From the site highlysensitiverefuge.com , 21 Signs You’re a Highly Sensitive Person, author Jenn Granneman Dec. 12 2019 .
First, remember, I am not giving professional advice here. I and possibly you are not qualified to do so, making these writings my opinion.
That said……#6 You Think Deeply
What was that, I was worrying about never selling another canvas?
The idea is that HSPs not only think lots, but think deeply, something that’s part of the puzzle. More “reflecting on your experiences” than others, but also more compulsive negative thoughts.
Perhaps this leads to wisdom.
But as a creative process this brings up an difficult problem. For years one great rule of making money selling your art is this formula: Volume = money.
This dovetails into my theory of the three pillars of a successful Creative career: Originality, Productivity and Longevity .
Jose Trujillo paints tons of small, modern expressionist panels that sell quickly on eBay (for good money too!). Nikki Senkarik paints very expensive, very large, clean bright canvases that are essentially pastiches at this point, in record time. Many painters don’t even try to sell originals anymore. Thom Millsap sells his expertly crafted Florida scenes as high quality reproductions in just about every size possible. Even the great Picasso painted only about 300 paintings in a 60 year career. He made most of his money selling lithographs, prints and drawings. The great William Turner made his fortune selling a book of his early engravings, not his famous paintings.
So where does that leave the deep thinking HSP Creative, whose work emerges slowly from deep thought? Is ‘slow art’ impossible to make a living with?
Sadly, I say yes. If that is all you do, slowly produce work driven from a place of deep thought and deep feeling, you’ll probably starve. Unless you reproduce your work, and then if that sells, you’ll be ok.
Reality check: I’m talking more about painters here. If you’re an abstractionist or impressionist landscape artist you can probably think deeply and still produce lots of work true to yourself. If you’re a great manager too, you can be like Andy Warhol or Jeff Koons or Damian Hurst and literally have people make your work for you.
Other Creatives have the luxury, if it is that, of a form that naturally takes longer to develop. Conceptual artists, installation artists, architects and writers can expect several years to create their work. For writers of course the goal is to sell as many reproductions as possible, as with plays, movies, even dance.
So, think deeply, but if you can’t bang out the work fast enough, or are not in the right medium, then think about reproductions. Giclee printing has never been more affordable or of such quality.
Now, such practicalities aside, let’s make a distinction: ‘deep thinking’ has more to do with duration than with trained, logical, investigative thought. This Deep Thought has to do with how the brain works, not so much how we work our brains.
When it comes to HSP Creatives, this is where discipline comes in. Just as we should constantly work on our ‘craft’, we should also work on using our deep thinking abilities. Inspiration and new connections and subtle, complex creativity comes from deep thought. Learn how to make this work for you.
But, as the original article points out, we HSPs can also have unwanted negative, obsessive thoughts and memories. It sucks.
Our subconscious worries about stuff and until we can do something about it, to address the deep causes, the “negative worry loop” won’t go away.
Terrified by oak leaves? Me neither, couldn’t care less. Why? Because it means nothing to me. But worrying about forgetting to pay the car loan and then having the car towed, (along with a repeating song fragment from 1998), just won’t leave me alone.
At least don’t worry about worrying, and don’t be envious of others.
I admit it is difficult to not worry about money. Some of us HSP Creatives are lucky in that what we really worry about (money is a big one) are bailed out by family. A hugely supportive partner. A few maybe have won the lottery. Some don’t actually care about money, but have other issues.
Still, it is nice to come from a wealthy family who basically says, Well, we won’t let you starve. Also nice if your spouse / better half makes enough dough for the both of you. I know for a fact that has been how several now well established artists were able to take the 10 years they needed to get really good and sell regularly. But aside from money, there are many other things to obsess about. Relationships, social standing, self worth, sexuality…
Oh, just fuel for the fire! Pour all that worry into your creativity!
Cheers everyone! Thanks for visiting,
Sean.