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. .