Mark E Shellshear.

In the book by Jeffery Deaver called “ The Vanished Man” these are the sentences which really jumped out at me, “ He did what everyone else did. Because unique attracts attention. Similar makes you invisible.” Being invisible is very safe and feels secure and we all want to feel secure, unfortunately if we want to create attention and build a successful Art career, then safe is not the place to be. We have been talking about being consistent in our work and our marketing especially on social media. You not only have to be a good Artist now , you need to have that edge that makes you stand out from the crowd. We live in a world with so many wonderful creative Artists and to get your original work out there so people will see it will require a lot of work. It will take more than just talent to get you out in front of the pack, b eing the best is not enough, you will need to be consistently the best, turning up before the others, working th ose extra hours...

Do not underestimate the value of being consistent on social networks, this is a business and being consistent on it will give you a big advantage over those Artists who do it spasmodically and erratically. Social media is serious, it is not a play thing, it can make your Art business, so do it and become good at it. The more you do it, the more you can do it. It is working a little longer and harder on your Art business than the average Artist, this will give you the advantage. That extra hour you work is a gained hour. That extra day you work is another day ahead, it is compressing time so get more out of what you have. If you work 6 days a week instead of 5, then you add another 52 days of working each year, what kind of advantage will that give you over those who don’t work that extra day? Be consistent in what you do, the miracle is in the work.

It very important that we also build consistency in how we promote ourselves. Selling our work is extremely important to the Artist who puts a price on their paintings, so we need too be consistent in how we present our work to the public. Sales is all about building relationships with strangers and turning them into friends and collectors and we can begin that process through social media. Now nothing will ever be as powerful as face to face talking or word of mouth advertising but social media can get us front of a lot of strangers who maybe encouraged to buy. Facebook and all the social media platforms preform better for you if you consistently post, either daily or a few times a week or weekly, that is a decision that you must make and once the decision is made you must stick to that. By doing it consistently is what brings results, collectors friends and fans learn when you normally post and look out for you. The internet is just the same as a bricks and mortar ...

Successful Artists are doing something different. Success is not some sky rocket moment in your Art career, success is consistently turning up and doing the things that will make you successful. The interesting thing about consistency is that with consistent work comes consistent inspiration. Painting doesn’t just realise ideas, it creates them. Consistently working at your craft in a deliberate fashion puts you where good ideas can find you. To often Artists are very stop start in their practice and the good ideas seem to run out and we hear statements like Artist’s block and no inspiration, yet those Artist who consistently turn up every day and paint, find that inspiration turns up with them. The best advice I was ever given about writing was not to wait for inspiration to write, but to just write. Then once you start writing, you may have one or two false starts but then it begins to flow, if I know I have to do it every day it amazing how inspiration turns up...

Artists we are involved in relationship selling. Selling paintings to strangers is all about building a relationship with that stranger. Meeting a stranger who likes out work. Building a relationship with that stranger so they will give you permission to sell them a painting. Selling paintings to that stranger. Turning that stranger into a collector. Turning your collectors into friends. In today’s world it is all about building a relationship during the sales process and maintaining that relationship after the sale with after sales service. It is never about selling one painting to a stranger it is always about selling a lifetime of paintings to your collector friends. Friendship is so important in the Art business and it will take work on the part of the Artist to maintain those collector friendships and keep those relationships strong. We live in an age where every Artist can put their work out there on the internet for every collector to see, to maintain ...

As promised from this mornings video. My response to the Artist was, “Friend only you can answer that question why you like to be criticised, but I don’t understand why ?” I am honestly amazed at how many people and Artists want to defend criticism as a positive attribute? It is not, critical people are not fun to be around. I am sure I am missing something here as I know that I never enjoyed being criticised and still do not, though now I am able to see it for what it is and dismiss it outright. Personally I think encouragement, instruction, inspiration and mentor ship is far mo re profitable and valuable to an Artist than criticism. A question was put to me, “What if they are doing the wrong thing?” What is the wrong thing and who gets to decide that? This is hard to define in the Arts, i f you are the teacher and think something is wrong that is what you perceive but to others it may not be wrong. We do not need critics and watchmen in the Art world and t...

