5 Things to Be a Successful Artist

You never know who could be in attendance at that next gallery opening, what connections you will find at that event, or what could lead to future opportunities.

Habits, as you likely know if you were ever a nail-biter, can naga4d rtp be incredibly hard to break. The invisible mental habits of ours can be even more difficult to overcome, but because of this, even more important.

So, give yourself permission to quit these things. And, give yourself the time and patience to break the habits.

Successful artists don’t frame things around “not enough.” There is never enough time, not enough money, not enough confidence, not enough of whatever it is at that moment to make or do what you need to do to be a successful artist.

Instead of focusing on how you stack up next to someone else, invest that energy into comparing your recent work with the work you made six months ago, a year ago and five years ago. Have you grown? And where do you want to see yourself six months, a year, and five years in the future?

If you are like any other artist in the world, you probably have said to yourself at one time something along the lines of, “I can’t go to the studio today because I’m too busy/ too heartbroken/ my family needs me too much/ [insert any excuse here.]”

And you know what? It feels good to do that. It feels justified and reasonable and like you are doing the right thing for yourself.

Sure, you have to show up to the studio even when you don’t want to do the work. But, you also have to know when to leave and when to take the time to take care of your body, your health, and your emotional and social well-being.

You can’t make your best work if you aren’t investing in your body and mind as well.

We have seen artists sacrifice both of these in the name of their craft. But, you need your body on the most basic of levels to create your work. Successful artists know that their success is a marathon and not a sprint, so you need to maintain your health to stay in the game.

Make time in your schedule to stretch, exercise, go for walks, cook healthy meals and have conversations with your peers, family, and friends.

The only path to growth is putting your work out to the public. The hard reality is that you will probably fail over the course of your art career (however you define that). You will not get grants, you will have a show that flops, you will have a great idea that just doesn’t materialize. The comforting part of this is that so will everyone else.

“The belief that ‘it’ has to be perfect, whether it is skills, talent, education, website, or statement will keep you endlessly spinning your wheels,” says Bonnie Glendinning of The Thriving Artist.

“Failure just means you are learning,” adds Bonnie. “Keep failing, because you will be learning your entire career.”

Artists often feel guilty for not having a “real” job and that they should be contributing more to the family income. They then either feel guilty when they are in the studio away from their family or away from the studio and not working.

But, guilt is counterproductive emotion. If you find yourself feeling this way, remind yourself that your work is important and needed – it is what makes you whole and able to contribute more fully to your family when you are there.

You might want everyone to like your work, but that’s not going to happen. And, in fact, it’s better that not everyone does like your work.

“It’s really scary putting yourself out there, especially when your work is so personal and then allowing the world to view it and judge it and critique it,” says artist Seren Moran.

Self-doubt definitely plays a role, but it can be empowering to know that not everyone is going to love your technique or subject, and that is ok. It means you are getting at something interesting and something different.