The artist’s struggle is more than finding a means to survive financially, it is a means to alleviate loneliness. We need and want to feel a human connection through our work. After all, the art should allow access to a connected experience.

The absence of a connection, for more than a day, can feel like an eternity. Rumination sets in, your mind drifts to a dark place, and you begin to fall. Having the strength and self-awareness to stop yourself is perhaps the most underrated skill an artist needs to develop.

When you sense despair, immediately move to a moderate location on your emotional continuum. Therein lies the optimal vantage point to assume a mindful center and the opportunity to condition for resiliency and self-commitment. Be cognizant, through the difficult and dark times, that connection will come and go. But strengthening your core, like a ship’s capstan, will reinforce and multiply your strength in the face of adversity. It will keep you on course.