We all have our ain, unique holiday traditions.

But we all also share some similar traditions this holiday season. Aside from families being packed effectually the table, the smell of spices in the kitchen, and waiting to dig into a turkey feast, most of usa also set aside a few minutes this day to give thanks.

It's great to dedicate one day to being thankful, but how practise we spread that mindset to other areas of our life—and even our business?

Each and every day we could find a handful of things to be grateful for—so why don't we? Why is gratefulness then hard to make a habit?

In that location are a million excuses we could make. We get it! We make them, as well. We are always too busy, too stressed, too tired, too anything. But having a grateful mindset for longer than one day matters, especially to an art business possessor—and even most importantly when yous feel similar y'all don't fifty-fifty have the mental space or time to practice being thankful.

Check out six benefits of a developing a grateful mindset, and some actions to keep the gratitude going all year long.

Less instantly becomes more

Gratitude is much more than a fleeting "thanks." Information technology'due south a deep appreciation within yourself for the blessings you have been given in your life. Because and so much of life is non a guarantee.

When y'all start to actually count your blessings, you might be surprised at how much you really take to be thankful for.

This helps to build an abundance mindset. When y'all phone call attention and recognize all of the gifts you have been given—Nutrient, h2o, shelter, family, friends, the ability to create and share your work, the run a risk to brand a living doing what y'all love—you watch your cup become fuller and fuller.

You aren't throwing any more gifts on the pile, but y'all are opening your eyes again to the things you already have and forgot virtually.

The best part? When the world gets you down and your cup feels empty, all you have to do is remember your blessings, and information technology fills back up instantly.  The mind is incredibly powerful and this creates a manner to reframe and shift your perspective.

Your perspective (and life) changes forever

The life of a professional artist is not all inspired days in studio and fancy gallery receptions. There's a lot at stake with your reputation and livelihood constantly being put on the line.

That stress and worry naturally shifts our focus from all that we accept going for the states onto our insecurities, our doubts, our failures.

But what is the signal of achievement if it makes y'all miserable?

Luckily, past practicing gratitude, we are able to modify our whole outlook.

By remembering the unique, wonderful position y'all are in and being thankful for it, you can shift the focus back to the reasons you became an creative person in the first place—to create something that tells a story, to piece of work with your easily, to make people feel something at their cadre, to go to work every 24-hour interval and do what you dear.

Information technology is an incredible blessing to be an artist and become to practice your fine art.

When we accept the time to name the things that we are grateful for, we flip from a negative mentality to a "lucky to be an creative person" mindset. As a upshot, small successes go celebrations. Losses become lessons. Obstacles go opportunities. All thank you to a change of perspective!

Even our relationships improve

When we are grateful to have someone's presence in our lives, information technology shows.

We are kinder to them. We pay them more attention. We listen. We want to help. We follow through on our commitments. And, nosotros desire to show them that they tin can trust and believe in us.

Not only does this deepen the bonds of existing relationships, but new people are drawn to this energy. Like a moth to a flame, this positive energy is contagious because anybody likes to feel appreciated.

What does this mean for your art career?

Not every person has to buy your work. The ones that do, the ones that actually connect with what yous are doing, they are something to appreciate. Without them, you lot wouldn't be doing what you love. So, don't bottle that gratitude up—share it!

Being grateful for every single client and collector volition assistance you get above and beyond in your relationships with them. And it will touch every aspect of your concern in a profound way: the passion backside what you create, the messaging in your art marketing, the conversations you accept with clients, fifty-fifty the client service you provide.

With an attitude of gratitude, this enthusiasm will shine through and it will go out a lasting impression on your clients.

Your motivation skyrockets

The truth? Tomorrow is not a guarantee.

When nosotros take the time to remember how much nosotros have been given in this life, we besides have to realize that it could exist taken away at any moment. No one wants to expect dorsum on life and think, "I should accept done that while I had the chance."

Nosotros have to observe a way to take advantage of the blessings we have, while we have them. Savour it while it lasts, as they say.

The betoken of thinking this way is not to upset or discourage us. Call back the change in perspective we talked near earlier? Instead of dwelling on the fact that our fashion of life is not permanent, let it inspire you!

Let it motivate y'all to seize each and every day while you tin. Let it jumpstart your energy each morning time, so you can tackle the hard things ahead with a smile on your face.

You are capable. Y'all are blessed. And, you are not going to let this moment pass you lot by.

It opens the door to positivity

Our minds are incredibly powerful—they have the ability to shape our reality.

Say you lot take a deep anxiety that your work isn't upwardly to par for an upcoming evidence. Did you know that merely past having a negative outlook, y'all are actually more probable to monitor for signs that other people in the bear witness also feel this way? Unknowingly, yous might even interpret their neutral beliefs every bit a slight against y'all to confirm your own suspicions!

Information technology'due south called a negative confirmation bias, and information technology needs to be stopped.

