Just came across this blog (press the title to access the blog) and thought the words were timely and interesting. We all gotta show up to make the work, and know how to get it out there!
" Making it in business is a tough thing too. It requires talent and hard work. The point of my book, The Affluent Artist was that if you’ve learned to dance, or paint, or write, you might not have had time to learn a lot of the money stuff. That “money stuff” is hard too, it’s stuff that talented people spend a career learning.
The fact is, in every human endeavor, some people have a natural talent, things come more easily to them. That’s not the thing that determines success, it turns out; what determines success has a lot more to do with putting in the time, getting REALLY good and being in the right place when opportunities present themselves. Talent is nice, but give me someone who will work hard with zeal and passion and I will take that person over the talented Diva every time.
It is a particularly bad idea to assume that someone else’s profession is something you can pick up with little training or effort. It’s a bad idea to assume that you can master a new business with no background in that field or knowledge of “how things work”. Everyone has good ideas, flashes of brilliance, but success in most endeavors is all about follow through, about getting the job right.
The sculpture who sees the face in the block of granite still has to have the talent, expertise, tools and discipline to finish the work. The entrepreneur who has a business idea still has to have the talent, expertise, business plan and capital to make his idea work. Artists and successful business people are really not that different, they simply work in different mediums.
Everyone of us brings a unique set of talents to the planet, some of us are lucky enough to figure out the best way to use them. If you are someone who has to learn the business stuff, or someone who has to learn the creative stuff, understand that there is a learning curve on both sides of the equation and that persistence and goals are really good attributes to help you get through the hard times.
So, it’s ok to wait tables, hire an advisor or take classes, whatever it takes to get it going. It’s ok to ask for help or keep your day job. Having a successful creative career involves a lot of disciplines. You not only have to create inspired work, you have to know something about marketing, sales and running a business".
Do you agree that inspiration comes from showing up? How important is marketing know how to your art production and sales? Post your comments here.
Image; Gabrielle Jones, Hillside II 2009 Oil on Ply 30 x 30cm
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