First of all, allow me to define what I mean by a “successful artist.”
A successful artist is an Artist Who THRIVES, an artist who:
- is supporting themselves well by making art and making money from it
- knows who they are and what they stand for
- knows their personal purpose and who is completely committed to a mission
- creates value above and beyond their art as an expression of their mission
- delivers a unique value proposition that serves their tribe, a target market, by solving a problem or alleviating their tribe’s pain
- (Remember, we are thought leaders. Our “job” is to inspire.)
Is this you? Are you an Artist Who THRIVES?
Is this the artist who you want to be? I thought so!
Do you want to know how to be an Artist Who THRIVES?
- start where you are today
- define a SMARTER goal
- take consistent action towards your goal
- then avoid perfection and focus on incremental and iterative progress
- learn from others but do not compare yourselves to others, it’s a waist of damn time
Myth #1: Successful artists have extraordinary talent.
Talent, and discipline, is the minimum price of admission if you are going to consistently sell your art.
However, as we know, talent is subjective. A brief glimpse of American Idol serves as a stark reminder.
Myth #2: You have to be recognized by the press.
It sure doesn’t hurt to receive press and it feels great to be acknowledged.
Press gives you creditability and authority but it does not always automatically lead to a sales windfall.
Myth #3: You have to sell out.
First of all, what does “selling out” even mean?
If you think it means comprising your values, think again.
The opposite is true. Refer to the definition of an Artist Who THRIVES above.
Your target market, your tribe, will celebrate you if you celebrate them and their values. You can’t fake this.
Stay tuned for the other four myths next week.
What myths have you encountered?
I’m sure that there are more than seven. I just had to pick a catchy number.
Join a constructive conversation.
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