There is going to come a time when you have to invest out of faith. Growth won’t come without knowledge. The majority of the battle is in the mind, and the knowledge you need to overcome wrong mindsets is not locked inside your own head. You need input of people who have gone before you and have the skills and results you want in your own art.
Stop waiting for a magical teacher that will give you lessons for free. Stop telling yourself “when I get that raise” or “when I get a better job” or “when I pay off this debt.” You have to start now. You won’t truly believe in your art until you INVEST in it. Where your treasure is, there your heart is. How sad if we went the rest of our lives with our hearts burried in worry and want instead of our art because we trusted more in our bank accounts than in the God who has blessed us with a talent and a call.
Use wisdom, use discernment, don’t throw other financial responsibilities to the wind…but if you want something bad enough you’ll find a way to invest in it. I didn’t think I had any money to spare when I started taking lessons, but I decided to take a step of faith and trust God would even things out. I’ve also discovered I get really innovative when money is in short supply. There are plenty of creative things you can do if you lack the income, like trade something (a piece of art, another service) for the lesson. (Don’t be too proud to ask about other options.) Or pay for one lesson and record it, then study that one lesson over and over on your own until it is a true skill. While you’re working that recorded lesson you’re saving for the next live lesson!
If I never started investing in lessons, I would have never reached the place of faith where I could invest larger amounts in recording songs. And if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have a song project in progress right now. And that is the type of result we all want in our art…not just half-believed dreams floating around in our imaginations.
