A Site for Emerging Artists
What is Success?
By Carolyn Edlund
Artists, what’s your definition of success?
- Being a full-time artist?
- Selling your work? How many pieces?
- Making a certain amount of money? How much?
- Having your work in a museum collection?
- Having a long CV of exhibitions?
- Fame and fortune?
- Featured in Wikipedia, acknowledged by the culture as a known artist?
- Being a mentor other artists look up to?
Can you define success? How will you know when you get there?
Sometimes we have a goal, but it isn’t well-defined. Focusing to understand exactly what our goal looks like and putting it into action is the only way we will ever get there. Otherwise, we’re just dreaming about it.
Often, our goals change and evolve over time.
Your career will probably be a series of successes, along your journey, often interspersed with failures learning experiences.
Perhaps your goal is to be happy and satisfied with what you are doing, no matter what that might be. That’s not a bad goal to have.
What does success look like to you?
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Tumblr| Print article | This entry was posted by admin on October 17, 2011 at 7:00 am, and is filed under Articles, Inspiration. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Featured Artist Julia Hacker
about 7 months ago
For my self, I’d define it as being able to live off of what I create. But since I can’t do that right now, it’s most about receiving positive feedback from several sources.
about 7 months ago
Linda, the last poll I posted asked about readers’ goals. Number one was being a self-supporting artist. I think you’re in the right place!
about 7 months ago
Thank you for those questions…I cannot specifically answer them right now, but that is going to be my homework this week! Off the top of my head, I would like to have a 7 digit income from my work (and have my work working for me 24/7) + sell pieces in the 5 digit range. I am still in a learning curve on some digital work I have envisioned…and I know my ultimate goals won’t be achieved (except for a miracle!) in two years…but that is the dream! In two years I would like to be able to live from my art…
about 7 months ago
I remember our conversation and your goals. Best of luck to you in realizing them!
about 7 months ago
Making a comfortable living as an Artist is my idea of financial success! Of course, there are other factors that define what are life successes!
about 7 months ago
I am at the far end of a goal, I’ve had many successes and near misses. Opportunities have and will present themselves. Having the courage to confront them is an ongoing process. Making a quick decision to take a chance has rewarded me. Procrastinating takes that opportunity right out of your reach, and is given to someone else.
about 7 months ago
I bet you will get a lot of answers along the lines of making a living from our art/craft, and I’m in the same club. We spend so many hours of our lives working, and my intent is to eventually have that work that pays the bills (and hopefully builds a retirement fund) be creative, fulfilling, meditative, fun, and a way to share and bring joy to those who see it, buy it, or learn from you.
I don’t even know if an inability to achieve that (for whatever reason) constitutes failure or non-success, because I think everything that happens to us here in the”earth school” is a teaching, but to me, success includes reaching a goal, even if that goal changes and evolves over time.
about 7 months ago
I would define failure as giving up before you have a chance to succeed. See my article “How to Fail as an Artist” http://bit.ly/9dxBoH
about 7 months ago
I define success in steps and the goal changes as I reach the goal of the previous step of success. When you break it up like this it looks more attainable because in reality success is won in steps throughout life. If you don’t define the steps and goals along the way, then I feel it may always just be a dream that goes unfulfilled for many. While I may count my success by how many people collect my paintings, there are many steps (and little successes) I have to take before that can happen. Celebrate the little successes along the way too.
about 7 months ago
I view success as the courage to take and accumulate many many small
wins coupled with many opportunities to learn.
about 7 months ago
This reminds me of a quote I saw lately – “Life begins where your comfort zone ends”
I think you’re livin’ !