Mark E Shellshear.

Selling Art is more than just persuading someone to buy your painting. People buy by emotions more than reasoning. Facts appeal to the brain, emotions appeal to the heart. Learn the skill of painting word pictures, be descriptive with your words so you help people visualise your painting already hanging in their house. Let them imagine seeing the painting hanging in their lounge room and people admiring it and saying how beautiful it is and enjoying what it brings into the room and how special they are owning one of your original works. Be creative, paint word pictures for others to see your Art benefiting their lives. .

I do not believe in locking myself as an Artist into a signature style, that would be like being in a straight jacket, y our signature style is you, you are your brand not a style that you paint in. Do as you feel led by your muse and always put your photo on everything you do, so you are the brand not one painting. As I have said I walked against what others thought, when I painted I refused to paint one style of painting, I just painted how I felt led by my Muse and never considered a distinct style or what a Gallery wanted, it was my career and sink or swim I was doing it my way. I might not have had much control of the Art market, but I could have all the control over how and what I wanted to paint. What is amazing now is that all the work I did is now accepted as mine, as eclectic as it is. You are the Artist, it is all about you Artist, seeing you and your gift in every painting you do, no matter how different they are.

  It’s not great talent that will get you to the top, there are a lot of talented failures in the Art world. It is not luck that will get you to the mountain top, luck can come and give you a big push but if you are not prepared for the success you will soon go back to where you were. You see adversity and setbacks as much as they can hurt and discourage us they are what prepare us for success, building within us such determination that we refuse to give in. Where we become so determined to persist and work hard for as long as it takes, that’s preparation for success.

You have no idea of what you can accomplish and what you could become. You just need to imagine it and change your inner self talk to line up with your dreams. Ignore the fear, it is there to stop you so use it as a signal, when it says stop that’s your signal to go. Become stronger, become smarter and become wiser. Be the best Artist that you can possibly be for you, that will change your world.

I am always amazed how we don’t dwell on all wonderful positive things that happen in our lives, unfortunately it’s always the negative stuff that goes round and around in our minds and keeps changing us in a negative way. We have to stop that negative story and train our minds to think positively in the now and the future. Don’t keep the story going, replace it with a positive future story in your now, a story of happiness and success. .

You cannot change the government, you can be angry and criticise it but it will make no difference. You cannot change the economy, it is the way it is. You cannot change your buyers attitudes, they are the way they are. You cannot change your family, they will still do what they want to do. The only things you can change is your Art practice and you. If you work on fixing all your own faults, you will change your world. Change starts with me changing. .

No matter what you think of your own painting, show your work, it is your original work, don't let that self defeating inner voice of the “thief” rob you of your own original creativity, the work that you produce defines you as an Artist. Your own original work is always your best work because it is you, it talks of you and who you are. If you do not think your work is good enough, ignore this self defeating inner talk, be courageous and show your work, you may be pleasantly surprised at how well it is received. Your own original work is always your best work.

  I often asked myself that question when times were very difficult, but I hated the idea of being a failure and being a survivor of difficult times appealed more, so I just selfishly determined to just hang in there and not give up. Endure the hard times, survive, because I honestly believe that if you can survive the difficult times you will be successful in the future. Much wisdom can be gained during the storms of life, leaning what not to do and what you need to change and finding the areas of your life you need to work on and become better. Be a wise Artist, prepare for the unexpected and endure the slow times and work hard on yourself.

If you are nagged with self doubt and fear, rejoice your Muse wants you to overcome that and learn to go where there are no sign posts. She is always there but just out of reach, that is how she gets you out of your comfort zone and encourages you to go into new and exciting places with your Art. She wants you to be uneasy then she knows you are in an unsafe place, the place of miracles and magic, where wonderful original Art is created. She will give all the desires of your heart but she will do it slowly because she is not interested in one painting being painted but in a whole lifetime of paintings being painted, that’s why she seduces you to follow her, so rejoice, she knows you have a life long calling and a lifetime of paintings to be painted and she has your whole life to do it in. .

