Mark E Shellshear.

The wise and diligent Artist understands the Art market that they are in because they have persevered and worked hard for years and years in that market and they have built their reputation as a good and reliable Artist. The talent of a diligent Artist might not be great, but it does good to them because they put their all into it. An Artist who has great talent but has a bad and lazy work ethic will fall far behind the less talented diligent Artist. T he talent of an honest and industrious Artist grows by their labour a stable Art practice of real value. For the talented lazy Artist life will always be unfair because talent alone is never enough. The Art world and life in general is unfair, see it like it is, adapt to how it is and be a diligent Artist, so you can grasp each and every opportunity that comes your way. .

We have been told for years by the Art institutions, Art schools, Galleries and dealers that without them you cannot make it in the Art world and that is totally wrong, you now have the internet and that broke the shackles of the gatekeepers, they are still singing the same song but less and less Artists are listening as Artists and collectors now can connect directly through the internet. The Galleries and dealers want their commissions but with the internet you do not have to pay commissions and the collector can get a better deal. The more you put your work out on the internet and make videos and talk about your work, you will begin to get the attention of strangers. It will take time but you will grow and build a community of collectors around you, so post your work every day and talk about it through blogs and videos, get on to every Artist group site you can and show and talk about your work. You are the key to your success and there are no short cuts, stay on the path, wor...

In the creation story, God takes 6 days to create the world and then rests, now whether you believe in this or not is not important, but the lesson here is. God had a great idea of creating the world and had to work 6 days to make it happen. The lesson is three fold, having a great idea of creating something amazing and then the self belief to go for it and the determination to make it happen through hard work. God had to rest on the seventh day, now he was God and needed rest, so it must have been hard work. Now if it takes God six days to create the world and he is God, it will certainly take you and I some time to make our big Art idea a reality so patience will be needed. It is not just hard work, it is having a vision, a big idea and the self belief to go for it when it seems crazy to others. The miracle happens not in the idea of creating wonderful Art but through self belief and determination to consistently working hard creating wonderful Art to make it come ...

I was talking to an Artist some time ago who did not agree with some of my thoughts and every time I said how we need to always see the positive and strive to be a better person, they then bought up some famous Artist whose behaviour could contradict what I was saying. This happened a couple of times so I decided to politely exit the conversation, I would not change his mind and He certainly would not change mine I thought as I was leaving how sad a life they must lead to always have to find something negative to say so they could counter the argument to be positive and a better Artist . To be positive is an internal decision that goes against what the fear and your internal critic want , but you must change, I believe we can change our world, if we change. I know the world will never be perfect but it can be better, if we get better.

In my Art career I learned a lot of lessons from bad experiences with people. A major lesson I learned was to stay away from negative people, because they will drag you down to their level. So often with negative people, it can sound so right and they use the words like, being realistic, but if it is not constructive and doesn’t lead to positive outcomes, be careful, stay away. Fault finders and critical people say more about themselves when they find fault, than the people they find fault with, and they reveal more about their character, than the people they criticise. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. People reveal their character and their inner flaws by their words. Negative influence is not good for your Art or you and will bring you down, be wise in learning and realise that sometimes for the your own Art career and positive outlook, you just have to walk away from some people.

The one question I get asked more by Artists than any other, is how do I price my paintings? I always answer, that is not the right question. The right question is, how do I get the attention of strangers and get my paintings onto strangers walls? In the beginning of your Art career it is not about the money it is about getting attention. The price of your paintings in the beginning is not that important, don’t give them away, but don’t price them like you are a mature Artist who has had a long career, she has paid her dues and deserves the prices she gets. No matter how talented you are, how gifted you are, if you are unknown, then you are unknown. So getting known is the most important thing you can do, in this day and age because of the internet, it is up to you to do the hard work and make your name and face recognisable. Artists must learn the necessary skills to be successful, make videos, story tell your Art, post regularly and get attention, because the i ntern...

  Many Artists stay lost in the crowd, where it is safe, hiding and then they wonder why no strangers are buying their work, they are not getting the attention of strangers. The fear will never go away, it is a daily struggle especially if you are an Artist trying to make a difference in your world and make Art that matters. When the fear comes and says stop, what will people say or who do you think you are, that critic within you, just say, you are here talking, so I must be doing the right thing because you are trying to stop me, so now I will continue to do it. You do not stop the fear by hiding, you use it as a pointer so you know what to do. In a crowded Art market, panic the fear and start getting the attention of strangers, the fear will quieten down if you confront it and then you will get sales, because strangers are the ones who will buy your work. .

If you are not happy with where you are right now in your Art career, then work hard to change your situation. This is not an easy decision, but it is a decision that you can make, it is your choice. If you want your next five years to be like your last five years, then keep doing what you are doing. But if you want your world to improve, then you will have to improve. We must make the decision to change and choose excellence first in our Art careers and to be the best Artist and the best person that we can be. If you choose to change yourself, your whole world will change.

