I have had a lot of successful artist-clients over the course of my career, and one thing I can say for certain is that not one of them looks like the other.
Each artist’s path is unique to them.
SUCCESS
is something you have to define on your own terms.
I’ve been wanting to do another episode on this topic for quite some time now. The last one I did that addresses the subject specifically is way back in episode 32: Success Is Complicated.
I’ve been putting this one off because I haven’t been able to tie it up in a nice bow. But then I thought … Neatly packaged articles and podcast don’t really interest me. I’m more drawn in by questions. By messy thinking.
So maybe you and I together can think this through. We won’t have all of the answers at the end, but that’s okay. At the end, I’ll reveal my best advice for feeling like a successful artist.
Listen to this on The Art Biz
Success. It’s a loaded word. Single, simple, 1 word. As if it had a simple definition, which led me to look it up. The definition I came up with, after looking at what’s out there, is this:
Success is achieving a desired outcome. You can say “goal” if you want.
Success is achieving your goal.
If that’s the case, …
What is your goal?
Your definition of success might be defined in any combination of the following ways.
- In terms of income. You feel successful based on the sales of your art, teaching, and/or products.
- In terms of exhibitions or venues. You feel successful because you were finally accepted into that top-tier show that’s been on your list for so long. Or you landed the gallery representation you’ve been seeking.
- In terms of leadership roles. You feel successful because you have become known as the go-to artist for [fill in the blank: local murals, teaching monoprint, photographing red pandas, ... ]
- In terms of achievements. You feel successful when you’ve reached signature status of your artist association. Or after you have taught 500 students.
- In terms of collections. You feel successful when a public institution, such as a museum, acquires your work.
- In terms of production. You feel successful when you finished a body of work. Heck! You should feel successful when you show up for your art in the studio every day.
What I’m not including here and I hesitate to even mention is the impulse to consider a certain number of followers or likes on social media as success. That might be a fun achievement to recognize (and I’ve been there myself) but it’s fleeting. And it doesn’t always translate to what really matters.
If success is achieving a desired outcome, that means you must have a specific result in mind. Very few artists have a specific outcome in mind when I first start working with them.
Or they have a specific outcome that seems to have been tailor made for someone else. It has nothing to do with what they really want for themselves and everything to do with what they think they should want. Or what they’ve seen other artists achieve.
Successful Artists on The Art Biz
I consider every artist-guest of The Art Biz podcast to be successful, but … Wow! Each one of them measured success differently. Some were on the show to talk about short-term successes while others had lessons for the long-term.
In episode 109, Mai Wyn Schantz revealed how she pulled together a lucrative pop-up art gallery near the end of the pandemic.
In episode 160, Heather Beardsley admitted to overcoming anxiety about making art world connections that led to a solo museum exhibition.
In episode 157, Sarah Becktel shared how she increased her self-sales 400% by focusing on certain shows.
In episodes 126 and 128, Willie Cole and Detour showed us how they collaborate with well-known brands, an enviable achievement.
And I must mention episode 121 when Eve Jacobs-Carnahan gave 5 indicators to measure the effectiveness (i.e. success) of any project.
I could go on, but don’t need to. Pick any interview with an artist and you can find lessons about success.
For example, you might call Heather’s solo museum exhibition the pinnacle of success, but Heather was also successful by overcoming her anxiety. She had to pass that milestone before moving forward.
These artists’ big successes couldn’t have happened without the so-called smaller successes along the way.
And, undoubtedly, numerous failures that were never mentioned.
My point is this: The artist success stories you hear aren’t yours. You have to write your own story.
It Starts With a Vision for Yourself and Your Life
I will never forget one of my clients telling me that she held on to a particular image of the artist Agnes Martin in later life as a beacon for her journey. I loved that vision. And I could picture the photo.
But what does it mean if that’s your vision?
Does it mean you seek a similar path to the famous abstract artist? It’s impossible, of course, to go back into time and hang out at Coenties Slip with the likes of Ellsworth Kelly, Lenore Tawney, and Robert Indiana. But you might be able to nurture a similar feeling of community wherever you are.
You may look at that photo of Agnes Martin and write in your journal about what it means to you. What feelings are present when you look at her and her surroundings? What is in her life that you can aspire to 65 years later?
Again, her story is her story. You have to write your own. And it’s okay if you don’t have the same clear vision as my client had when recalling the Agnes Martin photo.
You can get there and maybe this will help. These are the two big questions I ask new clients:
If—after hearing their responses—I need more specifics, I might drill down on the question of what they want from their art.
What Do You Want From Your Art?
What do you want FROM YOUR ART?