If you want to achieve a lot in the Art business, to some extent you must become a public figure, with name and face recognition. Yes you still have to produce great original paintings or sculpture and keep evolving, that is a must because your celebrity is built upon you and your great Art. Everyone does not have to love you and buy your work, but everyone needs to know who you are and your Art. Your popularity, who you are is built upon your Art and your Art better be good and original to support your Artistic celebrity. Many will say that it is all about my Art and the purity and honesty of my Art and not about me personally, of course the Art is very important but what’s the use of having beautiful, pure, honest, original work if no one sees it or even knows that you exist, it would be as if it was never made. The better you are known, the better you will sell. .

Do not fall into the trap that many Artists fall into where they make excuses for not producing new work and say things like, they are waiting for inspiration. I understand we want to be safe, we all do, but sometimes safe is the wrong place to be. Safe is where the crowd is, safe means doing what others are doing, safe means singing the same song, safe is average, ordinary, safe is being invisible. So instead of being safe and waiting for inspiration, be unsafe. Do something amazing that no one else can do and paint a painting like no one else can, just paint your own amazing, original Art work. .

I believe that being a successful artist is no different than being a successful business person, just different skills in play. But the thing both Artist and business person have in common is that they both deal with the same world, same economy, same people, same challenges. The successful person knows that they need to change to improve them selves, build self confidence and to continue to learn new skills and most importantly get known and making videos will do that for you. .

Beware of what you become in pursuit of what you want. Don't become so obsessed with something that it costs you to much, success has a price and that price can be very high. Do not sacrifice family and friends in pursuit of success, that is price to high to pay. The love of another person for you is very, very important, imagine obtaining all the success you desired and having no one to share it with, that is a very empty feeling, I know it. As you are building your life towards your goals take those you love with you on the journey, it will be more fulfilling and every small success can be enjoyed and celebrated with someone you love. Work hard, have goals and never give up and take your loved ones with you on this wonderful Art journey to reach your goals and become the better you. .

Turning up and working and then the next day doing it again and doing it better. If your desire is always to do it better, then you will improve and y ou don’t have to improve a lot, just a little bit each day. Most people want big changes and they have great bursts of energy and then back off, that will not get you where you want to go if success is your goal, you will need to work consistently improving a little each day and o ver a period of time this will change your life and your A rt practice for the better. I f you want to get to the top of the Art ladder then do it one step at a time each day and learn well the lessons of each day. Consistent small improvements are sustainable getting a little better each day.

I am constantly challenged by the thought that I do not do enough? What can I do better? W hat can I do smarter? What can I do that will improve me and my contribution to life? One thing that truly drives me on in what I do is the core belief that I can do more than I do and achieve more than I expect. Our potential far outstrips our current effort, let’s act out our potential and build a stronger life.

  Proverbs 11:16 “ A gracious woman attains hono u r, And ruthless men attain riches.” This word ruthless can also be translated strong. Collins dictionary... “If you say that someone is ruthless, you mean that you disapprove of them because they are very harsh or cruel  and will do anything that is necessary to achieve what they want. ” To keep your Art success as with your money you are going have to ruthless, harsh or cruel and you will do anything necessary to keep your success. Not against other people, no but against your own appetites, temptations and things that seduce. Being ruthless to not let anything steal away your success. Always remember your good name and reputation that you have built over years can be lost in a moment from poor judgement and letting your guard down.

I don’t want hope, when people say they will get back to me, I hear that as a polite no and get on with selling to the next customer, now if in the future they do get back to me, then I am pleasantly surprised. Artists learn to hear, I will get back to you or let me think about it as a polite no and get to the next customer. Selling is about showing your work to as many people as possible in search of a yes. Don’t live in hope, approach each sale systematically doing it again and doing it better.

T oday we live in a very crowded Art market so every A rtist is going to have to work hard to get attention and get name and face recognition and it’ s a challenge to be creative and innovate with your Art marketing using videos, blogs and stories of your Art work . There are no rules, so experiment and be different put your work out there, show it, talk about it and be bold, get attention. There are no invitations coming or someone coming to give you initiative, you must give yourself permission and take the initiativ e because there are no set rules or certain ways to do something , no 10 step plan, no map, you have to make it up as you go, what an opportunity to be creative and use your imagination and accomplish great things . T he Artist of today is not just a creative Artist but also a marketer on the internet and the internet has changed the Art market forever, t hink of the opportunities this opens for you.