The world is a beautiful place, but if you are always focused on what others have and are doing and how you are missing out and how unfair it all is, you will miss the truly precious things of this life, a smile, the sunrises and sunsets, a hug and all the beautiful flowers and a million other things that are all free for you to enjoy. Life is good and greatest free gift is life, very grateful. .

It is a good discipline to write down your goals and then how you will action those goals and build your Art future. Have you written out your goals? It is far better to plan your Art Career than leave it to chance. Artists need to have goals, so they will know where they are going and they will know when they have arrived. .

Artists need to understand that their success depends on themselves, do not rely on others or expect others to open doors for you because that seldom happens. until you are successful and then everyone wants to help you because you are successful. Do not blame the Art market, or the economy, or the gallery and you cannot change the attitude of buyers, but you can work on yourself and make yourself better and your whole world will become better. Change takes discipline, so start with very small disciplines, like getting up half an hour earlier and reading a book on sales or personal development and write out your work list for the day. That is all it takes to start the change, its just a matter of starting and doing it every day. The rewards of small disciplines, far out way the cost of loosing a half an hours sleep and the change it will bring in you will change you for the better and you will begin to change your world. Success is not just given away, it is deliberately ...

I am a big fan of limited series, as they create scarcity as you are only doing a limited number and i f you do paint in series I would suggest that you write on the card you place on the back of your painting all your information about the series and th is way people know that there are others of the series out there and it might also prompt them to look at more of the same series and buy . S ome painter s find a subject that sells well and so they just repeat and repeat the subject over and over for years and years, just changing colours but retaining the same subject and it becomes another identical painting , tired and repetitive. Series are fun to do, but once you have finished the series, even if it is popular and sells do not be seduced into doing it over and over again. If you are an Artist, then you are always searching for the new subject or a series to explore, to push the boundaries of you r Artistic imagination. There is always a new subject to paint,...

  The love of painting and the need to paint must be your driving force and your belief in your own ability must be resolute, even if everyone says you have no talent. You must dance to the beat of your drum and you must bring change and that can only happen if you believe in yourself despite what everyone is saying and doing. You have to be a trail blazer, make your own map as you go do not follow the path well trodden that is where the crowd is, be different. Picasso only heard one voice, his own, because he knew he was Picasso, so you must tune out all the other voices and only hear yours. Get assurance from yourself not the market place, it is very fickle. Validate your painting by the act of painting, not the voice of the crowd. Concentrate on your painting purely for the love of painting and you will bring change, to your own career and to the Art world. Believe in yourself resolutely.

  Yes it is true that the Artist retains ownership of the image they create and they have the right to do what they want with it. They can if they choose to paint copies of their sold work , we now use fancy word s so it sounds more acceptable, b ut i f an Artist is claiming to be selling original Art work, then they have a moral obligation to do so. I am sure most collectors that I know would not respond kindly if they found that the paintings that they bought as an original work , was in fact a copy of the original painting . We as Artist must strive for excellence in our profession, and excellence does not start with those other Artists, it starts with us personally first. Our good name and reputation as Artists is very important and we must do all we can to protect it. Ancient text says, a good reputation is more desirable than great wealt h. .

  When I talk about how crowded the Art market is some people got back to me and felt that it would be impossible to make it as a selling Artist, but I disagree. The best thing about a crowded Art market is that most Artists are trying to fit in, not trying to stand out. If you try to fit in, you will be invisible and just part of the crowd, so stand out and do what will get you attention, videos, blogs, story telling and talking to strangers. Strangers are the ones who will buy your Art but if they cannot find you then you will always be unknown, so get the attention of strangers because they are the ones who build your Artistic success. Attention is the currency of the Art market, you can fit in or stand out. One is very easy to do, the other takes hard work.

So make them personal, when you talk about your Art, explain why you paint and what your Art is about and how it is part of you, so that when people see your Art work they understand they are seeing part of you. People want to know you the Artist because the most important thing about your paintings is that you painted them. The key to your Art is not to be found in another Artist, another style, another discipline, the key to your Art is you and your Muse and that you created the work. I talk about going beyond our boundaries, to think outside the box, to not listen to fear but allow your true self, your Muse to be free to create your individual, original work. Understand why you paint and tell people why, y our Art is all about you, you created it .

We were taught to conform and obey, yet to be a successful Artist you will need to do the opposite, be different, be original and rebel against the status qu o . Why were we sold this lie by our parents and teachers, because they were sold the same lie also by fear. The fear wants us to conform, be like everyone else, be average, be invisible because it is safe there and fear wants safe. Today we do not need to conform, we know now that every successful person had to be prepared to walk against the fear and not conform and bring change. We do not have to obey fear , so be different and rebel. Paint your paintings, your original Art work and if people criticise you tell them, I didn’t make it for you. Do not allow the crowd-speak to stop you, rebel against the crowd and be your original self. It is ok to give yourself permission to do this , nothing bad will happen to you except you will dare to bring change, because change is need ed for growth. Rebel against fea...

