Lifestyle advice and experience shared. Learn the truth about being a professional creative.
Advice from a lifetime of making and selling art. How to cope with the demands of selling art for a living
Way back in the 80s, I had the bright idea of selling my original art full time. I thought, I’ll make a living doing what I’m good at and enjoy life more. And in a way, I did. I scraped by, earned just enough to call it a living, and …
Every artist dreams of having a space of their own. A room where you can leave your work out, make a mess, and shut the door behind you. The problem is, most of us don’t have a spare room or a big budget. That’s fine. You don’t need either. These …
You sit down to draw, and nothing happens. The ideas aren’t flowing, your motivation is gone, and every line feels forced. Sound familiar? Art block is frustrating. Feeling insecure about your work is exhausting. And staying motivated when you’re not seeing progress? That’s tough. The good news? You’re not alone. …
Selling art for a living sounds like the ultimate dream, doesn’t it? Turning your passion into a full-time job, being your own boss, and getting paid to create, what could be better? It’s the kind of life most artists fantasize about. But is it really as fulfilling as it seems? …
As a wildlife artist who has spent over two decades selling my artwork from a market stall, I’ve heard just about every comment under the sun. People’s remarks range from amusing to downright insane, but for the most part, they are repeat comments, and part of the job is to …
How do artists get their ideas? I’m asked this all the time. In this article, I will outline the process for coming up with new ideas that work.. So, if you want to know how artists get their ideas, keep reading. Artists get their ideas by observing and borrowing from …
Art block, creative block, or artist’s block, call it what you will, they all add up to the same thing. It’s a crippling lack of inspiration and most artists experience this problem from time to time. Art block describes a period of time when an artist has no ideas for …
As a professional artist myself, I’m well aware of the many myths and misconceptions that surround art and artists. In this article, I’ll be examining and dispelling 22 commonly held myths about artists that simply don’t match reality This is a long post. Skip to any section in the table …
Being a working artist is nothing like what people imagine. It’s far from romantic, it’s a constant struggle between the need to express yourself with the cold realities of having to make a living. In this post, I will reveal the truth about what it’s like to be an artist. …
What’s it like to draw in public? A question many artists ask themselves and if you’ve never done it before you really don’t know what to expect. So how does the public react? In this blog post, I will share my experiences of drawing in public for over 20 years. …
Are you wiped out just getting out of bed every day? Are you physically and mentally fatigued all the time? Has your creative energy died? It could be the symptoms of burnout, it happened to me. So what is creative burnout? Creative burnout is physical, emotional, and creative fatigue. It’s …
Do you ever wake up and think you don’t quite cut it as an artist and that you aren’t the real deal? This is how to overcome self-doubt for artists and deal with imposter syndrome. Artists overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome by being open and sharing their experiences with others. …
Society has become an educational treadmill and perceived wisdom dictates that having a degree is the pathway to success, but is that true for everyone? Do artists need a degree in art to be successful? An art degree doesn’t guarantee a job and doesn’t offer much value for money beyond …
Are you too shy to sell your art? Let me tell you something, selling your art for the first time is intimidating for everyone. Shy artists can succeed and I say that from experience. I’ll show you how to: In my 20+ years of experience as a reserved Englishman selling …
It doesn’t matter who you are, rejection hurts, and the painful truth is this, rejection is part of the everyday life of an artist. If you want to succeed you’d better learn to deal with it, so how do artists handle rejection? Artists handle rejection best by seeing the humor, acknowledging …
Art school is a major investment in both time and money but does having an art degree enhance your art career? Is art school worth it, will it pay back your investment, or are you just hoping for the best? This is the answer, in short… Art school is useful …
How do you motivate yourself to make art when you feel like crap, have no energy and you’ve run out of coffee? We’ve all been there but there are strategies that can help. Self-motivation is essential for professional artists. If you are serious about making a success of your art …
People think drawing is relaxing, but for me and many others, it is anything but. It is mentally exhausting and often stressful. So how can that be? In this post, I will explain why drawing makes you tired. Drawing is tiring because it requires intense levels of focused concentration. Each …
Loneliness is not something we talk about easily but artists can’t ignore the subject. For most artists, solitude is an everyday reality. Is being an artist lonely? You bet, and some people cope better than others. Most artists work alone and from home. There are no workmates, no laughs, and …
Have you ever looked at a popular art piece and wondered, “Is it me or is this really crap?” It turns out that people are not always confident about what they think. Art is intimidating but is art subjective? An emotional reaction to a traditional skills-based work of art is …