I’ve discovered that this question isn’t easy to answer. Most artists haven’t taken the time to consider it, and it’s understandable if you don’t have the answer on the tip of your tongue. There are other ways to ask this question.
Why are you making all of this art? What do you want to happen with it? Where should it end up?
Is making it—getting it out of you—enough? Or do you need more in order to be fulfilled as an artist?
Asking tough questions are what coaches are for. To help you uncover answers that may be buried deep inside.
Additional questions that are related to the traditional definitions of success might be:
- Do you want or need your art to provide you with more income?
- Is it important that, through your art, you’re seen as a leader or innovator in a particular area?
- Is it vital that your art convey moral, social, or political positions?
- If recognition is important to you, recognition by whom? Your peers? Your family? Your community?
Forces We Can't Control
Here’s the thing. You might think of art as a form of self-expression, and it certainly is. But meaningful art doesn’t remain in the realm of expression.
Self-expression is only the first phase, and the word expression implies that someone is on the receiving end—watching and ready to engage.
Art, I strongly believe, is, in the end, a form of communication. It requires someone else (the viewer) to complete it.
Most definitions of success depend on forces outside of our control.
Personalities and actions that are out of our purview.
People will respond or they won’t. They’ll buy our art or they won’t. They’ll give us a show or they won’t. They’ll sign up for a class or they won’t.
Of course, it’s never that simple. You can—and must—do everything you can to position yourself so that those things can happen for you.
If self-expression is only the first phase of your art and requires others to complete it, what does the completion look like for you? Who is part of your loop?
Armed with these answers, you can then ask …
Is Your Vision Aligned With How You Want Your Life to Be?
I listen to hear if what my clients say they want from their art is aligned with how they say they want their life to be.
For example, I coach a lot of people over 50, especially women. And many of them are new grandmothers. They want to spend time with their grandchildren, and I wouldn’t blame them.
Some even want to be available on-call as babysitters. It’s fine if you want these things, but it’s not conducive to a structured business routine. If you want to be available 24/7 as a babysitter, your life as an artist is going to be impacted. Your goals and expectations may need to be adjusted.
Same if you need to be on call for your own kids. Or for an elderly parent.
If you’re in one of these situations, think about these questions.
- What are the things in your life that you embrace wholeheartedly and unapologetically that might be out of step with your goals as an artist?
- Where do you need to make adjustments?
- And …
Do you need to have different expectations about how much you can take on?
The answer to this last question is, by the way, almost always Yes, regardless of the circumstances. I’ve been struggling a lot lately with my desire to take on too much. This from someone who leads the Artist Planning Sessions!
The answers to what you want from your art and how you want your life to be will guide your direction. And, your direction might have to change.
Success Is a Moving Target
If you want to write up a 10-year business plan, knock yourself out. Me? I can’t imagine planning more than 12 months out. Too many things change too quickly these days.
Think of all the 10-year plans that were thrown out in April of 2020. It doesn’t mean the plans didn’t provide useful guidance or that those who wrote them didn’t reap benefit from them. It just means that … Holy cats! Nobody saw that coming.
We have to be able to adapt to new technology, world events, natural disasters, and social situations. And we never know what crazy curveball is going to be lobbed our way by a loved one.
You must stay tuned in to your life and unique circumstances—knowing yourself well enough to constantly massage your definition of success.
You have to be okay with changing directions, which means you must also be okay with taking risks and failing. You won’t grow until you do.
These are all part of a well-lived life, and also key to being an astute artist in charge of their business.
You may not currently have a clear vision of what success with your art looks like, but don’t let that stop you. Keep showing up for yourself and your art and your vision will appear.
I’ll leave you with this advice, which I am passionate about.
My Best Advice for Success
Define your success in terms of building momentum. Seeing forward motion—one step at a time.
Every week, I ask members of my Art Biz Accelerator and Create Opportunities Challenge community to submit progress reports. They all begin with recognition of achievements.
What was good this week? What did you accomplish? What are you celebrating?
When my first coaches had me do this on my check-ins, I thought it was a waste of time and silly. “Who cares what I did,” I thought. “I am focused on what’s next and what’s in my way of that goal.” I wanted to talk about strategies and solutions, not about some task or result that happened in the recent past.
I was wrong. Way wrong.
Seeing progress keeps us motivated to continue the journey.
From my private clients, I ask for more details. I want to see many more accomplishments. I’m looking for a long list. Every client who takes the time to write down their progress since the last time we talked admits proudly, “I did more than I thought I did!”
I did more than I thought I did. You do more than you think you do or are capable of. I promise.
Every task you complete and every project you wrap up makes you a success.
To feel successful as an artist you must acknowledge the progress you’re making.
