A Site for Emerging Artists
Posts tagged artist identity
10 Resolutions for Artists to Make this the Best Year Ever
Jan 18th
By Carolyn Edlund
Start 2012 with renewed energy and a resolve to make this your most successful year ever.
- Face the truth. Be kind to yourself, but honest. Are you satisfied with this past year? Were there things that went undone? You can’t change the past, but you can acknowledge where you are now, so that you can move forward and . . .
- Make a bodacious plan. Then, become accountable for it. That means you have to get really clear. Create a vivid mental picture of your big goal for the coming year. How does it look, feel, and sound to achieve it? This type of clarity and planning will help you . . .
- Step into action. Big goals might seem unmanageable. Break them down into smaller goals, on a quarterly, monthly or even weekly basis. Work backwards from your desired result and resolve to take action today. What can you do now to start the momentum? Today is the first day of the rest of your art career. And remember . . .
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Have you screwed things up? Yes, you have. No matter your level of education, chances are you took a few credits at the School of Hard Knocks. You remember well the lessons learned then, because you had the guts to take risks and try something new. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to . . .
- Be true to yourself. If you want to sell your work, you have to understand your customer, and their interests. But you don’t have to try to become what you think they want you to be. Your inspiration comes from the heart and your creative mind. When you express yourself authentically, you will be fulfilled and happier with your work. One crucial part of that happiness is to resolve to . . .
- Give up the negative self-talk. You have the power to improve the quality of your art, become a better businessperson, and achieve success. The biggest thing holding you back besides fear is a negative belief system. Shed any tendency you may have to put yourself down or give up. Actively cultivate a positive mindset. Part of that is to . . .
- Hang out with the right people. The right people are those who support you, even at your very worst. Your true friends. Hang onto them. Unfriend the naysayers and the vampires who drain your energy, creativity and happiness. And then . . .
- Resolve not to be jealous of others. This one is tough because there is a lot of really great artwork out there and sometimes you feel small. Want to know a secret? There are many people out there who are jealous of you! It’s true. Most men and women commute to work each day to a job they don’t like, feeling unfulfilled and uninspired. The life of an artist is like a dream to them. So, smile and . . .
- Give yourself credit. What you are doing is hard, and you have to make your own way in a very competitive business. Most people out there couldn’t do it. But it’s also fun, challenging and rewarding. So . . .
- Be grateful. Why? Because you have the best job in the whole world. This is a marvelous gift you have given to yourself. Be grateful that you have the talent, inspiration and passion to follow your dream.
Now, go out there and rock your art business this year!
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TumblrTop 10 Articles on Artsy Shark for 2011
Dec 21st
By Carolyn Edlund
This year’s countdown of the ten most read and shared articles on Artsy Shark.
10. Making Art and Making a Living - Do you have to support yourself through your art to be an “artist?” Or does the financial pressure hurt your creative growth and your sanity?
9. “You’ll Never Make a Living as an Artist” - Are you surrounding yourself with supporters, or naysayers? Who is holding you back? Your family, your friends? Or is it you?
8. Matching Artists with Corporate Buyers - Joyce Creighton’s fascinating story of how she is connecting artists whose work is appropriate for corporate settings with clients looking for their work.
7. How to Make Your Customers Fall in Love with You - Want more business and repeat customers? That’s right – spread the love.
6. Do You Want to be a Childrens Book Illustrator? - Cherish Flieder discusses the steps in childrens book illustration, and how to get started in the business.
5. Creative Marketing for Artists - Think outside the box when it comes to promoting your work. Here’s some examples of how other artists did it.
4. 6 Ways to Improve Your Greeting Card Sales - Is your line balanced? Is it big enough? How often should you update? The basics on what you must do to have a successful greeting card business.
3. What’s Wrong with Your Art Website? – Artsy Shark asked the experts for their pet peeves when visiting art websites. Are you guilty of any of these sins?
2. A Guide to Pricing Your Artwork – Professor, TED speaker and entrepreneur Karen Atkinson gives great advice for artists on this perplexing but essential topic.
