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Confident Artists Succeed
So many emerging artists have a dream of someday starting their own art business, sell art at local craft fairs, have their painting displayed in a gallery, or sell their creations online.
It does not matter how old you are. Those dreams will stay with you until you succeed or go on to a different goal.
Every artist starts in the same place.
They have a passion for art, so they decide to try to learn how to paint or draw.
Some artists were inspired by relatives or friends who are crafty or admired a professional’s artistic style.
The emerging artists who have developed the dream of someday selling their artwork like the artists they admire, spend many hours enhancing their artistic skills.
They experiment with different mediums like oil paints, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, and graphite during the years of learning until they find the perfect medium.
Then the day comes when they decide to go to the next level and start selling their artwork online.
Why do some artists succeed in their dreams while others fail?
Why do some artists sell enough art online while others struggle to sell one piece?
The people who succeed are confident artists. They believe in themselves.
In this post, I will talk about how you can become a confident artist to achieve your life goals.
Set Goals
The most straightforward tactic you can start implementing that will help you feel more confident about your artistic talents is to set goals, and I don’t mean just saying, “I want to sell my paintings.”
The goals you set have to incorporate strategies that will help you to achieve your ultimate vision.
Yes, selling art might be your goal, but you have to set smaller achievable goals to guide you in selling art.
Start by writing three small goals to achieve in a month.
The next thirty days work hard at achieving those goals. Do not get derailed and start working on different projects.
Stay focused on the three goals you set.
At the end of the thirty days, analyze the outcome.
- Did you achieve your goals?
- If not, what prevented you from obtaining a specific goal?
- What strategies do you have to adjust to achieve your goals?
Every small goal you achieve will make you a more confident artist.
If you have difficulty writing goals, check out How To Write Goals You Can Achieve Workbook.
This printable workbook will help you write achievable goals and might be one of the best investments you could make for your art business because it will make you a confident artist.
Failing Is Learning
Do you remember the first time you drew something or tried to paint something?
How did it come out?
Did you create a masterpiece with your first attempt?
The artists who improve their skills say to themselves, “I know I can do better.”
What does “I know I can” mean?
It means that the person is confident in themselves.
They didn’t expect to create a masterpiece the first time they picked up a paintbrush.
Without realizing it, they set a new goal to achieve. The new goal is to improve on the next drawing or painting.
The artists who do not achieve their goals are the ones who are afraid of trying. They feel that if their painting does not come out as they envisioned, they failed.
Feeling like you failed or you are afraid to fail is just a mindset that can be adjusted.
Try this the next time you paint.
After you have completed your painting, say to yourself:
- I am so grateful for what I have accomplished.
- I could not have painted this when I first started.
- My skills are improving.
- I am proud of my painting.
You have to be proud of what you can do today.
Next, you will want to set new goals for your next painting.
Remember, your goal is to sell your art someday.
Enhancing your artistic skills will help you to get to where you want to be.
Ask yourself:
- How can I make this painting better?
- What are my difficulties?
- How can I turn my challenges into strengths?
Not being afraid of failing or trying new things will make you a more confident artist.
The more confident you are with your abilities, the quicker you will reach your ultimate goals.
Do Not Judge Your Art With Other Artists Artwork
One of the worst things an artist can do is judge their skill with other artists’ abilities.
Never assume you are not good enough.
Never say, “I can’t because so and so is better than me.”
How can you become a more confident artist observing other artist’s artwork?
We all learn by what others have achieved.
Instead of saying this artist’s painting is better than mine, ask yourself:
- What do I like about this painting?
- Do I love how the artist uses light or the colors the painter uses?
- Do I like the composition or the subject of the art?
- How does this painting make me feel?
- What skills do I have to work on to be able to paint like this?
Discover what you like most from multiple artist’s paintings and start practicing your techniques until you feel confident in painting your unique vision and message.
Learning from other artists is not copying other artist’s artwork.
You are taking what you like from many people, and you are creating your artistic voice just as the artists you admire.
A Confident Artist Knows Where They Are
Knowing where you are today and how far you have come is very powerful.
Being able to see how far you progressed will build your confidence.
The best way to see your progress is to keep a portfolio of everything you have created, and I mean everything from practices to final pieces.
Separate all of your creations into yearly categories.
Every year take a look back at how far you progressed. You will be amazed at how much you can achieve in just a couple of years.
You Define Success
What does success mean to you?
Your answer might be different from mine or your friends.
Everyone has a different definition of success.
Success might mean:
- Selling art online
- Selling art at a craft show
- Winning an art competition
- Having your artwork displayed in a gallery
- Making a career from your art
- Making enough money so you can quit your part-time job
- Making enough money to support your crafting hobby
Your definition might be completely different from the examples above.
To become a confident artist, you must have a clear vision of what success means for you.
Once you know what it will mean to become successful, you can start working on different tactics to become successful.
Enjoy The Process
There will be many things that do not go as planned.
You might try to paint with a different color pallet, and it does not come out as you hoped it would.
You might create a YouTube video that nobody watches.
There is a lot of trial and error that goes into reaching goals.
A professional baseball picture does not throw a strike every pitch, nor does a batter hit a home run every swing.
An author does not write a best seller every time they write a book.
Learning from your mistakes and tactics that not produce the results you were hoping for will make you a more confident artist.
The more confident you are about the desitions you make, the quicker you will achieve your artistic goals.
Work Well With Other Artists
Networking with local artists and artists worldwide online will help you to reach your goals quicker.
Supporting and helping other artists will inspire others to help you.
The learning process will be quicker when you allow people to give you advice.
You will be able to return the favor by helping others with your strengths.
A Confident Artist Will Share Their Vission
The last thing I would like to talk about today is the importance of telling your story.
Everyone has a unique story, just like everyone has different goals.
People often feel uncomfortable sharing their story or goals because they feel as if people would not find them interesting.
Your story is exciting, and some people would like to hear about your artistic journey and know what your plans are for the future.
Being able to share your story with others is a sign of confidence in who you are.
If you feel awkward at first, start by sharing your story with your closest friends.
In time you will be able to share your vision with the world.
Final Thoughts On How To Become A Confident Artist
If you have a dream of someday selling your artwork and wondering how to be a successful artist, the first step is to have confidence in yourself.
Take some time to read artist success stories for motivation. You will soon see that they all started where you are today, and they had many obstacles to overcome during the journey.
Artist self-doubt and negative thoughts are like poison. If you doubt yourself, you will prevent yourself from growing and achieving your dreams.
There is plenty of advice for artists starting out. Do some research and learn about how other artists succeeded. The more you learn from others, the quicker the learning process will be.
Remember not to compare yourself with other artists. You have a unique artistic style that tells your unique story.
Give yourself credit for everything you accomplish big or small and think about what you can do to improve on weak areas.
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