I urge you to break down your success into smaller increments that are achievable, stay tuned in to your life circumstances, embrace failures that allow you to course correct toward a direction that’s more aligned with who you are now, and celebrate—even for a brief moment—your accomplishments, regardless of how big or small.
I’m not talking about scheduling a mani-pedi or massage for every accomplishment. Taking a deep breath, smiling, and writing it down is enough.
Of course, it’s more meaningful when someone is on the receiving end of your celebrations—a coach or another artist who understands.
Who is there to listen and cheer you on?
If this is missing for you, I invite you to join our community.
If you’re looking for new opportunities for showing and selling your art, join the Create Opportunities Challenge.
If you crave being around like-minded, forward-thinking artists who get you, look at my Art Biz Accelerator, which is open for new members.
This conversation is ongoing and I’d love to hear your thoughts on success in a comment.
7 thoughts on “The Art Biz ep. 165: How to Feel Like a Successful Artist”
How are artists responding to inflation? It seems art is a luxury item right now.
Thanks!
I really enjoyed reading this, Alyson.
A year and a half ago, a family member became quite ill and moved in with me. Helping this family member became my highest priority, and it took emotional and physical energy–and a great deal of time–away from painting.
This year, I began getting my mojo back. I entered my first juried exhibition, and then I applied to be a guest artist at a wonderful gallery in Laguna Beach, California. I’m scheduled for this, in the summer of 2024. I’m now focusing on that body of work and having the time of my life!
No grandchildren yet.
My definition of success would be this: representation in a local, high-end gallery. I would gladly pay their commission in return for shipping my work, collecting the taxes and reporting them, and warehousing my work, in addition to displaying my paintings in their gallery.
I’m not sure if any of your services would be appropriate right now for me? I’m mostly focused on creating the work, but as my guest artist show approaches, I think it will be good to have started an email newsletter, created a website and I’m not sure what else. (I have an Instagram account but no website yet. I want to complete more paintings before paying for the website.)
Hello Alyson!
A wonderful “just in time” and “I needed this” podcast. Why? Because one year ago I moved and I am now beginning to feel settled into my new location, some new routines, and new the people in my life. This is all great, BUT it also has me questioning an art project I started during the pandemic and that I have kept going to this day. I even managed to stay consistent throughout our move to a new state. But now, I wonder daily has the project run it’s course? How do I define success around something that did not quite grow roots—growing roots is my esoteric way of saying the project is not reaching as many people as I had initially hoped. When do I quit? How do I quit? If I drop my current project, then what? Maybe I did not try hard enough and I ought to keep going and do more marketing. Maybe this, maybe that… If I do drop the project, then how will I define my success? If I suddenly stop reaching customers in the way that has sustained me for over 2 years, then what? I am always evolving, I know this about myself. This upcoming potential pivot or quit is no exception. I’d like to add, I had 2 definitions of success for the project I am feeling amiss about right now: one was to reach a certain number of customers per month and the other was to continue the project no matter what for 2 years. I reached one of my definitions of success four months ago. The other has proved elusive, and is now making me constantly feel “unresolved.” You asked, “how do we define success as an artist?” Well, success needs a new definition on a regular basis or better said, “What will be my new definition of success if I drop the path I am on?” And “Who can help me?” However, often we cannot know the next definition of success until we take a chance on ourselves and drop the previous definition. Thus making room in our daily contemplations and plans. Can there be ONE BIG definition of success, like the person who shared the Agnes Martin story? Yes, there can! AND along the way there are also other definitions of progress that need tweaking along the way. OK, this got long. Thanks for the space to think via writing! -Suzanne
Another wonderful podcast Alyson. For me success is defined by the fact that I am able to do what I love and make a good living at it. I’ve dedicated years to learning all the various aspects and have maintained coaches all along the way. Currently what is making me happy is no longer my only own success but seeing those in the online courses succeed based on their own goals.
I remember in 2008 when the stock market dropped and all art sales were at a standstill I was devastated for about two weeks. Then it hit me that I can recreate my life and made a new plan which began to immediately take shape. The only thing we can control is ourself and once we learn how to shift our mindset, make a plan and work it, we will have our version of success if we don’t give up. I am strong at manifesting due to visualization practices and have been blessed with much success. When I desire something new and don’t know how to achieve it, I align myself with people who have already done it and set out to learn from them. I’m excited to be in this community because one thing I know for sure, we can’t have success without being a part of a team in some way. Thanks for having me. There is always so much more to learn.
Linda: I love your perspective and positive mindset. We’re lucky to have you in our midst.
Love that you say art is a form of communication
And also talking about life bring aligned with goals
Thanks, Brooke. Yes, it feels incomplete without someone on the other end, which is why I insist that it is ultimately about communicating ideas and having a conversation around it.