As a beginning artist, you are at a crossroads. Staying amateur is a traditional status, chosen by many for sheer fun. However, since you are reading this, your dream is to have a professional status.
The greatest artists that ever lived took the same path that you face now. The same questions were asked.
- What should I paint? How can I learn to do it? Will anyone like what I do? Can I sell my artwork?
Imagine Leonardo or Michelangelo when they were teenagers and got up every morning. Too young to need a shave, looking at their pimply faces in the mirror, wondering if they should just give up and get a regular job like their friends. They then poured cold water on their fears and went to work learning their trade and honing their skills. They persisted.
Famous artists of the current era may seem to have it easier than the youngsters we now call ‘The Old Masters’. In times past, beginners would spend long days toiling away in their master’s studio, grinding paints and preparing panels, while keeping their eyes and ears open for painting suggestions.
In a world of digital cameras, smartphone technology, and computer software to edit and even create images, artists today still need the same discipline to learn their craft. They must persist in finding ways to bring their art to public attention. Above all, they must keep their work unique, so that it stands out against the background of merely fashionable chatter.
- Looking back over a long career, I see the 3 stages needed to achieve professional status.
Level 1 begins with his four-word statement: ‘I am an artist.’ Sound simple enough? However, this will be the most exciting and terrifying moment of your professional life. It commits you to a lifelong quest for the unattainable: ‘perfection’.
Stage 2 it requires you to put in the effort to learn your craft. Because talent is never enough, you must learn the techniques that make a work of art elicit audience response. You also need to learn about materials and tools to make art.
stage 3 demands that you find a way to display your artwork to the public. You need to understand how the different types of galleries work and how to approach them. You need to know how to write your resume and how to put together a portfolio.
Every artist’s journey is different, but getting there is easier if you follow this map.
1. Commit to a career in Art.
2. Learn your trade.
3. Plan your approach to display.
- Figuring out the steps and how to plan them in the right order is key to your success.