You are an Artist and you run a small business that sells your paintings, the more you can apply your creativity to that business the more successful you will be. Most Artists do not have the money to invest into conventional methods of advertising to sell their work so we must look for unconventional methods where you can invest more energy rather than lots of money. With you email list you must use every occasion to contact your clients with gift ideas. Christmas, birthdays, mothers day, fathers day, Thanksgiving, look for occasions where you can send a short inspirational email to your customers offering them your speciality gift for this occasion. Do not see it as intruding, most people buy gifts on these occasions so you are trying to help them with their selection, no hard sell just an email to say hi and show them what you are offering for Mothers day this year or other occasions. Always send all you customers a birthday email and offer a 10% saving on their ne...

You are an Artist and you run a small business that sells your paintings, the more you can apply your creativity to that business the more successful you will be. What do I mean by being creative in business? Think of your next Art exhibition, Art fair or Art market that you are in and see it as if you are opening a store and within that store you have many products and many different price points and because of the variety of products and price points you will have a greater opportunity of making a sale. See most Artists when they show just have their painting usually a couple of sizes, because this is what normally happens, but there are no rules so when you have a show be creative and think store and think variety. Not just paintings, but paper work and very small Art work, maybe even painted bottles or hand painted cards, I saw one artist bought table place mats and painted them, all original Art work displaying lots of variety so that you can meet the needs of all y...

The only person that we have any chance of changing is ourselves and that can be a difficult process to do. First we have to want to change. Then we have to be prepared to do the work of change. Finally we have to be prepared to do it until change takes place. It’s very easy to give up when the going gets tough because that is what the “thief” wants, average, mediocrity, blend in, invisible. Some people think they don’t need to change. Some people won’t change. Some people want to change, but don’t. If you want to be in the 10% that makes a difference in your world, then you will embrace change and you will change your world.

This is the problem, “ I have no sales and no one will help me.” Now that is a problem. No answer to that. So why not turn it into a question, because questions get answers. “ What do I have to do to get my paintings in front of people who might buy my Art?” “Where can I find a place so I can display my Art and get the attention of potential buyers?” “ What if I joined an Art group where I can get an opportunity to show my Art with the group and learn from other Artists?” Ask yourself questions instead of making pronouncements of defeat on yourself. Ask yourself questions and be creative. I always ask myself questions, “ What if I….” “ How can I…...” “Why don’t I …..” Don’t say no one will help me, better to ask yourself how you can you help yourself and be creative with your answer. So much more rewarding. Problems are hard to deal with. Questions get answers. Artists are creative people yet seldom apply this creativity into life’s difficulties. Ask yourself good creative questions...

It’s always your painting until you get the money. Therefore you can say, “No” If people ask you for a lower price, it’s ok to say, “ No.” Do not be embarrassed in saying that, it is your painting. Be courteous, friendly and smile and be firm. If you want to lower your price that is your choice, but you do not have to if you don’t want to. I hear it all the time, “ Every Gallery gives discount.” “ All Artists reduce their prices, it’s expected.” “ You must understand in the Art business discounts are always given.” Auction Houses do not give discounts and they even add a buyers premium to the price, no discounts there. So everyone in the Art business does not give discounts, so do not be forced into giving a discount. I know many Galleries that sell at full price. Artists you really need to embrace the concept, it’s always your painting until you get the money. So don’t be bullied into giving a discount. Don’t be pressured into giving a discount be...

I thought about all the difficulties, problems and hardships that many Artists face, the self doubt ever nagging at their heals, that negative inner voice and then all the noise out there, everyone trying to get heard and have an opinion on what the Artist should do or shouldn't do. Yet th is Artist Life is full of amazing possibilities, each Artist has been give n a great “Gift” and the difficulties that we encounter around this Artistic gift are our opportunities to excel as Artists . Do not let the difficulties and upsets you face stop you from seeing th is amazing gift that you have been given, your individual, peculiar gift that identifies you as an Artist. Artists are incredibly fortunate above all people because they “ c reate”, yes make something out of nothing. Think about how amazing that is? To take a white canvas and create some beautiful on it. To take a piece of clay and mould something amazing out of it. To take a piece of blan...

