We all want more.
More shows! More sales!
More subscribers. More likes. More followers. More comments.
I don’t know a single artist who wouldn’t be happier with MORE.
But what’s at the root of these desires? It’s never more only for the sake of having more. WHY do we want more?
The Milestone
I think we only want more when we aim for the wrong targets—things that take up time in our days and space in our lives but leave us empty. We think we need more to top us off, but we aren’t naming the true goal. This is what I want to talk about in this 200th episode of The Art Biz.
It’s a significant milestone for this show that I insist on doing my way. I try to publish one episode a week these days, but sometimes I might skip a week. Or even two—because my happiness is paramount.
Whether this is the first episode you hear or you have been a subscriber since the get-go, I appreciate your listening and telling others about The Art Biz. This connection makes me happy, even if it’s over the digital airwaves.
It’s why I started my entire business back in 2002. I sold many of my belongings, packed up a U-Haul truck with my 2 cats, and moved away from an unhappy place in my life—giving up my entire career in art museums—because, as I told my mom at the time, Life is too short to be this unhappy.
Some people move for love or family. Others for more meaningful work.
I moved for a location, Colorado, that I knew would instantly make me happier and it hasn’t disappointed. I won’t give you the longer story about how Art Biz Success came to be, but it was only possible because I insisted that being happy was more important than having a steady job I liked in a location that made me miserable.
To mark this milestone in the podcast, I want to share something huge that I recently realized.
Listen
I have had so many guests over the past 199 episodes who are, through their art, living their purpose, whether it’s connecting to community, leading multi-year projects, taking action against injustices, or immersing themselves in the studio.
Through the photos featured in this post, I’m highlighting a handful of my past guests that I have had the delight of meeting in person. My hairstyle may have changed over the years 😉 but my joy in seeing them and their art is constant.
Amplify Joy
For many years I have been adamant that I help artists gain recognition and sell more art.
This is true. Recognition and sales are still part of the dream, but what I really want is for you to be fulfilled as an artist.
I want you to live a happier life, and to discover that happier life because you have remained true to your artist-self.
I want you to understand that amplifying your joy, which is essentially what we’re talking about, depends on the work you do in the studio and how you share it with the world.
It’s about feeling fulfilled. That’s what I do when I coach and consult with artists: Help you cultivate meaning through your art.
Fulfillment
What does it mean to be fulfilled as an artist?
The answer is different for everyone, and varies based on where you are in your art career, what you have achieved, the other things that are going on in your life, and your ambitions. See which of these resonate with you.
Fulfillment might be:
- Making your best work.
- Improving on your work by challenging yourself with the next step.
- Getting a good critique from your mentor.
- Being accepted into your first juried show or art festival.
- Selling your first artwork.
- Opening your solo show.
- Giving a talk or having a conversation with an audience that gets it.
- Winning a big commission.
- Receiving a positive review.
- Landing a sponsored residency.
- Earning a grant.
- Delighting in the success of your students.
- Gaining gallery representation.
- Placing your art in a museum.
- Securing invitations to show at more prestigious institutions.
- Hitting your income goal for the year.
What is it that feeds you and will help you realize your purpose?
Your answer today should stick around for a while so that you have a target. And, yet. I hope it’s different from what your answer to the same question will be next year.
External Validation
Note that my list is mostly comprised of external validation.
There is nothing wrong with wanting this external validation. We all crave it. We are human, and we want to be reassured that what we’re doing matters to someone besides ourself.
You can get a brief dopamine hit from words of praise and likes on social media. These feel great, but I don’t have to tell you what hungry beasts the social media algorithms are. They require constant feeding, and, in my experience, don’t lead to the real goal of fulfillment.
Sales might be the highest form of validation. The exchange of someone else’s hard-earned money for a physical object that you labored over is an important way to prove that your work is valued.
Sales can only happen when the work is seen.
This is why it’s important to keep getting your work into more shows and exhibitions.
The perceived prestige of a certain venue is nice, but don’t wait for things to be perfect. If you aren’t already doing so, make it a priority to show your work more regularly NOW.
Institutional Validation
Back in episode 198 I encouraged you to fill up your calendar with events that compel you to finish and prepare the work. Moments during which you can look forward to connecting with others. Moments for discovering deeper meaning and, ultimately, greater happiness.
Unless you make digital art, you and I both know that your work can’t be appreciated fully in pixels. People need to stand in front of it, perhaps walk through it or around it. They respond first to the size, and then the colors, layers, and textures.
It doesn’t matter where your exhibition is. It only matters that you are there in person with the work. That you connect with others who are looking at it in the same space.
It all begins when you’re accepted by a venue’s management, be it a coffee shop, a nonprofit space, or a gallery. Somebody invites you in, signaling approval. Each moment confirms that what you’re doing matters and fuels the path forward.
That’s institutional validation. Another level of validation occurs from interacting with your audience, which I alluded to.
Audience Validation
I firmly believe that art is incomplete until it is shared. Until others see it, experience it, and discuss it.
That’s because …
Art is a form of communication.
Yes, self-expression is part of it. Yes, you must go deep within and spend long hours alone with your materials for the work to take form.
Art is how you find meaning in the world. First, through the solitary act of making it, and then through the communal act of showing it and engaging with others who respond to it.
Without this second step, you are unfulfilled.
You are not alone. You aren’t making art only for yourself. You’re making it because you have something to say. You’re making it because you want others to see what you’ve made and appreciate your contribution.
You’re making it to connect. To, again, find meaning, which makes you fulfilled and amplifies your joy.
If you haven’t done so already, make the commitment to showing your art as frequently as possible (without resorting to subpar work or over-scheduling).
Strategize your steps in my planning workshop.
