The Best Advice I’ve Received As an Artist
Updated: Apr 7, 2022
Art, according to Webster, is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. In a visual form such as a painting or sculpture, art is appreciated for its beauty and can have a profound impact on its viewers.
However, art isn't just confined to this or any other definition. Art has different meanings and takes on different forms for its creator. It transcends language, borders, and time. Throughout the history of time, art has evolved in both mediums and styles. It has gone from a 'hashtag' pattern drawn on a rock with a crayon in a South African cave 73,000 years old to animal art in oil and watercolor, and eventually to modern age digital art prints and online art.
With so many more exciting ways to create, artistic opportunities are boundless and anyone can be an artist. But I have found the most fulfilling way to live as an artist is to consistently create and hone your skills. The best advice I’ve received as an artist is that to love art means you never stop creating and sharing. It’s a journey to find yourself, to seek meaning and peace, to develop your creativity, and stimulate your brains to the point of finding self-fulfillment. When I draw, I am lost in a new world I’ve created. It’s my refuge where I can conjure the impossible. Most importantly, it allows me to preserve memories forever. It lasts through ages and brings people together. Harvard studies have shown that building social relationships are integral to achieving happiness and art is a catalyst. Here are what the best artists have in common.
What Do All the Great Artists Have in Common?
The best artists live with motivation and fervor. Art is a spiritual process, and the artist must discover the fires from within. Let’s look at some ways to kindle the inner artist within you.
Be Consistent
To be a master of any skill demands time. Set aside time to draw and create in a day, even if it means just doodling for 5 minutes every day. Just do it. Open the laptop, search for inspiration on the web and just create. Every action counts and adds up.
Doing this will inscribe the importance of art in your life and it will become a habit. Soon you will notice enormous changes in your creativity and thought process. This practice will keep you connected with your skills. The brilliance lies in inconsistency.
Set Realistic Goals
It is not just about setting any general long-term goals but realistic SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound). Setting an initial goal of creating 50 paintings a month will only lead to exhaustion, disappointment, and demotivation. Instead, keep it small to start and to build momentum.
Break it down into weekly tasks like two paintings each week. When the goals appear achievable and near, we will work even harder to achieve them. Remember, similar to hiking, you get more energized and faster when you are closer to the destination and can see the clearing. Set your goals to where you can see them crystal clear.
Join a community
In a world where we turn to Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other E-commerce sites for many needs and cravings, it goes without saying that an artist must have a decent online presence.
Join groups online, share your digital art prints with the members and your fans, have a look at theirs. Share ideas, growth, and improvement. Help each other succeed and spot blind spots and areas where they can use upskilling. Give constructive feedback for other artists and accept them yourself to grow together.
Create a blog and share your art. Connecting with other artists and your audience will help you strive to be better and indulge more in creating.
Hold Yourself Accountable
It could be anyone, but do find that person. Accountability helps in ways we can’t even fathom. Ever heard of a call to action or creating urgency? It means making someone act immediately. Marketers and advertisers use it to attract customers.
If you make yourself accountable to someone, you will improve drastically because by doing so, you have given someone the right to tell you right at your face if you’re slacking
Knowing that someone is direly waiting to see your artwork can really help you commit to the process while improving your art skills
Observe Trends and Stay in the Know
As mainstream as it sounds, this is an essential point when it comes to attracting your audience. Keep yourself up-to-date about current trends and viral content, and try to incorporate that into your art.
Since the start of the pandemic, more people are staying at home and we have seen an increase in demand for pets, thus creating a surge in popularity for animal art and digital prints. Millennials love collecting and catching sight of animal art.
Follow This Advice!
Art is a means of communication and a bridge between the artist and the beholders.
Find your inner artist that inspires others. Trust me, it’s contagious (the kind of contagion we want and need to have more of in this world, not the covid kind) Chartering the ways mentioned above and implementing them in your daily life will help you excel as an artist and really develop your artistic skills. In addition to all the external validation, nothing beats the inner satisfaction and the sense of fulfillment deep within your soul after you complete an amazing piece of work that changes someone’s life. You never know the difference you can make just by creating a simple drawing. Never stop creating if you love it.