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"Advice for Artists"
In the spirit of the festive season, it seems appropriate to discuss one of the often talked about messages of the holiday period – the importance of helping others. This is frequently meant in a general sort of way, and there’s no denying the importance of lending a hand to someone who needs it, whether it’s giving up your seat on the subway to someone who looks like they need it more than you do, or taking care of a friend when they’re sick. But it’s also worthwhile to take some time to consider the ways you can help that other people probably can’t, and how you can incorporate using your special gifts to help others into your regular life.
Artists have unique opportunities available to them when it comes to benefiting the [...]
We’re entering a period of seasonal themes and festivities – with Halloween in the background, Thanksgiving this week, and Christmas and other winter holidays coming up soon after that. Naturally, these events affect artists just as they impact on everyone else, as you’ll appreciate if you have memories of costume-hunting for yourself or your child, arguing over the best way to cook a turkey, or desperately looking for that one last important present in time to get it under the tree.
Yet holidays are also business opportunities – not only for the stores who start decking themselves out in red and green as early as possible, but for artists as well. Not that I’m suggesting that work intrude into the days themselves, but the season of giving means that people are looking for [...]
Choosing the right materials for you as an artist is a very personal decision, something that relates directly to the art that is produced. Many artists strongly prefer a particular brand or supply source, and are never really comfortable unless they know that the relevant material is available to them. Some have particular preferences for different kinds of work – one sort of watercolors for landscape works, and another for portraits, for example. Some love to buy online because of the range of choice and the convenience of delivery, others only buy from local stores where they know the proprietor.
There’s nothing wrong with this preference, any more than there is a problem with other people preferring to buy their clothes from a certain place or favoring jeans over any other kind [...]
Do you often feel overwhelmed by the amount in front of you? Do you have trouble making time for your work? Wonder which activity to prioritize? Worry you’re drifting rather than directed? If any of this sounds familiar, you might need to clean up your art act – take a good hard look at the way you work and try to identify the things that cause stress in your work life.
Sometimes artists with these kinds of problems worry that there’s something deeply wrong with their working method, that the kinds of situations that are conducive to their creative talent just aren’t also helpful when it comes to efficiency. This isn’t the case. Usually, the overall method is fine – it’s important to work in a way that suits your temperament and creativity – [...]
Now that the summer is drawing to a close, many of us are starting to get that ‘post-vacation’ feel. The trees will soon be changing color, newspapers are turning to serious rather than silly stories, and public places are emptying out now that school has started again. Whether or not you actually take a break during the summer, it’s a season that does tend to be a bit more relaxed as things move a little more slowly and people enjoy the sunshine and spend time with their kids. All good things come to an end, though, and most of us are starting to get back to ordinary work structures. But what if you’re having trouble with that?
Well, the first thing to be aware of [...]
We’re all familiar with the cliche of the ‘starving artist’ and although it’s generally an exaggeration, it’s true that the life of an artist is well known to be one with relatively little financial certainty. Unless you’re a commercial artist, working for a company, you’re not likely to have a regular salary coming through your work. For this reason, many artists have other jobs as well as their artistic career, sometimes in related fields such as design or restoration.
Of course, this is not to say that it is impossible to make enough money as a full-time artist. There are many talented artists who manage to do just that. Yet it takes time to build up the kind of awareness of your work, exposure in wider markets, and circle of buyers you [...]
Artists sometimes complain that they find it difficult to work in the summer, and that the sunny season can be even more of a ‘dry spot’ for them, creatively speaking, than it is for the garden physically. There are lucky individuals who thrive in the heat, love summer and are never happier than when the sun is beating down on them and their canvas and paints, but if you’re not one of them, don’t worry. You are not alone – and there are ways to deal with the summer blues!
There are a few problems that many artists have with working in summer, but the most obvious is the heat. Of course, an easy solution for some is to turn to air conditioning, but this doesn’t work for everyone – for one [...]
Do you sometimes have trouble working out where to go next with your work? It’s not unusual to have no definite plan for what you’re going to be creating in a week, a month, a year’s time – many artists work best when they are inspired by something in particular, and find too much planning ahead cramps their style and takes away necessary spontaneity. Yet developing your creativity for the future can be vital in making sure the ideas are there when you need them.
We’ve talked about ‘artist’s block‘ on this blog before, but this is a slightly different issue. The problem there is being stuck and out of ideas at a specific time, and finding it hard to break past that barrier. Now, we’re talking about a lifestyle approach, [...]
Many artists find that at some point in their careers they begin to play a role in helping and encouraging young people or children in some way related to their artistic development. Sometimes it’s a family connection that sparks the relationship, and sometimes a chance encounter, while at other times it can be the result of a conscious decision to volunteer in an art organization such as Art Start, a program which has been mentioned on this blog before.
This kind of relationship can seem a little intimidating, especially at the beginning, but there’s no reason why it should be. Acting as a mentor to a younger artist, or to a young person with an interest in art, is a valuable experience for both parties. You don’t have to be [...]
We’ve spoken before on this blog about the importance of promotion, and how an artist must remember that no one can appreciate their work unless they’re already aware of it. We’ve talked about different ways to reach your audience, including gallery representation, leasing your work, local community, and social media.
But one of the important elements in getting the word out about your work is by taking part in an interview. This might be for a local or national newspaper, or for a radio show, whether large or small, or even for television. It might be for a video that will afterwards find its way online – such as the videos of Agora Gallery’s receptions, which can be found on the