When you are talking to a stranger or collector about your Art always emphasise that when buying an original painting it is so much more significant than a photographic print of a painting which there could be hundreds of copies produced. Explain how an original painting gives the collector a part of the Artists life, they are buying into a moment in time in the Artists life, when at this specific point of the Artist’s career this painting was conceived and completed. It is very important for collectors to grasp this idea of the Artist being able to complete a certain painting at a definite moment in time and space. Paintings are like a time capsule showing a specific point of time in the maturity of the Artist then as that moment passes the Artist moves onto the next painting, leaving this legacy of that moment in time forever enshrined in paint on canvas. Paintings are like the life markers of the Artists life, they point to a certain time and place and only at that p...

Focus on your performance, not on your potential. You focus on what you can do, not on what you might do sometime in the future. I know so many Artists who talk about what they will be doing in the future rather than concentrating on the work at hand. Having goals and dreams are very important and we are working towards them step by step. When we build a house we visualise it in our heads and we see it finished then we must go and get a plan drawn up of our vision, then we get in builders to follow the plan exactly step by step until our dream is reality. Yes we build it first in our heads, then we make a plan and then build it exactly as we envision it. Same with our goals and dreams once we have them in our minds and written out, then we need to make a plan to achieve them exactly as we dreamed them, fulfilling our goal step by step. Don’t talk about what you will accomplish in the future, focus on your daily performance, this where the miracle takes place a...

Very seldom do Artists look into the future and consider how they want to be remembered when they are no longer here. To consider that one day we will not be here any more is to hard for most to consider but it is something worth thinking about. Waiting until you get old to think about that is to late. So lets consider when you are gone how do you want to be remembered as an Artists? What kind of work do you want to be remembered for? Remembered for copying other peoples work or constant repetition of the same work or to be remembered for being original and different, someone who was a clear and creative thinker and who expressed that in their own original Art work. Once you know how you want to be remember you can then re-engineer your life to accomplish that goal, make what changes you need to make in your life now to accomplish that end. If you know how you want to finish you can now plan your life so it does finish that way. Don’t leave it to chance, design your l...

Imagine if you just worked hard every day on fixing one bad habit and by doing that and getting rid of that bad habit, you would dramatically alter the direction of your life and guarantee your success. Really? But that would mean I would have to change. It’s the personal changes that get neglected. Become the best person that you can be and change your world for the better.

No one ever considers Picasso, Monet, Pollack as penniless Artists, but at one stage of their careers they were. We look at these Artists in their success, we do not see where they began. They began as unknown Artists and they had to build a reputation and career just like you do. In reality there is no difference between you and them but for the place and time they lived in and imagine they too were once unknown. They were artists just like you with similar struggles of how to get there Art out there and get sales and just like you are at the stage you are at right now, they experienced the same stage in their careers that you are experiencing right now. Picasso certainly experienced success before the other two and Monet was the last to experience success, he had to wait until he was in his 60’s. If they can be successful so can you. Do not look at your career and say I am nobody and it is so hard to get recognition because you know it can be done because those ...

From today’s video I received a question, “ What do mean by pull out the weeds in my life and water and fertilise my Art business?” The weeds of our lives are the little annoying bad habits that grow back if are not watchful. We can deal with a bad habit like criticism but if we are not watchful this habit can sneak back in like weeds do in the garden after having been cleaned out. We are always vulnerable to bad old habits coming back, so once you have dealt with them, keep a watchful eye that they do not try to come back, because they will try. Weeds are sneaky and tenacious and some just won’t give up. Be watchful and practice small disciplines working at removing those habits and attitudes that hold us back from the success we are working hard for. “ Watering and fertilising” your Art practice is making sure you are putting nutrition into your business. Always wanting to learn, never miss an opportunity to learn something new. To many Artists after they finish...

What we need most today in the Art world are Artists that will lead. Those who are not worried about someone coming up and overtaking them and beating them or being more famous than them, what we need are those who will help other struggling Artists to be better Artists. We need those who will lead. Those who will inspire. Those who will encourage. Those who will care enough to lend a helping hand and not point in the right direction but will take the hand of the struggling Artist and walk with them. There are enough voices saying you should do this and you should do that. What we need are those who will come along beside us and say “ Here let me help you do that.” “ Let’s see if we can find a better way to do that.” Inspire. Encourage. Teach. Lead. Help Artists to become better people and better Artists. As you give out to others so it will be given back to you.. Invest in the life of another.

