Have you achieved all you thought you might at this point in your art career?
I had an interesting experience when I was updating my website this week. I've sold a few paintings recently and thought it was about time I updated the website and created a 'sold' paintings page and delete them off the ones that are currently available. It was intriguing to look at all these works and see, not only what people have bought, but also the very clear fingerprint which has emerged and continues to develop through these works. There are three quite distinct palettes, which all work really well in their own individual categories.
The other thing I found eye-opening was that it gave me an insight into how successful my art career is at this point.
You see, it took me many years to think that I was really an artist, leet alone that I even had an art career or that I had actually chosen such a thing! However, now, as I look at these works and my current life, as if I'm observing as an outsider, I suddenly see the career of a successful artist. It is a career that is made up of partly running an art school and partly working in my own studio creating art professionally. My days weeks months and years are taken up with the many different aspects that go into being a professional artist. It is no longer enough in this world to simply paint all day in the studio and then take my art works down to the local gallery to sell them. Rather, I now have alternatives which actually suit me better.
With the advent of the internet and a much more widespread acceptance of people buying works online, it has now become possible to create a sustainable career with the help of a respected and successful online gallery. I have the good fortune to be represented by Bluethumb online who has created several sales for me this year.
I also think that despite all the other negative things that covid has brought about, there is a silver lining in that dreadfully dreary cloud. This silver lining has been a quite marked increase of online art sales. I have a theory about this, which is that people have more available money, even though many are currently not working full-time. Instead of traveling they are spending money on their homes, which includes purchasing art. I have certainly had my best year yet for online sales.
So my point is that what is holding you back may be a perception of how you are doing. As it is coming to the end of the year, now is probably a good time for a re-evaluation and a think about what is holding you back if anything and how to navigate to a more successful future.
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