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 However, artists must be willing to change outdated ideas and to do what it takes to succeed.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!!!!!!

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!

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.