If it is true that you will have whatsoever you say and what we think about most of the time most of the time we become, then we need to be careful what we say and think about money. I walked out of a supermarket here to go over the road to the car and there on the ground were two 5 centavo coins, the lowest value coin in the Philippines. I picked them up and put them in my pocket and the person with me asked me why I would pick up rubbish coins like that and I said they are money and I respect money and it should never be thrown away, he looked at me like I was crazy. One of my mentors taught me a long time ago the value of money and that we must always respect it and pick it up if we see it lying on the ground discarded. I want money to come to me so I would never throw it away. See if you throw small coins away because you perceive them to have no value, remember it is money, be their value big or small and you are throwing money away. You are saying to your subconsc...

Get paintings on strangers walls and get known. It does not matter what order to put these two thoughts in but these are the two most important things that you must do as an Artist. How much you are selling your paintings for is not part of the equation here, it’s about getting known. In the early years you will not make much money, say the first 5 years, so get ready for the struggle, this where you pay your dues. Your one and only priority is to get strangers, not family and friends and friends of friends but strangers to buy your work and hang it on their walls. If that means that your prices have to start low, then so be it. Selling paintings to strangers, nothing else is more important and then building relationships to make those strangers into collectors and friends. These strangers will become the ones who will promote you and talk about your work to other people. Once they are collectors and friends they will then follow you to each opening you have and tell...

In Art and life the doing is always the hard part, that's where the miracle is hidden, in the hard work. Without daily work nothing is produced, it’s what you are doing when nobody is watching that counts. All the days and nights working away at your craft alone. Do what you can every day. Do the best you can every day. Do all you can every day. Remember what the hard times were like, never forget, it will motivate you to never go back there again. Be sensitive to others, you are not an island and we all need each other. Be touched by the theatre of life, feel it and make it part of you creativity. Be moved by the plight of others, a helping hand and a smile or hug may change the way a person is feeling. Always be ready to listen to those in pain, often no response is necessary, they just needed someone to take time and listen. Use all these emotions and feelings to motivate and inspire yourself to paint life and put all these human emotions into paint on y...

What sets Artists like Monet and Pissarro apart from other Artists is that they had good ideas and they made their ideas a reality walking against what the Art establishment thought was good Art. What is good Art? To be an Artist it will take great original ideas, the ability to make them into reality and the courage to walk against the current Art establishment. Daring to be different might seem like rebelling but to have new ideas and able to make them into reality, is revolutionary. Its takes great ideas to spark great Artistic accomplishments. If you don't do anything about the ideas, then nothing will happen and you will find excuses why it was not such a g ood idea. Ideas are easy to come by, everyone has them. Excuses are easy to come by, everyone uses them. The doing the work is the hard part, that's where the miracle is. Give yourself permission to do what you believe is right and do not wait to get permission from others first, do it. Good Art...

As long as the stranger is continuing to talk to you and as much as they have told you how expensive your Art work is. Do not justify your price. Keep the conversation going. If they are still talking to you about your painting. The sale is still on, tell your story.

If one critic says your Art is good and another says you Art is bad who is right? It is strange how we thank the first critic but believe the second critic. No one has the right to criticise your work, only you. Most when asking for criticism are really asking for praise and if negative comments come they are hurt. Do not ask for criticism ever. You and only you can validate your work as you created it. The market will decide if it is saleable, but that does not mean it is good or bad, just means it is saleable. If Art does not sell, that does not mean it is bad Art or rejected Art, it just means that the right person who you painted it for has not turned up yet to buy it. You must show your work. You must believe in your work and always say positive things about your work outwardly and internally. More Artists have destroyed themselves by constant internal criticism than by Art critics. Do not become the internal critic that sabotages yourself. Be proud o...

Success as an Artist is great but what comes with it is the pressure not to change or be to different as it may hurt our growth. This is what happens to many Artists, growth is wonderful but with it comes the pressure to conform. My response is to keep being different, innovate always, change is good. Keep pushing the boundaries and when you are feeling to comfortable, beware something might be wrong. Listening to all the voices that know what the next step should be for you and your Art business may not be what you need. You know your Art practice better than anyone else and maybe what you need is someone to listen to you rather than someone to give you advice. A mentor or an older Artist not a counsellor or advice giver. Someone who is a sounding board to your ideas and who will help you to constantly stay focused on your vision and goals as you keep going forward. The secret to your early success was that you were different. The question to ask ourselves a...