How To Be A Successful Artist
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Have you ever seen an advertiement like this on the Internet? Most of us have and most of us have probably been reeled in enough to at least read a portion of the spiel. Even if you weren’t interested in what they were trying to sell, the desire to be successful in your artistic career probably prompted you to read it in the hopes of gleaning some snippet of information that would aid you in the furtherance of your own practice.
I’ve seen a lot of advertisements like this all over the Net. Most of them are trying to hock a book or a series of know-it-all DVD’s from one expert or another. Although I’ve never bought any of them and although I have no conclusive evidence, I get the overwhelming feeling that the majority of them are scams. Some products are sold by well intentioned doctors, others by people who are passionate about their subjects and really have something to offer. Most, I fear, are from people who are just trying to make a buck and their products will end up telling you nothing that you don’t already know.
Even if you don’t find anything in these online setups that can divide you from your hard earned money they probably were basing their sales pitch on a question that we’ve all asked ourselves at one time or another “How do I succeed at being an artist?”
Success is a powerful aphrodisiac. No one wants to be a failure. In fact, our drive to be at the top of our game is so powerful that we’ll do almost anything to get there. Sports stars take performance enhancing drugs so they can hit just one more homerun. Fashion models will damn near starve themselves to death to live up to a disturbed ideal of human beauty. Stock brokers will engage in insider trading to avoid tragedy. Let’s face it, most people would lie, cheat, steal or sell their own Mother if they thought it would grant them success to do so.
I think a lot about my own success as an artist. I’ve got a lot of shows under my belt. I’ve sold several artworks, most to international clients. I’ve developed my talent to a level that could be considered professional. I run several websites that are all dedicated to Art and Art production. I engender enough confidence in other people to have them approach me in a learning capacity. Does that make me a successful artist?
A year ago I quit my job so I could pursue my dream of being a professional artist. The goal has always been to make Art my sole source of income. By selling paintings, teaching classes, earning money through my blog and House of Scratch, an online gallery of Surrealism and Imagination, I have sought to do this. For me, I will have acheived success at being an artist when I’ve acheived the goal of financial independence. I never want to have to rely on a day job again. My talents are wasted doing anything else as far as I’m concerned.
But I’m sorry to say that since I quit my job, I haven’t made a penny at making Art. I haven’t sold any paintings. I’ve taught a few courses but enrolment was so low that I only just broke even for all my cost outlays. In fact, all my endeavours into the world of Art have only just broke even since I started this journey.
So, am I a successful artist? No, I’m not. I’m a damn good artist but am I successful? As far as I’m concerned, I am not. But I’m not dead yet, so there’s still time.
You may disagree with me. Looking at what I’ve done and what I’m going to be doing in the near future you may consider me to be very successful. But, when I talk about success, I’m really talking about my own personal definition for success. The only way that any person can really define success is through their own perceptions of what success means for them. In terms of my own definition I haven’t acheived success — yet.
In society we often see examples of success defined by external criteria such as material posessions or status. The guy driving the expensive luxury sedan, he’s a success. That lady living in the palatial mansion, she’s a success. When someone commands enough respect to be called Mr. or Sir everywhere he goes, he’s a success. What about someone who requires 24 hour bodyguards for fear of molestation at the hands of adoring fans or papparazzi? They’re a success – right?
It all comes down to your personal point of view. For all we know, that guy in the expensive sedan is one payment away from repossession and the lady living in that mansion is part of the hired help. Are they still successful? The only person who can call you a success or a failure at your art career is you. Here’s a little anecdote for you to mull over.
Cath and I were at a family function recently. The after-dinner topic changed to the music industry, our hosts having been involved in the performance of music in the past. The idea of success was broached and the conversation suddenly changed to a game of “THEY were successful then, but where are THEY now?”
Barbs and jibes were sent towards Lawrence Gowan (then, just Gowan, 80’s and 90’s singer of hits such as “Strange Animal” and “Moonlight Desires”) who is now fronting Styx. Another target was Alan Frew and the boys from Glass Tiger. It quickly became apparent that our hosts didn’t consider these musicians to be successful. Even though they’d both had many hits during their careers and had acheived a certain level of stardom, because they were no longer considered at the top of their games, weren’t in the headlines or number one in the billboard music charts, their success had fled. They were not successful musicians. Cath and I found this to be a rather limited view for a definition of success. It did not sit well with us.
I’ll ask you this, if you were to ask Lawrence Gowan if he thought he was a successful musician what do you think his response would be? When he shows you around his gated estate that has its own recording studio, would you consider him to be a success? When you meet his son who’s at this moment learning guitar from dozens of internationally known musicians and will probably never need to work a day job, would you consider Gowan to be a success? Would seeing his National Achievement Award from the Society of Composers convince you?
Ultimately, what we think about Gowan’s success is nothing. What he thinks about his success is everything. The same goes for you and I. When it comes to being a successful artist to say “Yes, I’m a successful artist” or “No, I’m not a successful artist” is completely in our own hands. What other people think is secondary.
In your search for advice about being artistically successful, you’ll probably come across a lot of blog posts that will give you a list of things to do. They’ll claim that they’re sure-fire ways to gain success. Number 1: Make sure you do art everyday! Number 2: Set up a portfolio website. Number 3: Show your artwork to the public, etc. Avoid these types of posts. However well intentioned they are, the advice they give will only fill you with false hope. I’ve read a lot of posts like this and everything they suggest I already do. I’m still not successful.
To give you another example, I was intrigued by an art magazine with a claim on the cover that stated, “13 Things Every Successful Artist Should Do!” Unlike online success programs, this one I could access for free so I picked up the magazine and had a read. There wasn’t one thing on that list that I don’t already do. In fact, there were a few things I think they left off the list which would have made it even more comprehensive.
Unfortunately, I think the “list of successful artist advice” is coming at the issue from the wrong angle.
Success isn’t a list of goals, it’s a philosophy. What you really have to decide on is a definition of success for yourself. Create a definition and then put together a strategy to acheive that success. What does success mean to you? Producing your first painting? Getting it accepted into an artshow? Selling it? Your first solo show perhaps? Maybe something bigger? A definition for success can only be set by the person who is questing after it and, chances are, as you meet your goals as a successful artist your definition will change.
Once you’ve got that solo show under your belt your definition of success might change to incorporate an international solo show. Once that’s acheived a new goal will probably arise and your definition of success will have to be amended yet again. Everything changes and your definition will too. It’s allowed. Just be prepared for it.
The power to be a successful artist is in your hands. Decide for yourself that you will be successful, what that success will entail and then plan a course that will get you there. As with most things in the art world everything rests with you — no pressure though.
For now, that is all. Goodnight.
