Someone once said “Don’t wait for your ship to come in….swim out to meet it.”  If you want to believe what someone else tells you success is, then you are losing  much of the ability find it.  You won’t be able to create the passion to succeed if you use someone else’s idea of your goals.  Passion creates great power within each of us and is needed to succed.  You have to believe in your work.  If you don’t, why should anyone else?    Start by calling yourself an artist!  When someone asks what you do for a living, your reply should be “I’m an artist.”  Be excited about what you do!

Here’s how one artist shows excitment for her work:  “So, what is the defination of artistic success?  Mine is that delicious opportunity that thrills me when I see it,  Public recognition is nice, but it don’t mean a thing if my legs don’t go weak when I see what I’ve done.”

You have to believe in your work.  Be your own worst critic, and don’t expose it to the public, until you are absolutely satisfied that it is your best effort.

Alyson Stansfield, Art Biz. Coach, puts it this way “Until you produce art that you believe in without question – art that you know is your best effort- art that you’re proud of – art that you can’t wait to share with people, you are going to have a hard time selling it to collectors or galleries.  You might be able to make a little money from your art, but you’ll not be able to earn a living from it.”    Nobody’s responsible for your success or lack thereof, EXCEPT YOU!   Alyson goes on to say “Of course there will be bumps along the road.  Get a good set of shocks and ride out the potholes.   I love Alysons advice. I use it often, and will frequently pass it on to others.

Numerous people fail to live the life they have always wished to live.  They fail to realize their ambitions and give up on their big dreams as soon as they encounter the first obstacle.  One of the main causes for this attitude is they don’t believe in themselves.  People start to doubt their abilities and give up.  The few who continue along their artistic path are the ones who succeed

You have the power to succeed or fail.  Whether you think you can or your can’t….either way, you’re right.  If you believe you can’t achieve something, you probably won’t.  Train yourself to believe you can, and you will!

• Never believe it is impossible to accomplish
• Never let problems stop you
• Never think that just because you don’t know how to do something – you can’t.
• Never let the fear of failing stop you
• NEVER QUIT

Nothing I’ve said in this blog series, will be useful, unless you put producing your art first.  Again, quoting Alyson Stanfield  “Without your art, you have nothing to promote…you have nothing to show the world.  Your art is your voice.  It’s how you communicate with the world.  Don’t lose sight of that!  If you’re checking e-mail to often or socializing just a tad to much on line, remember why you do what you do.  Say to yourself  I’M AN ARTIST…I MAKE ART, then go do it.”

Believing in yourself is the 1st step to success.  Hold your head up, because you have every right to.  BELIEVE.  Believe in your art.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in your goals.   Create your own success – then go out and enjoy it!

end of series….class dismissed                                                                                                    

Your relationship with a collector doesn’t end when the work is purchased.  It just begins.  Saying Thank you is a small, easy and inexpensive way to increase or guarantee future success.  But its impact is anything but small.  It goes a long way toward forging a relationship that can turn into future opportunity.

Get into the habit of writing “Thank-you” notes.  That’s right…writing them!  Why?  It sets you apart from e-mail.  The meer fact that you took the time to write it shows your sincerity.  Send them to collectors, suppliers, other artists who take time to mentor you; museums, gallery owners and show promoters who show your work.   A recent poll points out that nearly 50% of artists forget to show proper appreciation to people who help them; be it collectors or mentors.

People will remember a thank you note and will appreciate your thoughtfulness.  Notes don’t have to be long – 2-3 sentences will do.  Very few people cherish an e-mail

Out class other artists….saying thank you is a competitive advantage.  Take the time to do it.  A small gift or something you’ve made is even better.

Until next post…..Meet more people.  People who will buy your art.  People who can help advance your career.  People who inspire you.                                     

In many instances, the only thing standing between you and success is YOU!  Some artists are afraid of success, because along with success comes responsibility.  We often hear people say,  “Wow, that person sure hit it big” or “Wow, he/she sure became successful overnight.”  Success doesn’t happen overnight, it requires hard work; often several years of it.  Most successful artists are driven to success.  They have a passion for their work and a passion for everything associated with being an artist.  Successful artists realize that passion must include marketing and developing selling skills; even though they’d sooner be creating.

So, what does it take to be a successful artist?  Is it pure talent?  Is it your marketing skills, or knowing the right people? It’s all of those and MORE.    Sculptor Mike Binkley answers it this way:  ” I approach my art as not only a calling but as a business…making and selling art IS A BUSINESS, and I have to approach it that way.  It means hard work and tenacity and fully accepting that there is no free lunch. I spend at least 5 days a week researching, carving stone  and marketing.  (sometimes more.)”

Successful artists must see themselves as business people.  More than ever in todays world, you are competing for your customers art expendatures. Sadly, most art schools don’t teach business to artists.  It’s something you have to learn on your own.  Always under promise and over deliver.  In short…exceed your customers’ expectations.

