Artists and writers, what piece of advice made the biggest impact on you professionally?

Advice for Authors and Artists. The best advice is "Done is Better Than Perfect." Frequently need to remind myself that perfection paralyses our efforts.

Just go ahead and do it. Trust me, you get better and better the more you do.

Judy Helm Wright--Author/Blogger/Intuitive Wise Woman

I can't think of an individual piece of advice that stands out more than others--there are many pieces of advice that have been useful throughout the years. That said, one crazy piece of advice that often comes to mind is from a very unexpected source: Larry the Cable Guy. His catchphrase is "Git R Done!" That's a great piece of advice for writers since we are often tempted to overthink everything. No piece of writing is perfect. Do the best you can and then get it out there so you can work on the next thing. None of us is defined by a single piece of writing--it's much more about the cumulative effect of a body of work created over time.

Two things: Leave your ego at home when dealing with your clients, and never work for free.

A quote from a book Robyn Davidson wrote called "Tracks", about her Solo trip across the Australian Outback.

"So I had made a decision which carried with it things that I could not articulate at the time. I had made the choice instinctively, and only later had given it meaning. The trip had never been billed in my mind as an adventure in the sense of something to be proved. And it struck me then that the most difficult thing had been the decision to act, the rest had been merely tenacity -- and the fears were paper tigers. One really could do anything one had decided to do whether it were changing a job, moving to a new place, divorcing a husband or whatever; one really could act to change and control one's life and the procedure, the process, was its own reward."

I tend to push myself extremely hard. For the longest time, I would punish myself for not being creative or driven on random days when the creativity was low. My Mom told me to be kind to myself and just let go rather than keep digging when there's nothing left. So, when I feel I'm going to have an "off" day, I let myself have that "off" day with no regrets. I do whatever I need to do to make me happy so that when the next day arrives I can hit my tasks with a clear and open mind.

There is no free lunch.

Use the best tools you can afford

When I was starting Lufkin Graphic Designs, I was fretting about what to charge for my design and illustration services. My Dad told me "You don't want to be the K-Mart of Designers.” (Now I suppose it would be the Walmart of designers.) The point being: Don't set your prices low in hopes of getting customers. Charge what you need and want to make a living. People are always going to fuss about the price, but if your work is high quality and your customer service is excellent, they'll gladly pay and come back again and again.

Do what you LOVE — this is like your favorite thing on Urth, you're raison d'etre, why you were put here, and work for NO boss over you.

That's a great big question! Having been at this for quite a while, I would offer up a really simple piece of advice I may have received but have also lived. Very simple.We all get better with practice. Practice your craft by writing about everything. Always be open to a story. Look for opportunities to learn from others. This includes live events like those offered by writers guilds and even better (I think) writer festivals. Talk to other writers, share your work and most of all share your story. And read the work of great writers. Tell the truth and seek the truth by always doing the research. Use every opportunity to showcase your writing and engage feedback. This includes social media. Make your posts meaningful, thoughtful and well-researched. While you're at it, engage with others rather than just mindlessly posting and sharing. Comment. Offer thoughtful opinions and insights, although please be respectful when commenting on the posts of others. You're in their space. Write. Write. Write. Even if what you write sits on your computer or in a journal. Keep writing. I can't say it enough.