Five Common Traits of Successful Artists

I wanted to share this article, because I think it’s important! I feel that this list clearly illustrates where I’ve gotten it wrong in the past and where I still need to grow. These days I am for sure an ARTIST with my full-time work being secondary. In my mind, it is simply one component in my career as a professional artist. This was an important shift I made; to stand in my power and state that I am an artist with full confidence. Having a full-time job does not make you less of an artist. I mistakenly used to feel that if I wasn’t making my entire living from my art sales, that I couldn’t consider myself a true artist. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As far as successful traits 2-4, I’m in pretty good shape, though I could greatly improve my time management skills. There is always room for improvement. I will say, successful trait number 5 really struck me. I don’t exactly spend time with negative people, but just as bad, I don’t spend time with any other artists. I never thought about this before, because it wasn’t exactly an option where I used to live (in the middle of nowhere, southern Iowa). Now I live in a city with a thriving art scene, and I should be so much more connected to other artists. I need to get involved. That is what I’m taking away from this list. I hope you take something valuable away from this list also. Enjoy!

I got this article from the following website:

http://www.finearttips.com/2010/07/5-common-traits-of-successful-artists/

“There is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.” -Arthur Rubenstein

STOP. Before you read this article…Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths & imagine. Now let your mind find a memory of a time when you felt successful. Walk into that memory and experience it all over again. Use all of your senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, balance and acceleration, temperature, direction, pleasure, and your kinesthetic awareness. Open your eyes and remember that feeling. Come back to it before you do anything successfully.

If each one of you told me what you just experienced, there would be some common aspects and many differences. That is the great thing about having a successful career as a fine artist. You make it up, just like you make art from what your mind conceives. Here is a list of important traits all successful artists share…

5 Common Traits of Successful Artists:

1. Art is the core of their lives. These artists wake up and go to sleep thinking about art. They carve out time in their day making art or marketing it. (In fact, for these artists, there seems to be no clear distinction between the creativity of making and marketing.) If they have a full-time job, it is secondary in their minds to art and mostly a means to and end. Their  real job  is being an artist.
2. Successful artists understand how business works in the art world. Successful artists understand the entrepreneurial aspects of making a living as an artist. When they encounter something new or unusual on the business side, they investigate and learn to do it or delegate the task. They know the value of relationships and network in person and through social media.
3. Successful artists have a strong work ethic. They  manage themselves, their creative energy and resources. They balance the time to produce art and to market it. Whatever rhythm of working they choose, they stick to it. Whether these artists enjoy the business tasks or not, they know they must be done  and they do them without complaint or resentment.
4. Successful artists are resilient. They know that success does not happen overnight – it requires hard work. These artists understand that things don t always work out the way they expect. When they make mistakes, they focus on solutions, not on regrets. They  learn from experience and experiment to improve on any success they have.
5. Successful artists spend time only with people who are 100% supportive of their art career. They limit their time and emotional involvement with people who are negative   especially about art as a career choice. If people close to them have the skills and inclination to be more directly involved in their art career, the artist can produce more and better. Successful artists do not allow unsupportive people to be an obstacle to their plans for success.

The lesson: “Hang out with successful artists and study them.”