Q: What advice would you give to a young artist with potential?
Barbara’s studio (since April 1997)
A: I last answered this question in my blog more than ten years ago and I would say similar things now to what I said then.
Be sure that you love your process unconditionally because there is no relationship between how hard you will work and how much money you will earn, period. Indeed, with inflation and rapidly evolving ways of doing business, it seems to cost more money every year to be an artist. As I’ve said often, be prepared to work very, very hard. Really it’s all about making the most of your gifts as an artist. If you don’t feel a deep responsibility to developing your talents as far as possible, you won’t have what it takes to keep going. Countless artists quit and no one can blame them. You absolutely must love your materials and your creative process and be willing to do whatever it takes to continue making art.
This is not a life for slackers!
Comments are welcome!
Posted on February 25, 2023, in 2012, 2023, An Artist's Life, Painting in General, Studio and tagged absolutely, advice, answered, artist, business, continue, countless, creative, creative process, developing, earn, evolving, gifts, hard work, indeed, inflation, love, making, materials, money, possible, potential, process, question, rapidly, relationship, responsibility, similar, slackers, Studio, talents, things, unconditionally, whatever, willing. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
barbararachkoscoloreddust.com 
Sage advice Barbara. You must love it- the process, the highs and lows and dark in betweens. You must decide if you HAVE to make art, no matter what.
Thank you, Nancy. Exactly – those of us who stick with it have to make art no matter what!
That is concrete advice Barbara.
I think we as artists should change the way we approach the art market.
If we consider creation of art being representation of our inner world, it is better to consider being paid as a way of being thanked for our effort, expertise and time to create art other than defining and setting boundaries of the value of our creation by attaching monetary value.
With this approach, we can’t give up on our art due to not selling since that won’t be our primary goal but we let sales come as a surprise from people appreciating and wishing to acquire our creations.
I learnt the lesson of not creating for money the hard way and this was after constantly working for four years and selling only two small artworks for less than $20 each. At the point of breaking down, in confusion, I vowed to just create what I feel and love in the best way possible and surprisingly this is when I started selling highly and more often.
I wish I knew this secret earlier and all I can share to someone hoping to succeed in the art sector is;
Create what you love from the heart and not simply for money. Sales will surely come.
Agree. The most powerful art comes from an artist’s heart, mind, soul, and hands, period. Sales never enter into it.