It is easier to sell to someone who has already bought a painting off you than to find a new customer. One of the most important things we do is to build a fter s ales s ervice into our Art practice . When we sell to a stranger we need to make sure that we get their Email address and it’ s very important to ask for their permission to put then on your monthly email newsletter. Your first email to them should be in the week after the sale, it is a follow up note to make sure they are happy with their purchase and to thank them again. Most Artists do not think about after sales service as they mostly believe it applies to other industries, but it is vitally important in our Art business when we do sell a product and we want to follow up the customer. After sales service builds a relationship with the customer and you will be able to offer them new paintings in the future, because of the relationship of trust that you are building. Remember to take care of your old cust...

If success was easy to do everyone would do it and there would be no struggle and it would be worthless and unfulfilling. As much as you don’t want the hard work, the long hours and the struggle to get attention, that is what sets you apart from the crowd. The crowd wants it to be easy to do and it is not, there is a price to pay. The struggle is guaranteed but success is not, so you need to be prepared to do a little more, give a little bit more, work a little be harder and rejoice in the fact you have this opportunity to really make a difference in and through your Art career. We all have to pay our dues and endure the struggle, keeping a positive outlook on life and having the attitude that I will pay whatever the cost will be to accomplish my goals and the success I want. If you pay the price for success in the Art business, then the rewards are deserving and fulfilling.

Paint what you really care about, that way your Art will be honest, strong and be original. You must get your original Art right for you, that is the struggle. So many paint to please others, this will not get you to where you want to go in the Art world. Pleasing others is extremely hard to do because tastes and trends change and most likely some will start to copy other popular Artists as a way of striving for popularity, but this is empty and not lasting and you will never build a creditable Art career by copying. So paint to please yourself, allow your Muse to lead you because there is honesty in that, a reality that I am true to myself and create original Art. Go forward my friends and change the Art world and win the struggle.

  I understand you want to sell your work, because that will give you validation for pushing your goals. I do find this hard to tell people, do not believe you will make it in the Art Business because family and friends say you are a wonderful talented painter. If you do not believe it within yourself, in your own heart, then you will struggle as a painter. Self belief is the key to lasting a long time in this business, because rejection is a big part of the Art Business. You need a loving, caring support group around you, so when times are dark and you are not doing so well, you have loving and encouraging people beside you, who truly care. This is very important; we all need to be loved.

Most discouragement starts with your own self talk, not others, they just confirm what you are already saying to yourself. It is an ongoing battle and seems to raise its head again just when you think you have defeated it, work on this, it is so important. This is not for everyone but it works for me, faith, when times get hard, and it will, it’s good when all seems lost to have a higher being to talk to, prayer works. So build on your self-belief. Get rid of negative self-talk. Cling onto those who love you and go out and change the Art World forever. Remember Picasso and all the greats were once unknown and faced all the road blocks you do, but they persevered and did not let discouragement deter them. Believe in yourself and tell yourself that.

Fear is invisible and lives within us all, it wants us to be lazy and procrastinate, it helps us to make excuses why we can’t work. Fear wants us to be safe, comfortable and invisible. Fear tells us to wait for inspiration to come, then we will paint that wonderful painting, it’s just another excuse not to work. The Muse loves the worker, the Artist who has a regimented Art practice who knows inspiration will come once you start work, starting is the key. The Muse values the struggle, the determination of the Artist who has the attitude that this is a calling not a job. The Muse wants the Artist to be empowered by their passion and vision for their Art career. The challenge for each Artist is not to make excuses and procrastinate, but to communicate our vision in paint and words and allow the Muse to inspire us to create original Art.

Be true to your Muse and follow it diligently, determined to paint your own original Art work, producing work that is yours and defines you. You do not paint for the critics and the unappreciative crowd, you paint for those people who love your work. These are your true followers and once you build an group of followers around you then your Art career will be gin to blossom. Be patient as y ou will need to build this base of followers through, develop ing consistent social media promotion, through videos, blogs and Artist groups, all this depends on you getting out and getting known, face and name recognition is so important to getting you well known in your particular Art community. I t is this loyal group of followers who will make your Art career successful, every stranger you meet is important to your career, you are always marketing you.

  I am convinced that every Artist should learn to be a public speaker, this will give you confidence and poise in front of strangers. So many Artists are unable to stand up in front of people and talk about their work, this is a skill you can learn and it will be a very valuable skill for you r future career . Artists need to influence strangers, because these are the people who will buy your paintings and make you successful, not family and friends. The way we influence strangers is to have the confidence and composure to walk up and talk with them and help them make the decision to buy our painting s . Knowing that you can confidently talk with strangers and influence them to buy, overcome s the fear that will rob you of sales . I t is fear that stops most Artists from selling. The skill of public speaking all Artists can learn and the impact on their careers would be amazing.

Isn’t it amazing, a smile costs you nothing to give but in the sales setting it can be worth a fortune to you. A smile is so valuable it changes people but y ou have to be willing to give a smile away before it can do anyone else any good. Smiles are infectious others smile back and they draw people to you and they make you feel happy. Smile, it makes strangers feel comfortable and maybe it will help you get that sale.