Becoming a successful artist takes hard work. It will not happen overnight. It’s a journey. Find out the 5 most important must-haves to become a successful artist.
The stereotype of the starving artist doesn’t have to be true. Making money and living out off your art is very much possible, albeit like any other job, it takes a lot of hard work.
In my opinion, there are five important mindsets that you need to adopt in order to make it as an artist. I believe these also apply if you want any creative business to succeed.
1. A creative mind
I believe everyone has a creative mind. To be a successful as an artist though, you have to develop it. A creative mind is like a plant: you have to water it so it can grow. It takes work and practice. Genius ideas will not just happen to flash like a light bulb in your head. You have to make it happen and ignite the flame of creativity.
Related article: How to stay creative as an artist, winter edition.
Don’t make excuses and do the work, creativity is a skill that can be improved.
2. A will to show your art
Art can be extremely personal. Some artists paint or draw only for themselves as a form of therapy and may not want to put their creations out there. However, to become a successful artist, you have to want to show your art to the world.
The will to get out there has to be strong enough for you to push through all the obstacles that’ll come your way.
Don’t be afraid of failures, failures are learning opportunities. They are part of the journey. Don’t try to be perfect either as this often leads to a paralyzing fear of failure. You should always try your best and aim to better yourself but let go of the idea of being perfect.
3. Cultivate your uniqueness
We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Don’t compare yourself to others or you are bound to fail. You will feel disheartened and loose focus. It’s always good to check out competition but don’t dwell on it, especially if you are just starting out.
Find what you are good at and what you love doing and find your unique style. Cherish it and nurture it. It’s what makes you you.
4. Try new things
Never stop learning. To become a successful artist you’ll have to always keep practicing and improving your skills. What better way to do this than to try new techniques? Get out of your comfort zone and be brave and bold. It may not work out but you will have learned something.
Absorb knowledge at any opportunity you get. The more you have, the better artist you will become. This is a good way to improve your creativity as well.
I highly recommend DailyArt to learn more about art history and discover new paintings every day. They have an amazing phone app and a really cool website.
5. Be selfish
Maybe one of the most important must-haves to become a successful artist is that you have to be selfish. To some extent anyway.
Everyone has different taste and everyone has an opinion so you’ll need a thick skin if you want to make it as an artist. Constructive feedback is great and you should always be open to it, but sometimes, people can be just plain cruel.
They will critic your art negatively, they will undermine you, they will try to put you down. Whether it’s because they don’t like your style or because they think being an artist is not a real career. You have to learn not to take things personally, and you have to keep going and follow your dream.
You have to be selfish and do what’s best for you.
Do you have any tips? Share them in the comments!
[…] 5 must-haves to become a successful artist […]