Last week I enumerated three of the seven myths about why artists are successful.
Here are the remaining four myths.
Myth #4: Artists have to be dead and then they become famous.
I’m not. Obviously. And I’m doing just fine. So are the artists who I have mentored in recent years.
Artists no longer have to wait in line begging for permission from the art establishment to sell their work, unless they want to.
We have the internet to help us reach our collectors and to build our platform.
Myth #5: Successful artists are just lucky. At some point they just got discovered.
Oh, wouldn’t that be nice.
Even the press I have received paints the picture that everything magically happened in my first year in business as a full-time artist.
Not! I had a few years of selling part-time before hand.
Myth #6: Artists just need to find a good representative.
First of all, representatives really do not exist for an artist who does not have a proven market for their art.
Again, thanks in part to the internet, I was able to generate over $100,000 of sales of my art in 2005, my first year making art and making money full time.
And when representatives approached me I did not need them.
Can I tell you how very satisfying it was to say? “No, thank you.”
Don’t get me wrong. Some reps are great. And they can provide additional sales channels. But you do not need them.
If you are good, they need you.
Myth #7: Artists have to attend a top art school.
Nope. I did attend a top art school, a very expensive one.
But I actually majored in Industrial Design and minored in Graphic Design.
I was a horrible painter in art school.
In fact, I hated painting because I had to use turpentine and paint thinners in a poorly ventilated studio. It made me sick.
Later, I learned how to paint without these toxic mediums.
What myths have you encountered?
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Hello John,
Based on the feedback you are receiving it is clear that you are focusing on your “creative process” so the “inane questions” are relevant to your presentation.
You are probably not talking about your “mission” or your “unique value proposition.”
Therefore, there is no quick or useful answer to your BIG question.
I recommend that you schedule a phone consultation.
https://artistswhothrive.com/as-needed-consultations
Ann
I would love to hear how you would market my work . I do very detailed woodburning , many with color , and my main focus is wildlife and nautical . Even when I do live demos at galleries and shows , many people ask “how do I get the ink out of the Woodburner ?”, or “is that a pattern ?” . While I do the work freehand.. they ask if it is traced or is it lazor ? I have been on TV 4 times , and I still get the same inane questions . Love to hear what you think about it .