I always tell Artists when I am asked to concentrate on painting you and what you are seeing and experiencing in your world, paint you. Take the ordinary you are experiencing and feeling and mak e a wonderful story out of it in paint . Then tell us why you painted it and make us part of your painting, we want you to invite us into your world, so we will see the painting as you see the painting and we will understand the painting like you understand the painting. The creator should always tell us their story of the Art otherwise we might misunderstand what you are trying to say. Make us part of your world by telling us about it.

It is so easy in the Art world to be disappointed and then keep running that negative story over and over in our heads. It is so easy in the Art business to be offended and then keep running that toxic story over and over in our heads. The problem with these stories and others similar is that they do not have a positive outcome in our lives. We must leave the past where it is and not keep picking it up and bringing it into our now and making it part of our now life and destined to relive it again in the future. A positive future is far more important than your already lived past, so u se your imagination to create a wonderful, happy future. .

Positive c hange is possible, people need to believe in the possible and believe in themselves , then they will change. Life is not about the day when you win the prize, it's about all the painting and sales days in between. All the days making videos that in the beginning nobody watches, yet you persevering and believing in yourself, until you build a large following. You ultimate success is possible, believe in yourself and never give up, make the possible real in your life. Tell your story in paint on canvas in video .

We need more generosity, selflessness, kindness and giving in the world. We are been told through the media in very subtle ways that these are negative attributes and that greed and selfishness and the I am entitled mindset are the right attitudes and they are certainly not. Giving of your time, your talents, your knowledge, your love and sometimes even your money and not asking for payment for a kind act are strong character attributes. Being selfless not selfish. Being generous not greedy. Being complementary not critical. Being the one to reach out and say, h ow can I help you? Instead of saying or thinking, what’s in it for me.

It takes a very mature head to understand that attention, face and name recognition is what we are striving for and to produce wonderful, original Art and recognise that the attention you get is just the result of your hard work, just like money. Money and popularity are the result of getting the attention of strangers and producing wonderful Art work and if don’t keep producing new and original work after a while they will both move on. Praise and adoration is nice and enjoy it when it comes but it is just smoke and it can blow away, your reality is in you constantly working on getting the attention of strangers and your creativity, doing excellent Art. .

That inner voice of fear says, “I don’t care if they don’t want to accept me the way I am, then take me or leave me. Why should I change, I am doing ok and this is the way I am.” The fear does not want you to do anything that would bring pressure on you and change into your life, it wants the next five years to be just like the last five years and if that’s what you want then don’t change. If you want the next five years to be the best five years of your life then you will have to change. Work on those little bad habits that you know you have, a little self discipline makes such a difference. Little changes now, brings big change years down the road of life.

Artist understand it will take time and lots of hard work to get the attention of strangers but you must persevere at this because without strangers buying your Art you have no Art business. What could you do more of in the promotion of yourself and your Art work that would make a difference to your Art business? Always write down your ideas and then devise a plan of action to implement your good ideas. Ideas plus action produces great results.  

Most Artists don’t want to learn to sell and they don’t want to do videos and they want to go the gallery path because they are Artists and not salespeople. I understand that Artists feel this way but i f I was an Artist building my career today in our market, I would do the opposite of everything that the Artist crowd sa y , because there is no easy step by step guide to success here, there is no map to follow and if there was it would be where every Artist would be anyway , in that crowded space. You are going to have be a trailblazer and do it your way, outside of the crowded space. Being invisible is safe, being a trailblazer will get you the attention of strangers. Attention is currency.

Masterpieces might be painted in the good times but they are birthed through the difficult times when we want to quit and all of us at some point want to quit. Giving up is never the best option, because it is in these difficult times that seem to go on forever, but don’t really, that we learn about ourselves and how strong our persistence and determination really is. Persist through the lean times and determine within yourself that you will finish the race and be there victorious at the end. .