Art As Life

What makes for a successful career as an artist? In short, learn from my mistakes. In the year 2022, art is a profession. But can art world success be canned.

Attend a top-ranked art school, then get an MFA. Then you will be an artist. Art is often the response of a sensitive person to life. So no, I do not think an MFA guarantees anything but a teaching job. It raises the question, though:

Will it increase my odds of art-world success?

I think that it will not. Any study beyond a Bachelors in Fine Art or Illustration costs plenty in financial terms. Then you have to define success? Is it money, fame, acclaim; or some combination thereof.

I define art-success as money. I don’t care for fame, but consider it a necessary evil to get money.

There are some things artists can do to improve their odds of success, however they define it:

1. Work hard. Working 18-hour days is not unusual for attorneys. Neither it should it be for you. Do not overschedule though. Take two hours of free time every day. Take the occasional Sunday off. This leaves four hours to sleep. This is enough as long as you are not operating heavy machinery.

2. Learn from the best. Visit museums. Read biographies and autobiographies of artists and other successful people. Try to finish a book every three to four days.

3. Keep up a spiritual practice like yoga. This will raise the vibration of your work. The theory is that it will increase sales. If the work is not vibrating at a higher level than the collector, why would they like it enough to purchase it.

4. Persist. If you keep painting, you will get better. This is known as deliberate practice, working with the intent of improving with each painting or sculpture you make.

Finally, remember, that for an artist starting out, most of the war is within your own mind. You may have to deal with issues around self-esteem, deservingness, and prosperity.

Good luck!