that what her winning strategy was, was she

was just trying to hang in there and take it one point at a time.

Now the smallest unit of measure in a tennis match is playing for a point.

So Isla was just trying to take it point by point, and if she were playing

for the next point, that means she was staying in the game, staying in the set,

staying in the match, and the possibility of winning was available to her.

You cannot win a tennis match.

Without playing for the tennis point.

So my artists, I wanna invite you not to worry about whether or not you're gonna

be a success, whether or not you are going to get the clout, the accolades, the

money that you want from creating your.

in the event that thinking that big is stopping you from

taking it point by point.

All you actually need is just the belief enough to focus on the next point.

Because only if you take the next point can you win the game.

So, My coach, for instance, says, you can't make 20 K

without making two K first.

So I wanna give that to you as well.

We don't need to worry about what your Wikipedia entry is going to say

about you and your creativity today.

All we need to do.

Think the thought that would have you show up to your blank document, to your studio,

to your craft, to the uncomfortable action of trying to make your first hundred

thousand or five figures as an artist.

and if you just can accumulate enough of those wins, enough of hitting those

mini milestones, you will probably and predictably be on your way.

To being the greatest of all time, or at least beating the greatest of all time.

Once.

I'm gonna share how I am an example of taking it point by point.

So, My background as an artist is I don't have an mfa.

I don't have a bfa, and because of those things I could very easily

have the belief that I'm behind.

It's too late, especially when I returned to Acting Conservatory and two acting

in my late twenties, and I thought that it would not be possible for me.

As now a woman of a certain age, on top of that, a person of color

without the backing of a prestigious fine arts institution and education

behind me, that it would be impossible for me to be a working artist.

That being a SAG after union actress, being an actor's

equity was off the table for.

. So I was just going to show up to the next action of getting trained as an

actor of attending a Meisner studio and using that as my acting container.

And while I was there, I took it point by point.

I just focused.

what I needed to do to get the most out of my vocal training, Get the most out

of script analysis, get the most out of movement class, get the most out of

scene study, and the belief that had me show up was simply, this is all I've got.

I thought it was likely that my acting career began and ended

with conservatory training.

So I was just going to give it all I've got, and in giving it all I got,

taking each class, each assignment, each scene, taking it point by point, led

to some ridiculously amazing acting.

It led to me using vocal training and releasing all the tension from my voice

as well as for my body and movement.

It led me to doing really fine script analysis and making really

audacious choices in my acting work, and I actually had it reflected to

me from my teachers, from my peers.

that I was perhaps doing as good work as they were or better.

And I say this because a lot of the students that were in the class were

people who graduated from prestigious fancy theater schools and were using

this training as kind of a finishing or a continuing education as they were

pursuing their professional career.

So by choosing to take it one point at a time from the belief,

well, this is all I've got.

I actually created a pathway for bigger belief, for medium size belief, for

the possibility of the biggest belief.

And while now I will admit, I sometimes still don't believe that.

Can get an Oscar, for instance.

But I believe in the possibility that I can get an Oscar and just

believing in the possibility is enough for me to take the next step.

So my invitation to you artist is what can you believe that would

just allow you to take the next step to just play for the next.

because only when you can play for the next point and take the next step,

will the big, big dream be possible.

We don't actually have to worry about the big, big dream right now.

Just worry about the next step and just worry about what is the belief that

is necessary and will get you access to the actions of hitting that mini m.

and allowing that to be enough for you today.

And if you're curious about the postscript in ALA's career, she ended

up going to the quarter final round beating one more person at the US Open.

And now, after this particular tennis season has moved from ranked 47 to rank

34, By just taking it point by point.

So artists, I hope that this particular brief episode is supportive,

inspiring, and motivating for you.

And if you know a fellow artist that could benefit from letting go of focusing on

the big, big goal so that they actually are in action on the next right step,

definitely share this episode with.

Or you can help other artists find this episode by rating and reviewing this

podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.