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Showing posts from July, 2021

Speak life into the lives of others.

  I think one of the saddest things I hear is how an Artist was crushed as a young student by the uncaring criticism of some Art teacher or some random person viewing an Art show and they stopped painting. Words can be very hurtful. Words can destroy. Lets be careful with our words, especially when dealing with loved ones and other Artists. We are in one of the few professions where our work is put up on a wall and everyone believes they have the right to criticise it and us. Well I believe that they do not have that right. Careless words hurt and destroy lives and once said those words can never be taken back. Words are powerful they can bring life or they can bring death. Choose to be the one who uplifts fellow Artists and always has an encouraging, caring word to say. Death and life are in the power of the tongue a nd those who love it will eat its fruit. If life and death are in the power of our words, always choose to speak life into the lives of other...

Today.

Our now is far more important than yesterday or tomorrow, because our now is the result of our determination or negligence of our yesterdays. Your bountiful tomorrows are dependant on your now and what you are doing to accomplish your goals today. The thing that most people do not understand is that every day lost to idleness, laziness, procrastination and stubbornness pushes your future miracle further away. When we grasp the importance and urgency of every day being used productively, then we are beginning to understand the miracle of abundance and preparation of self. When we give our best and most productive effort to each and every now we have, then we are building our bountiful miracle. Our goals and dreams are achieved in time, patiently using every now every day productively, one step at a time working towards our goals. Every day is so important, use it wisely you only get one shot at today. .  

The success process.

The best thing you can do for your Artistic career, is to become an incredible success. You will accomplish that by not being the same Artist you are today in five years time, that means change has to happen if you are to be that success, that change will come through new personal disciplines and the problems and adversities that you will face in your life and career. Every adversity has within it the opportunity for us to learn and grow. Roadblocks and adversities are part of the success process as they teach us to question ourselves as to what price we will pay for that success. The price is the personal cost to us and how we will respond when it all goes wrong. Determination and persistence through adversity will bring us to that place of high achievement.

A new day.

I t’s a another new day and the thief might have been defeated yesterday but it is back again to sow doubt again today. That’s what I love about Art, the constant daily struggle, the sense of a life and death struggle wi t h the thief, the s ca ry, that’s what makes an Artist, knowing every day if you want to make great Art and that you will need to fight to win today and then again the next day and the next day and the next, this is what it takes to accomplish great Art and to be surprised every day at what you create. The thief is tenacious and will not stop, yes you can defeat it today, but it will be back again tomorrow. If you eventually do give into the thief, yes you will still paint but it will be come repetitive and average and you will wonder where the thrill has gone. It is in the daily battle with th e scary, the thief, that great bodies of work are created, not in the common, average and med iocre . To be an Artist you will need to prepare each day ...

Your best future.

As Artists in the market place we must be the best we possibly can be. The best paintings we can produce. The best smile we can have. The best greeting we can give. The best explanation of our Art work we can have. Because I really do believe that to get the best results we must be the best we can possibly be. When we make the decision to be the best we possibly can be, it effects all we do, our mannerisms, our attitudes and our own happiness and the happiness of people around us. Positive and enthusiastic people are fun to be around and these people get results. If you want the best results, then just be the best you that you can be, do not compare you self to others, just be your best, by being the best you that you can be now, you are planting the seed of your future successes and your best future will come from it. How you act today effects your tomorrows.

Success and satisfaction comes from the work itself.

You can look to the Art Market to validate your success, but often the market likes what is terrible and hates what is good? Do not compare yourself to others, that is a sad road to follow because you will never see that you are ever good enough. Success is having a professional approach to your Art Business, professional habits. You turn up every day at the same time and work. You stay on the job and finish the work, excuses makes for time wasting. Be courageous with your Art practice, always be pushing the limits and if that frightens you a little, it is most probably the right thing to do. Take the highs with the lows, it's not personal, it is just the Art life. Do not take things too personally, the overly sensitive Artist is a recipe for disaster. Be patient and have a long view, work like there is no tomorrow and plan for your retirement. Eventually you must get to the place where you are the best judge of your own work, you created it, so you have own it....

