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Every artist dreams of doing the thing he or she loves while making loads of money. Is it possible to do that? Or is it just a dream?
People have successfully pulled this off but the point you should think about is whether it will work for you or not. It is as likely to fail and blow up in your face as it is to be a raving success. Today what makes an artist a huge commercial success is no secret, therefore the only question is are you willing to take that path? Many people may say that it is not something that they as artists would like to do, but if you want success then you have to be different and do what is needed.
A starving artist is a more of a possibility than one who lives in opulence. The reasons behind the fact that there are so many starving artists will become clear once you have read this article. The first thing you have to remember is that mere artistic talent will not get you the financial success that you crave.
We will give you some tips that will help you from taking your art from being just something you do to a profession that provides you good income:
Become more practical about your art: If you are holding on to romantic notions about art for the sake of art or the nobility of being a starving artist or consider those artists that make a lot of money as having sold out, then you need to first change this mindset. The first thing you need to do is change your mindset. You need to start believing that:
- Money will actually provide you the means to be more creative
- Your creative process may come free but the tools of making art or not
- Art has value and the artist should get his or her share of it
- To make good money, you need to combine art with solid business acumen
- While it is great to have people admiring you, selling your art will help sustain you.
Befriend folks who have made it: Since art and business need a certain amount of mingling and socializing you will find that contacts do matter. So the first step to this end should be to seek out and spend time with others who have become a big name in your chosen field of work. This way when the time comes they are more likely to give you the support that you are seeking from them. So make it a point of being a part of workshops, seminars, conferences etc where bigger artists are going to be attending.
Make an effort to mingle and talk to them. Be careful about expressing the right amount of admiration without going overboard. Do make it a point that you do mention your work to them so that when it comes to work that is related they will think of you. You will also end up getting some useful pointers from them about how to sell your art.
Make art that people like: The fact is art is something that an artist is very possessive about and they tend to create art that they feel good about. But art should also appeal to the people whom you expect to purchase it from you. An artist can never work at his/her art in isolation; he or she should be able to catch the buyer’s eye. To this end keep tabs on what sells in your chosen field and ensure that your art has some of the traits that are required.
Keep finishing your art: Artists not only need to create art but also publish it. What it means that once you get started on a piece, go with the flow and finish the work? A half finished work that you have neglected may lose the thread of artistic inspiration that made you start it in the first place if you do not finish it. Plus a half finished piece of art is no use to you; it is just a waste of artistic supplies and occupying space.
Be seen before you can start earning: The first step to making money is to ensure that your art is out there where people can see it. If you are too shy to show it, people are not going to see how wonderful your work is. Exposure is important even if the person who sees it first may not think of buying it or even like it. But they will talk about it and that is publicity that you cannot buy. You cannot afford to be laidback and timid.
Make sure that your work is excellent: In art the only thing that is worse than failure is mediocrity. You need to make sure that your work is excellent; do not compromise on the quality of the work. Set high standards and make sure they are met. That means lots of practice and hours spent working on improving your techniques and methods.
Study your potential market and give them what they want: Once you have your art in place, you need to do some homework. Find out what is the kind of audience that will like your work and then work at finding what they adore so that you can give them that. Once you know and you have created then you need to work at selling. Don’t shy away from telling people you know what they want and that you have it.
Take criticism in your stride: When you are part of the creative world, brickbats are as likely as bouquets and you should learn to take the criticism that people offer. In case you see merit in what they say, then this is a learning experience for and you should treat it as such to improve your work. This is a good way of learning ways to refine your art.
Do provide due appreciation to your customers: While taking critics in your stride is okay, the one faction that you should not ignore is the customers who pay. Note that these are different from your fans. A customer can also be a fan and vice versa, but it all boils down to whether they are ready to show their appreciation in money are not. Ensure that you go out of your way to attend social occasions they want you to attend and this way you can not only get their appreciation but this could also produce tangible results.
Learn to balance: While creating art is one aspect that needs attention, there are many aspects of going commercial that will also grab your time. Make sure that you maintain a balance and try not to miss out on things that are important.
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