I got these ideas from my life experience, as well as on the basis of the ideas of other successful artists who tell me what helped them achieve heights in the profession and make good money on their work. Every aspiring artist wants his work to find an audience and a buyer. I want people to like your drawings and paintings so much that they are ready to pay for them. This is so wonderful, but how can you achieve fame and demand if you are just starting your artistic path.
It is important to understand a simple idea: people are drawn to successful and popular people, not whiners and losers. Therefore, even the most aspiring artist will have more success if he declares himself with pride, and not in a pejorative and overly modest way. Aspiring authors lack the self-confidence to present their work better and more attractively. You should not just say: “please look at my daub”, but say: “I made a masterpiece, and you have the opportunity to see it.” Humble artists are much less successful than bold ones.
The second idea: immediately create a portfolio where you should select only your best work. If you put all 100 paintings in the gallery at once, it will be difficult for the viewer to navigate in such a large variety. It is better to focus on several of the best works (5-9 pieces) and promote them everywhere. And the rest of the drawings and paintings can be published on social networks or on the website so that they do not interfere with the perception of the main collection “for sale”. For each picture, it is important to formulate the idea behind it. The more original the idea, the more likely it is to attract attention.
An artist is not a beggar, but a creative unit. And even if you are trying to find sponsors for your activities, then you should not plaintively beg for sales or support, telling you how difficult it is for you to live and how much rent is costing you. If you position yourself as a “poor artist”, then most likely you will remain poor. Since people are less willing to invest in unsuccessful authors, and they are more likely to reach out to an artist who is already doing great, even if this image of “success” is somewhat mythical.
Success in any business takes time, if I set a goal to make money with my creativity, then it is unlikely that this will work out on the same day or in a month. Fame, sales of works, orders, reputation – all this is built over the years. So don’t expect quick results. Be patient and step by step develop your skills, build up a network of professional contacts, participate in exhibitions, publish your works and projects on the Internet and on paper, improve your portfolio, develop your own style. Play long.
If you love what you do, then it will be easy for you to continue doing what you love day after day for many years. It is important to develop as an artist: not only in drawing, but also in a broader sense – to study art, to look at the work of different authors, to see the composition, to study color schemes, to develop artistic taste. Otherwise, you can learn to copy reality well, but doing it is boring and uninteresting, unartistic. It is more important to see the author in the picture than what he depicts.
From the very beginning, look for various ways to make money with your creativity: explore the possibilities of Internet sites and take on even the lowest paying orders. This will give you experience and a portfolio, as well as the first money of your own to help you eat well and pay for housing. An artist does not have to be hungry and poor to create his masterpieces; this idea from the old books is no longer relevant.
Today, the artist is one of the well-paid professions, as in the modern world there are many tasks from websites and advertising to computer games and virtual universes that require your ability to draw. You can do tutoring, make merch, design books or magazines. Given the development of digital media and the Internet, the field of activity for the artist is truly limitless.
An impeccable reputation is essential for an artist to establish his name and sell his work. It is important not to compromise with yourself, to stick to what you sincerely believe in and not to take on work if it contradicts your own views on life or personal philosophy. The better the reputation of the author, the more likely it is to build a strong brand that will attract large customers.
Creative freedom is in many ways more important than big earnings. On the one hand, it makes sense to take even the smallest orders in the beginning, but this does not mean “grabbing at any offer.” You also need to be able to say no. Finding a balance between money and love for your work is the most important skill of a successful author. In order not to burn out on a long journey, trying to earn as much money, success and likes as possible, it is worth building a balance between your ambitions and reality.
Creative search should not stop. Even if you grope for some kind of working idea, some specific works are bought from you, this does not mean at all that you can go in cycles in this and not invent anything new. Don’t be afraid to try new shapes, take risks with familiar styles and images, paint in different colors and with a variety of artistic tools. Even if something does not work out, you will get a new interesting experience, and you can enter a new round of development.
It is worth revealing your creative abilities, and not just copying other people’s approaches and work. For education, this can be useful, but for professional work it is important to learn to hear yourself, understand your personal characteristics, and reflect yourself as a unique person in your work. After all, drawing is not just a craft or a routine, it is an opportunity to talk to people through your paintings, an opportunity to show yourself and your inner world.