Mark E Shellshear.

Life and business is like the seasons, you will experience all of them and one great truth is that life happens to us all, it rains on the rich and the poor, disappointment and unhappiness are not possessions of the poor, everyone experiences them. We are going to do a 6 part series on the lessons we can learn from the ant and how it can be applied to our Art practice. In your Art practice, think like the Ant. Ancient text teaches us the danger of laziness in our lives, it points us to an unlikely teaching source. “Go to the ant you lazy person ! Consider her ways and be wise”. It tells us, to learn valuable life lessons from the ant . What can we learn from t he ants that we can apply in a positive way to our Art business ? Ants teach us how to be self-motivated. “ Ants w hich, having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest”. No one carries a whip behind the ant to ensure the work gets done....

I get mail from many Artists who are facing very difficult and life challenging situations and they are hurting and they ask what can they do? Unfortunately I do not have the answers for every situation but let me answer as best I can. I know from experience, hard experience, that no matter how difficult the situation you find yourself in, there is an answer and a way through it. I t will be a very very difficult transition at first, major change always is, but in this most difficult time we need to find a way to use our Art and take it with us on this journey. P ut these difficult experiences down on paper, record this journey in paintings, drawings and words, just let the emotions flow out, you are not painting to sell, you are painting to heal you. Allow the creative process in you to get down all you r feelings and your thoughts onto paper and canvas and into sketchbooks, fill them with your emotions and date them and also record in writing all your feelings, t...

S ome Artists wonder why success is so elusive, i t seems to be the impossible dream so far away and yet it is true that success comes to those who are prepared for success. Sometimes a big success can come along out of nowhere and you seem to zoom to the top, but if you are not prepared for that success it will soon leave you and you will be back where you started. I have seen with the most successful Artists that I have met that there are things that distinguished them from other Artists. First, They are dedicated to their craft. Work hard, push the limits, always looking to do new and exceptional things with their Art and they work when they are supposed to work. Second, They are always improving themselves and their Art practice, life time learners. “What do I have to change in me to make me better. What do I have to change with my Art Business to make it better.” Third, They understand that the Art business is a business and learn the necessary skills to t...

Third phase, post opening night. Now after the opening night, be at the Gallery every day you possibly can, even paint in the Gallery and video it, and put it up on Facebook because people love to watch the Artist work. Most important that you be there every weekend from opening to close. Now why do this? You have invested a serious amount of money into this show, so why not give it your best for the full length of the show? This is your money, do not just leave it to others who do not care as much about your work as you do. Tell people through social media that you will be there at the gallery every weekend of your show and to come and meet you. Do videos from the Gallery talking about your paintings and put them up on Facebook with an invite to come and meet you at the gallery. Email all your friends and contacts and invite them to come to the Gallery and tell them you will personally show them around and discuss your paintings. All the new email addresses you ...

Second phase, the opening night. So we are at the opening night. Now I am presuming that you and the Gallery or group have promoted you well and have competent staff to help you and now people are coming into your opening. First, Artist things to consider, please appreciate that the people who are coming to your show have given up their precious time to come and look at your paintings and to meet you. Show your appreciation by going up and speaking to every guest, yes every guest, who has complemented you by coming to your opening. Be very friendly, smiling and chatty Ignore your friends unless they are buying. Talk to strangers about your work and try to say more than “yes” and “no.” Let them ask you questions and tell the story behind each painting, tell them stories. Appreciate that people are coming to see your Art work and that you are the center of attention, no place for the brooding, misunderstood Artist here. If the Gallery introduces you to someone, t...

First, pre-exhibition. “ The miracle is in the doing.” What do I think an Artist should do to avoid a failed Art exhibition?  Now if you knew that doing all that work would produce a failed exhibition, surely you would do it very differently from the beginning? So instead waiting to lick your wounds after the exhibition why not start out with a plan to try and make sure that does not happen and the show is a success. Lets start from the pain part first, no sales and a lot of money and time invested into a failed show, plus dealing with the emotional aspect of failure. You are the key to your success. So do not rely on the Gallery or someone else to promote your work, you do it, you have so much invested here, so you make sure it is done. Artist you need to push yourself so hard on the Internet through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, emails, because you have only one shot at an opening night so give it your best. Blog about your opening weeks before, talk about the paintings that...

Lets consider the failed opening, no sales and a failed show, what we should have done to keep that from happening and to stay with my theme, “ The miracle is in the doing.” What do I think an Artist should do about a failed Art exhibition?  Lets start from the pain part first, no sales and a lot of money and time invested into a failed show. A failed exhibition is not good, it hurts, believe me I have been there, ouch! Now if you knew that doing all that work would produce a failed exhibition, surely you would do it very differently from the beginning? So instead of waiting to lick your wounds after the exhibition why not start out with a plan to try and make sure that does not happen and the show is a great success. This is what I think each Artist should consider doing before, during and after the show. You have finished all the painting and the show opens in a few weeks, what should you do now? Artists say to me that's a lot of work painting a whole show? Yes and you have ...