It's been almost 2.5 years since my first self-run solo exhibition in 2013, which brought me from an aspiring artist to a professional one within 2 months. Despite my initial success, I've had many struggles in the past 28 months (mostly within myself), and am still rather clueless about how to run a business of selling my art. That's gonna be a work in progress for a while (more on that next time), but for now, here are 7 things I've learnt that need to be done consistently if you really want to become a professional artist.
Make it a habit to meet people. It’s not that difficult - one easy way is to join Meetup and attend events that interest you. People on Meetup want to meet you too, and can be just as shy sometimes. You’ll never know who you’ll meet! One of my clients was someone I met through Meetup and a year later, she commissioned me to paint a mural for her restaurant. So set a target to meet a certain number of strangers every week or “network” for a certain number of hours. You’ll also need to create a system to keep track of all your new friends and their information.
2) Support local arts events and local creatives.
Attend their art show openings, join communities (both online and in person) and participate in their discussions, projects and activities. Make friends, support one another, be open to collaboration opportunities. Create your own creative events and invite these artistic friends! Ask to be an event organizer in a creative Meetup group. Or just put together your own event and invite your friends and new contacts to attend. There are always creatives out there who are looking for something interesting to get into.
3) Step out of your head.
Stay connected to the world around you, even when you don’t feel like it. It’s okay to shut off once in a while, but don’t get too comfortable being there. Take a walk when you’re feeling cluttered. Journal out your thoughts and feelings. Follow up with a new friend and catch up over coffee. Spend time with your family.
4) Share your work.
Share on social media. Send images, video clips or mp3s to your close friends. Post your images in forums to ask for feedback. Share the stories and the ideas you have. You’ll never know who may find your work and fall in love with it. Share it even when it’s still in progress. Share consistently and at least once a day. It can be scary to share your work or your process, and most creatives are rather private individuals, but when you’re new, sharing your work is the only way to know how the world responds to it.
5) If you don’t know something, do your own research.
Ask people. Post on forums. Create surveys. Go out into the world and get your answers. Answers don’t come from being in your own head, or listening to your own assumptions. Talk to other creatives with more experience. This isn’t about taking what you find as the “right” answer; rather, it’s about gathering data so you can create a bigger overview of things or a reality check for yourself.
6) Be yourself in your art.
Work with what you have and what you already do well in. Have faith that there is someone out there who will love your work, even when you don’t think it’s good. Yes, technical quality and skills are important, but the people who truly fall in love with your art are going to fall in love with who you are as expressed in your work. And chances are they will be similar to you. Your art is just as unique as you are, and no one can ever replicate that in the exact same way. So embrace your art for what it is, embrace yourself for who you are, and work at both every single day.
7) Start now.
Procrastination takes you in the opposite direction of your dreams. Start NOW. Even if you have other commitments and can only put in 30 minutes a day. Even if you think you need to get more training first. Even if you feel that you’re not ready. Just get started. Ask yourself, if not now, then when? Don’t wait for tomorrow because you can never be sure what it brings. All we really have is this moment, and whether you like it or not, your life is happening right now.
