Mark E Shellshear.

Self belief is turning up everyday and doing what needs to be done, out of this discipline will come your miracle. When you turn up to work, work, put an hours work into every hour, don’t let excuses and procrastination rob you of your time. The miracle comes when you turn up every day, be patient and be determined to always work hard while you are in the studio. Perspiration precedes inspiration. Working precedes the miracle. The miracle is in the work.

Being unique attracts attention, being similar to everyone else makes you invisible. Isn’t this the great truth for Artists, because Artists need to attract attention, not be invisible. Do not to be like all other Artists, but be the unique original you. Copying makes you invisible, time and years will ignore you, just for short sighted sales. Being average, safe and mediocre will make you lost in the ocean of similar paintings and similar Artists, you will be invisible. You must attract attention. Be unique, be original, be you, make videos and get known. Being the best Artist that you can possible be, this will attract attention and you will be noticed and seen. Being the unique you that only you can be, make your videos promoting you and your Art will make you visible. Because unique attracts attention.

Do not look at others and be jealous and envious of what they have because you can never be them, look in the mirror and appreciate you. Others do not hold the key to your success and happiness, the person in the mirror does. Next time you look in the mirror, smile at that person and tell them you love them for they are the only person who can help you be who you want to be and fulfil all your dreams and desires. Build you success on these three foundations, positive self image, self love and self belief, do so by daily affirmations and written out goals which you can then check off as you achieve them, do both and you will continually strengthen your foundations. Positive self image, self love and self belief are the foundation on which you will build your Art career, without them you will struggle to appreciate the person in the mirror. .

So many young Artists and older, new Artists want to achieve great things but leave it all up to chance and in 30 years time will wonder why it didn't work for them. How many Artist I know personally who started off with great promise and today they do not paint, because they thought that it would just happen. Do not leave your Art career to chance, have goals for your Art future, write them down, set down your plans and what you will do to achieve them, work hard and never give up. Become a media personality and make videos and get face and name recognition, it’s all part of the hard work. Being a talented Artist is not enough, you need to know where you want to go or how will you know when you have arrived? Don't leave it to chance. .

What about influence and inspiration? We are all influenced by the Art we love and it can inspire us to go and do our own brilliant work and that is good, the problem arises when we are inspired and then we go and copy the work that inspires us, that’s not good. You may love a certain landscape painter and you can’t get enough of her work. So you see her work and then you go and paint your landscapes, which is great, but don’t sit down with a book and copy her paintings, that is wrong and it’s not original and it is not Art, it’s a copy. If you are inspired by her landscapes go into your landscape and you capture it in your way, in your original style, that is how influence by another Artist should work. I am inspired by seeing this landscape painting and now I go into my landscape and discover my painting hidden in it, that’s the creative process and it’s called original Art. This could be with any genre of Art, abstract, portraits, still life etc. You see it, get inspi...

Often like this morning I did not know what to write, a few words and a sentence and then two pages later I am amazed at what I have written. It always begins slowly and the key to hearing the Muse, the inner genius, is you starting working, you must start writing before she will come. You must start drawing before she will come. You must start painting before she will come. She is enticed, attracted to your energy, to your gift and then she speaks and begins to work with you. She does not lead you, she comes when attracted to you gift at work. If you want the Muse to come before you start, most likely she will not come. " Inspiration exists ,  but  it must  find you working ." - Pablo Picasso. .

For an Artist to have a long and celebrated career they will have grow and evolve and this will be very evident in the body of their work. Always remembering that it is not about doing one great masterpiece, but your whole lifetime of work being your masterpiece. Improving at your craft is not an option, it is a necessity and this will involve hard work, determination and patience, because it will be very easy for you to rest on your laurels when you get success and forget that you have to continue to create new and original work and not repeat your past. Many go from being a good Artist to just another painter, it’s easy to do, just bath in your success and repeat and repeat and repeat your successful paintings. Not everything new that you do will work, but because you are innovating you will discover new things that will work, so be courageous always be a trailblazer, don’t be side tracked by those following you and flattering you. Owning your own original work is what...