Build your Art Business over years not months.

The prices problem hurts so many Artists, because everyone believes that their work is worth so much more, because of all the time and effort they put into it and in your mind it is. The reality is it is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it, that is the free market we live in. If you need to sell, then learn how to sell, take a course on selling. If you don't understand social media marketing then take a course on marketing, all these courses are available and will be a great help to you. Then work on you and change you. Work on your self talk and negative thinking, silence the critic within. Determine to be positive and see the positive in everything, it will take time but determination and self discipline works. Apply all these things and start to paint again with a realistic view of what the market is really like and price your work accordingly. Always be working on yourself and your attitudes, developer a great smile and a happy charming personal...

I want and need it.

The Art world will not give you what you want. The Art world will not give you what you need. The Art world will give you what you deserve. It is no different than in life. If you do not plant a seed in the ground you will not get a harvest no matter how much you want and need it. The ones who get the harvest are those who deserve it, the planters, they deserve the harvest. As with everything in life there is a cost for everything, there are no free lunches. Many Artists seem to think that because they can paint, they have talent and they put there paintings out for sale that they deserve to sell, yet they have not paid their dues. I hear the complaint that no wants to buy my work, but honestly it takes years to establish a market, just ask any Artist who is still painting after ten years. The drop out rate for Artists is very high, yes very high, people do not realise how hard it is to sell a painting. Artists blame Galleries, dealers, Art Fairs, other Artists,...

You are unknown.

This is a business and like all businesses you struggle for the first few years and as you get known and popular, so your business grows and your prices increase. The reason so many Artists start out and then after a few years give up is because they perceive that their work is no good because they can not sell it and they leave and stop painting. They equate that the lack of sales is because of the quality of the work, but the truth is not that at all, the work may be brilliant, original, wonderful work but you are unknown, no body knows you. This is the problem not the work, build a network of people around you and your work, get known, facial recognition and name recognition, do videos, blog and story tell your paintings. Get known this must be one of your three priorities, paint lots of work, learn about being a small business and promote and market yourself and your Art. You are your Art and you need to be as well known as your paintings. Be patient and get known.. .

Become better.

There will always be Artists that are better than us and others who worse than us, that's just life. The key for every Artist is to accept who you are and your particular skill sets, work diligently on your dreams and goals and become better as an Artist and a person. If you compare yourself with others Artists, you will lose, it's not a game to play. You cannot change that outcome by criticising and complaining about it, this will hurt your career and you personally, be someone who is quick to praise others and acknowledge their success. When you see others who are successful, congratulate them and be inspired to do as good or better. No one is entitled to success, success is something you prepare yourself for by working hard at your craft and on yourself. You must do what you have to do to change your life and make it better, because you are you and your life is the only one you have control over. Work hard, become a better person and don't compare you...

Have you written out your goals?

If so, then you know where you want to go and you plan each step along the way. If not, why not? No goals, no direction it is like setting off on a journey and not knowing where you are going. They cannot be just goals in your head they must be written out on paper, so can read them every day. Small changes now, like writing out your goals and reading them every day will lead to be big changes in the future for you. For your world to change, you need to change. If you want to be a successful artist, then be a successful person first and the Art success will follow. Work very hard on your personality and make it better and you will a be better human being and a better Artist and you will contribute a great deal to the betterment of the world you live in. Be the best person and best Artist that you can be. .

Inspire change.

Create work that blesses others and brings joy into their lives and motivates them to be the best they can possibly be, Art can change lives. Build your Art career by being generous, with your smiles and appreciation of others. Be the one to always congratulate others on there success, a generous person is a blessing to those around them and it inspires others to be better. Our Art will never be for everyone and if it was we would need to ask why because that is not normal, no our Art is for our people. You do not paint for everyone but it is for someone. You paint for those who love your work. You paint for those who admire your work. You paint for those who love it enough to give you their hard earned money. As you become your own distinct voice in Art, lives will be transformed and inspired to change for the better. Be the one who cares for others. .