You allow your mind race with predetermined thoughts, instead of truly seeing what's really in forepart of y'all. Remember, everything we see, experience, and sympathise is filtered through our own perspective.

According to some enquiry, we take anywhere from 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day—and every bit many every bit 98% of them are exactly the same as the ones nosotros had the day before. Imagine if we were able to shift even x per centum of those thoughts. How would that alter our worldview?

Practicing gratitude is a surefire manner to change our outlook from negative to positive. Viewing life through a positive lens has the power to completely change your mindset.

No longer are y'all worried about what the other artists and show-goers retrieve. You are merely grateful that your work is being acknowledged, grateful to share your unique story, grateful to be counted amid other brilliant artists, and grateful for the feedback you get.

No longer are nosotros tethered to those toxic emotions and skewed sense of reality. Reality is literally what we get in, and we could all use a piddling more positivity.

See you later, stress. How-do-you-do, amend art.

Gratitude forces you lot to accept an inventory of where you are in life and what you have to exist grateful for. When yous see how much in that location is to be thankful for, your life doesn't seem then bad and your problems don't seem so big.

It's a major relief, really.

Because then yous don't take to stress about every little thing. With gratitude as your clandestine weapon, you are capable of taking activeness, remember? And if you lot fail at something, that'south okay because life is still good. Just look at all the blessings in your basket!

And, guess what? Without this cloud of stress floating constantly above our heads, we are actually able to create better work.

Better work, all because we can recollect more than clearly. There is less "should accept," "can't"; less negative thoughts weighing united states down and more than room for new ideas. With a refreshed mind, we can capture better ideas, focus on the chore at manus instead of how poorly we feel, and have the energy to really concentrate and execute our ideas.

Information technology's the aforementioned reason we need to take fourth dimension to unplug every now so. We can't expect ourselves to create our best piece of work if we aren't in the best state mentally.

And, gratitude can help go us at that place.

Set to get started?

We wouldn't just tell you about the benefits of gratitude and ship you on your manner without some actionable advice first! Bank check out some concrete ways to proceed gratitude a function of your daily routine, and not just a Thanksgiving memory:

Thank Yous Notes

Whatever happened to the days of writing letters? In a alphabetic character, you can take the time to express what yous've e'er wanted to say but haven't yet institute the right words for. People volition always bask hearing what they mean to you!

A Gratitude Periodical

At the cease of the twenty-four hours, list three things that brought you happiness and made you experience fulfilled. Information technology could exist every bit small equally a warm breeze dancing through the studio or as big as having a successful opening night for your latest showing. Eventually, you'll exist searching for happy things to stop and savor throughout the day to include in your journal. (It's also great to start your adjacent day thinking about the things y'all were grateful for the previous mean solar day, to boot off a grateful mindset.)

TIP: Prefer a more structured practice? Pick upwardly an inspirational book like Moorea Seal'southward 52 Lists for Happiness which provides yous with weekly journal inspiration for positivity, balance, and joy.

Meditation

Force yourself to slow down and appreciate each moment you experience. Sit in a tranquility space and focus on your animate for a few minutes. Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the nowadays, so you tin can remain aware of the blessings effectually you lot.

Non a fan of meditation? Yoga is a great way to stretch those tired muscles from the studio, but also focus the mind and requite thanks for your body as it is in the world right now.

Receive Gratefully

Allowing yourself to take gratitude helps you better understand how to give information technology. If someone gives you a compliment or their genuine cheers, don't shy away or belittle the moment. Allow yourself to feel the joy that comes with being appreciated, and allow it inspire you to pass that feeling onto someone else.

Give thanks Mentally

Gratitude doesn't always have to be shared out loud for you lot to reap the benefits! A modest simply purposeful mental "thank you" every now and then will assistance to develop a grateful mindset.

Cut Out Bad Habits

Try to notice those habits that breed negativity in your daily life and assign a outcome for doing them. For instance, when you start to complain, retrieve of three things that you lot are grateful for instead!

Unplug

There's so much to exist grateful for, but it can exist hard to remember with so much racket and distraction. Give your mind a infinitesimal to think clearly with a digital detox, so you can reconnect with the joys in life—that don't involve work or engineering.

Think Holistically

When adopting gratitude in your daily life, don't forget the big film! To truly appreciate your life as a whole, dig into the past and reflect on the wonderful memories you've fabricated so far. Seize the present by acknowledging good fortune when information technology comes your way. And finally, apply gratitude to the future by ever remaining optimistic for what'south to come.

In the end…


A grateful mindset doesn't ever happen overnight. Skilful habits often take exercise and changing our thought patterns takes fifty-fifty more work, simply the abundance, motivation, and perspective that gratitude cultivates volition brand a world of deviation in throughout your art career and life.

What are we most grateful for this vacation season? Our artists!

Read our thanks notation to artists here.