I have noticed a lot of green-eyed envy among artists.
Its really no surprise. Success can be scarce in the world of creative endeavors. And scarcity can produce negative behaviors.
How do some artists respond when other artists becomes successful? I’ve heard too many say, “Oh, he’s selling out.”
A gallery owner, who I wasn’t interested in working with, said of me “she cares more about business than art.”
In fact I do care about business, very much. But it is not an either or proposition, they walk hand in hand beautifully.
If you even have a little bitty glimmer of jealously, it’s worth looking straight into its ugly eyes and staring it down.
Why? Because it is getting in your way. You can’t have what you hate.
Better to focus on the positive and learn from other’s success.
Even though I hear a universal groan of disgust in my art marketing seminars when we examine Thomas Kinkaid’s art marketing strategies, you have to give it up to him.
Now, I’m not a fan of his aesthetic approach but his company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. How many artists can boast that?
I actually interviewed his CPA here in California to learn more about how he built his enterprise. I was fascinated by his business model.
My thought was, “What if I learn from his business successes and failures but I maintain my creative integrity and values?”
Maya Angelou, one of my favorite poets from San Francisco, said, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
We are all unique in our talents and in our successes. How you succeed and how I do will not be the same.
Never knock anyone’s success. Don’t hate, congratulate.
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Dear Ann,
I for one have been extremely grateful for all of your business insight and for your generous advice to artists. If more successful artists were willing to help those who need mentors, it would make a huge difference in the business world of art. However, artists must be willing to change outdated ideas and to do what it takes to succeed. For whatever reason, many creatives seem to believe that the business side of art and that making a decent living as a result of treating art as a business is not being a “true artist”. Where in the world did this concept come from? Until we are seriously willing to consider that art is a business, we as artists will continue to be labeled “starving artists” and will live accordingly. As for me, that concept is not only ridiculous but self defeating. Until we as a body of creative people are willing to change our business strategies, our philosophy’s and are willing to get on board with learning from those who have been successful, we will be looked down upon by the very people that we are trying to sell our art to in the first place. Art is a business folks. Accept that concept, to treat art as a business ………..or starve!!!!!!
I concur that Thomas Kincade was a master marketing genius and his successes in creating his brand through marketing should be studied and learned from.
TK is a polarizing subject, unfortunately. Whether you like his paintings or not as a fellow ARTIST isn’t important. I once met an artist in a gallery in San Franscisco about 10 years ago. I can quote him to this day: “Thomas Kincade, painter of light! Bah! Who does he think he is? Without light, none of us could paint!”
Of course this was said in a heavy Russian / Slavic accent. This guy was just miffed beyond all reason and just didn’t understand the concept that TK used that phrase “painter of light” to create a brand identifier for himself and his paintings. Simple. Powerful. Effective.
I get so tired of hearing of the wars between the “artists” who paint for their creative soul’s salvation, or the others who dare paint for an income. First, it doesn’t have to be exclusive. You can paint to be true to yourself and your creative spirit, and either be happy in that, making what sales you can from that. Or you can also paint for income. Or a mix of both.
Some people like vanilla. Some like chocolate. And sometimes a vanilla/chocolate twist works nice. Regardless, we as artists have to learn to be more tolerant that we all have different needs and motivations.
Like this artist in SF I met, what he was really saying was how upset he was at the success that TK had achieved, while he stood angry in a small studio in SF fighting for sales. I don’t remember the name of the artist. But I *know* Thomas Kincade and his brand through TK’s genius of marketing.
There’s some lesson’s here that fellow artists could wisely learn from if they seek to improve their brand and sales successes through marketing. Other wise, those that really want to paint for themselves should be content and do what they do because they enjoy it.
Chocolate. Vanilla. Twist. It’s all ice cream, and it’s all good!
It is sad that TK overplayed his hand. Success was a drug, and he ended up defrauding people when he could not get enough. Although he showed sheer genius in growing his empire, he overplayed his hand, and ended up succumbing to alcoholism and fraudulent business practices, which led to his undoing.
His artwork was nothing special, certainly not breaking any new ground in the grand scheme of art history. He may very well have been “America’s most-collected living artist”, but not due to any superior talent or artistic intrepidity. Yet he did have talent, and although disdained by most art critics, there was something to his work that was enjoyed by many. There is nothing wrong with that.
I agree that artists take aim at other artists who are succeeding out of envy, especially if the successful artist has work that has aesthetic appeal to everyday people. I think the words “sell out” are the vernacular of immature people who cannot defend the integrity of their artwork to a buying public. They have self-limiting beliefs that keep them in a dark place, that may feed their dark art, but to what avail?
I create because that is what my soul drives me to do. I create works that I want to create, and I seek out a public that enjoys them and wants to buy them. Although I enjoy feedback and I entertain suggestions, I do not create things that I do not want to create just for a sale. But I do sell a lot of art. Nothing “sell out” about that.
Good thoughts Ann. What artist wouldn’t envy Thomas Kincaide’s success, but I knew he put in time creating the concepts, producing the art and finding markets.
Envy doesn’t get me anywhere; putting in the work on all fronts does.