Why I’m Done Competing With 200 Artists at a Time
A real experiment in agency, timing, and follow-through for 2026
Earlier this week, I wrote about small experiments and big results. That piece focused on what happens after clarity, after you’ve used the worksheet to understand how you move through your work, what pulls you forward, what exhausts you, and what you return to even when no one is watching.
Clarity, on its own, doesn’t change much. What it does do is make the next decision visible.
The practice I shared was simple:
Once a week, make one real decision you can complete in seven days.
It should involve a real outcome, another person, money, or visibility.
It should feel slightly uncomfortable.
And it should be small enough that failure won’t derail you.
For paid subscribers, I want to walk you through how I applied this in real time, and what actually happened as a result.
Why I Needed an Experiment at All
After working through my own worksheet, a few things became uncomfortably clear.
Some of my skills are financially viable. Others are meaningful but draining. Some paths reward persistence; others are closer to lotteries. I was spending time applying for opportunities that looked “right” on paper without interrogating their real odds or long-term value.
After I had some clarity, I needed to move. (which is a lot harder for me given my ADD, that said, motivation around sharing it with you all helped me get started).
The Old Way
Earlier this week, I had time set aside to apply for a public art opportunity. It was a fairly bureaucratic application process through a state BID system. The project budget was under $70K, covering artist fees, fabrication, delivery, and installation for a public art project.
On a whim, I clicked the “Bidders” tab. There were over 200 bidders.
That moment was revealing. For a project with tight margins and high demands, the competition alone changed the math. I realized I wasn’t lacking opportunities; I was treating all opportunities as equal.
That’s when I decided to shift focus from prestige and volume to probability.
When You Start Looking Differently, Things Show Up
Once I started thinking in terms of probability, opportunities began to look different, and come from different places.
An acquaintance texted me about an open call the Wynwood curators put out every year. I hadn’t known about it. This happened because I have been openly talking about picking up more work outside of New York.
A parent from my daughter’s class mentioned a new public library and a hardware store going up in our neighborhood. She works in real estate and suggested I speak with stakeholders to explore whether art might be integrated into those spaces.
A close friend, now a tenured professor at a well-known art and design university offered to help me make a case for teaching a course on entrepreneurship. I sent her two résumés, one art-based and one design-based, and she offered to help refine them and shape a cover letter.
Another friend reached out about commissioning a smaller piece for a home. That project won’t materialize for another two years, but it’s real, and it’s aligned.
None of these had hundreds of artists competing for them. They came from people who already knew my work and could imagine it in a specific context.
This Week’s Actual Experiment
One opportunity stood out because it was stuck.
Through a workshop at Cornell Tech, I was introduced to ADAPT, a nonprofit that provides services for people with disabilities. The idea was strong: a participatory design workshop with their community that would culminate in a public art project.
After multiple emails and at least two phone calls, things were still unclear. The goals were fuzzy. The budget was unresolved. The internal alignment wasn’t there yet.
This was the experiment.
Early last week, I sent ADAPT a concept note. I proposed a rough budget range and a clear timeline. I named what felt ambiguous and offered a concrete way forward.
It felt slightly uncomfortable. It also created the possibility of rejection.
I heard back the next day.
If it wasn’t for this experiment, I wouldn’t have sent the email out and definitely wouldn’t have a response back.
This was movement in the right direction. And from what I could tell, I was the only one doing this work for this non profit and no one was necessarily competing with me.
A Caveat
Only the ADAPT email was sent last week.
The other opportunities I mentioned happened over weeks and months, one follow-up here, one conversation there, one quiet decision at a time. It’s easy to miss opportunities not because they disappear, but because they go dormant.
This practice is as much about tracking and returning as it is about initiating.
As I am proof reading this article, I cannot put more emphasis on the above. Opportunities are around you, notice them, take action, track, return, and repeat.
Why This Matters
From where I’m standing, none of these opportunities required competing with hundreds of artists. They emerged through clarity, relationships, and follow-through.
The experiment wasn’t about landing something immediately. It was about practicing agency. That’s the real shift.
Once a week. One real decision. Seven days.
Not everything will work, but something will move.
What follows is for paid subscribers. This is where I slow down and show you exactly how I am beginning to use this practice in real life in the New Year, and how you can apply it without burning out or overthinking it.