1. Are Your Prices Unrealistic? – Are your prices too high? Too low? How your competition affects your perspective. Lots of comments and opinions about pricing.
Is Your Work Outstanding?
Jul 17th
By Carolyn Edlund
Take a look at your body of work – an objective look. Let’s be honest.
Are your ideas and your portfolio basically a knock-off of a popular style that’s been out there for a long time?
Or are they amazingly original and timeless, with staying power?
Is your body of work totally cohesive, in a strong signature style? What makes it special, completely different from anyone else? What makes it irresistible?
Are you crystal clear in your intention and your message and what you are accomplishing? Or are you wandering, unsure of your purpose and goals?
Can you sum up in one sentence what makes you, and your work and your business uniquely qualified to be hugely successful?
What about the execution, the craftsmanship?
Is the quality good? Because “good” isn’t good enough. If your work is good, then you will get minimum results.
Is the quality really, really great – excellent perhaps? Consistently at the top of your game? Recognized by others as exemplary? Then you will probably get consistent business opportunities and good sales results.
Or is your work Outstanding?
Do you, on a daily basis, go farther than anyone else expects, because you expect more of yourself?
Does your body of work overwhelm your audience with its powerful and original approach?
Are you on a higher level – a leader, an influencer, a pioneer?
Those artists and creatives who are outstanding are the ones who will really make it, in reputation and success and longevity.
Take Banksy, for instance. The world is mesmerized by his mystique. His messages are clear, striking, unexpected, shocking. What will he do next? A whole industry has spun off from his work and his influence.
What will you do in your own studio that will take your body of work on an amazing leap to a higher level where you didn’t have the guts to go before? What’s stopping you from being Outstanding?
Creative Rejuvenation
Jun 23rd
By Carolyn Edlund
Today I leave for a week’s vacation, away from computers, email and social media.
This is my creative rejuvenation.
While I’m away, I’m leaving you some links to past articles and interviews on Artsy Shark.
These are about inspiration, overcoming rejection and accepting yourself as an artist.
. . . for your creative rejuvenation!
Break Free From Worry/Interview with Karol Ward
Helping Artists Find Balance/Interview with Max Shapey
Explode the Myths and Build Your Art Muscle/Guest post by Aletta DeWal
How to Move Through Rejection/Interview with Cynthia Morris
Artists, Sensitivity and Confidence/Interview with Douglas Eby
You’ll Never Make a Living as an Artist/Carolyn Edlund
How Being an Outsider Can Make You a Better Artist/Interview with David Couper
Am I an Artist?/Guest post by Judith Zausner
Your Creative Flow/Interview with Tory Hughes
The Critique
Jun 15th
By Carolyn Edlund
You hated them – the dreaded critiques. Showing up for class and waiting your turn to be rated and criticized and hopefully praised in front of others.
They could be brutal. I remember a drawing teacher asking for volunteers to present their work. One student stood up and proudly displayed his still life, at which point the teacher approached him and grabbed the drawing. Ripping it in half, he declared it garbage.
They could be useless. A painting instructor once asked each student in turn to present their portfolios, give a critique of their own work, and declare what grade they should get. The instructor had no input.
We secretly crave critiques, though. We know that to improve, we need the opinion and input from someone we respect, an authority with the ability to help us reset our compass and find our true north. Have we strayed too far into the trite, the derivative, the boring? Tell us the truth.
We don’t want our mothers to tell us how talented we are. We want Simon Cowell. Someone starkly honest, even if it hurts. Someone to give us an appraisal and tell us like it is. Who doesn’t know us and can see our work objectively, as the market will see it. That’s where our growth can take place.
We also need to have the ability to take from that critique what really works for us and not be crushed or derailed if we don’t get good news. Maturing as an artist means that we have a sense of ourselves, and a confidence in our work. Our inner guide determines our direction. The critique acts as a check and possible course correction, especially valuable if we are unsatisfied and know that we need feedback to adjust.
Has a particular critique been a defining moment for your work? Was it positive or negative?
Featured Artist Leah Jay
