As artists, it’s fairly easy to get into self deprecating funks. By nature, we’re dreamers. We have lofty ideas of what we want to do and where we want to be with are careers. But rarely do we have an actual game plan for getting there. That’s where rock climbing comes in.

Rock climbing has been my latest obsession for almost a year now and Hawk, of Applegeeks, who knows of this obsession sent along this video of a talk Matthew Childs gave at TED outlining 9 life lessons he learned after 35 years of rock climbing.

Let’s see how we can apply these lessons to our illustration careers.

Don’t Let Go

No matter how lofty our dreams may seem, never let them go. It’s especially difficult to see a way to make a solid living as an independent illustrator in these current times of financial strife. But the surest way to fail is to give up. Hold on to those dreams no matter how unrealistic they may seem. You’re an artist. Creative solutions are your calling card. The only thing that can stop you is you.

Hesitation is Bad

Spending time thinking about things that can go wrong in your career, why it’s the wrong time, that your work isn’t good enough will only prevent you from taking those first important steps. So many artists fail to achieve their goals because they hesitate. Hate to bring up the cliché, but the longest journey really does begin with a single step.

Have a Plan

Once you’ve started, it’s important to have a road map. Take the long view. With the end in sight, plan out the steps it will take for you to reach that goal. And don’t just concentrate on the difficult steps. You should also plan for successes. That way you can be prepared to take full advantage those positive situations.

The Move is the End

While you are planning, don’t forget all the little things that go along the way. These can be logistical details like setting up a website, getting business cards, obtaining a business license, keeping accurate records, billing, collections. All the little details that go into building your career, each of these steps are vitally important for you to reach your final goal.

Know How to Rest

It’s easy for artists to get in the habit of burning the candle at both ends. When inspiration strikes, pulling an all-nighter to work it all out seems like a perfectly rational thing to do. That’s also the quickest way to burn yourself out. Late nights and long hours are a given for us artists. But even we masters of the line need our rest. Whether it’s a few hours here and there or a full day, take some time to do something other than illustration or client work. You’ll return rested, focused, and ready to knock it out of the park.

Fear Sucks

Failure is always a possibility. But focusing on potential failure leads to fear which leads to doubt which leads to bad work. If you fear failure, you almost invite it and you may even subconsciously sabotage your work. You cannot control failure. Focus instead on the things you can control. You can control the quality of your work. You can control your interactions with your client.

Opposites are Good

As artist, finding new solutions to mundane problems is second nature. Every illustrator must design a business card or two in their careers. How can you turn such a simple concept on its ear to make your card design stand out among the crowd? Certainly, sometimes the most straight forward design is the perfect answer. But whenever possible, break out of the box and push your work to the unexpected.

Strength Doesn’t Equal Success

In climbing, your legs are supposed to do the bulk of the work. Your leg muscles are the strongest in your body so it makes sense to use them to get you up that wall. For illustrators, your fundamentals will carry you in much the same way. The newest version of Photoshop, that shiny new Cintiq, that state-of-the-art 8-core Mac, all of those things are really shiny. None of them will make you a better illustrator. Focus on your fundamentals, anatomy, design, composition and you’ll go far. It’s the hands that use the tools that’s most important, not the tools themselves.

Learn How to Let Go

After putting countless hours into a piece for a client, it’s sometimes difficult to not shed a tear when they reject it outright. You need to have some separation from your work. You should take pride in what you do, but you can’t take criticisms personally. If it doesn’t work for the client, it doesn’t work. Move on and try to turn in something that does. Or move on. But don’t take rejections personally.

Climb On

The next time you feel the dread of doubt beginning to wash over you, shake it off, chalk up, grab a rope, and climb on. There are mountains to conquer and you can’t get to the top unless you rope in.