I rarely tip toe into discussions about the quality of an artist’s work. There are plenty of talented art teachers whose full time job it is to do just that.
I never offer to critique an artist’s work. Even though I’m asked allllll the damn time.
Why do striving artists ask me? Because they want me to assure them that there is a market for their work and I can’t tell them that.
Because even if there is a market for their work, there is no way of knowing that they’ll be willing and able to develop it.
I’d really need to critique the artist’s business and marketing plans. And typically they don’t have those.
The only way to know if there is a market for an artist’s work is to know that they can produce it AND that they are willing to pursue that market like a rabid crazed entrepreneur.
If I were to critique an artist’s work I would look at three elements.
- Do they have serious talent?
- Is their work original or just a copy of someone else’s style?
- Is their art clearly identifiable and consistent and easy to differentiate from other art?
Think of the music you dig. Doesn’t a successful musician’s music possess these three elements?
Here’s the part where I set you free. Come on now. You can dig deep and answer these questions. You know if you have serious talent. You can see it. You can feel it.
We’ve all been influenced by other artists but are you making original work not just making copies?
- Have you found your voice?
- Do you have a message you are clearly communicating and therefore your style stands out?
- Are you consistent?
- Can you produce or do you have just a handful of work?
Well then. If the answer is yes to 1-3 and the bullets above, then establish or pursue your market.
If the answer to the above is no, then don’t quit your day job. It’s cool to, and completely respectable to, make art for art’s sake.
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