Building Relationships:   The art business is no different than any other business.  Building good relationships is essential.  A successful artist is a professional in all their dealings with the general public, collectors, gallery owners suppliers, AND OTHER ARTISTS -  this is most important/   They can all be valuable resources.   When someone has a bad experience with you, they will tell at least 10 people, and those 10 will tell a few more.  Hang out with people you consider successful and learn from them.

Accept Consructive Criticism:  It isn’t always fun to hear criticism, but you need to learn to deal with it.  Focus on the valid points and learn from your mistakes.  It’s designed to help you improve. An honest, sincere and accurate critique can be very important to your success.  A good critic will give constructive information, and point out what you did well and talk about flaws and areas you can improve.  I always like to get that feed-back on a piece I’m currently working on.

Things don’t always work as planned.  Mistakes will hapen, but focus on solutions-not failures or problems.  Learn from experience and experiment to improve.

Is art a top priority in your life?  Most successful artists wake up thinking of art, and sleep dreaming about it.    YOU HAVE THE POWER TO SUCCEED OR FAIL.  Until next post….DO ONE THING EACH DAY THAT HELPS YOU REACH YOUR GOALS.

A WHAT???   I’m an artist!   Doesn’t it get in the way of creating my artwork?    I don’t want to do this.  It drives me crazy.  It makes me cringe.  So why do I need one.    Someone once said “Being a successful artist requires two things.  1.  Getting paid for your work and  2.  Dotting your “i’s”  and crossing your “t’s.   If you don’t know what it takes to be a success in this industry, it will teach you the hard way.”   So, unless you plan  to give your work away, you need a plan.  A business plan is a process that will help you learn.

Jennifer Lee, a noted author in the subject put it this way:  “If you don’t have a business plan, it’s like going to an unknown destination without a map,  You’re going to make a set of turns and not have any idea of when you’ve arrived or how you got there.  Having a business plan makes clear…Here are the goals I want to achieve; Here are the customers I wish to attract; Here’s how much I am willing to invest in time and money, & Here’s how much money I want to make.”   When you give thought to these areas, you’ve begun the planning process.

A business plan can be as simple as identifying where you want to be in 1, 3, & 5 years.  Having a well thought out plan will keep you focused.  Get it out of your head, and write it down on paper.  You’ll need to refer back to it from time to time to make sure you are still on course.  If you have been honest with yourself in putting it together in the first place, it can be a real useful tool in keeping you on track.  What are your strengths and weaknesses?  They should become apparent once you build the plan.  What do you tend to put off or not be involved in?  Once you know where you stand, a business plan will help you eliminate them.   When you put a plan together, you’ll become more focused, and the “Shot-gun” approach you may have been using will disappear.

Your business plan is your personal road map for reaching your goals.  Customers won’t necessarily beat a path to your door, no matter how good your work is.  You must plan on how to market it.  (Will it be through shows,galleries, agents or direct sales?)  Don’t be afraid of the word S E L L!  What you are selling is YOU as well as your work.  Don’t ever lose sight of that fact.   I’ve come up with a list of 7 “P’s” that I remind myself of frequently….Prior proper planning prevents pitifully poor performance. 

There are several templates out there; many you can down load, but I don’t use them.  I suggest you make your plan YOURS.  It is an A – Z plan of how you plan to accomplish the goals  you set in the first blog in this series.

Until the next post in this series….Never lose sight of what’s in it for you.  Implement your dream     

Please know that I am in no way an authority, as I along with several other artists continue to struggle with many obstacles.  With this in mind, I will humbly approach this opportunity to share with you what I have learned over the past 30 years in a series of posts.  The theme of each post will focus on 2-3 elements of success.  If you incorporate these habits into your life, you will see positive results. Here’s todays

Follow Your Dreams    We all have dreams and great ideas, but all successful artists have one similiar habit or trait.  They have an idea what they want to accomplish, then they get off the couch to make it happen. They take the necessary risks that may include possible failure.  Successful artists make sacrifices in starting and growing their business, including time, some relationships and other opportunities.  They are persistent, and never give up.  They never stop trying, and somehow overcome every obstacle.

Set and Review Your Goals     A successful artist makes achievable goals, both short term and long term.   Write them down!  You will no doubt experience road blocks, but how you overcome them will help determine your success. Remember to review them often.  When you’re having a tough time, they will help you move forward.   Don’t quit when you experience adversity.  Successful people use adversity as a chance to learn and grow.  Persistence is the difference between success and one who quits.  Know what you want, then visualize succeeding at your goals.

Maximize Your Opportunities  It’s up to YOU to create opportunities and expose your work to the public.  Be aware of all opportunities to show your work.  Always keep in mind that exposure of you the artist, and your work translates into success as an artist.  Name recognition is essential for an artist.

Until next post….HAVE A PASSION FOR YOUR WORK!