Professional Art Advice
Extracts from Graeme smith newsletter
for professional artists
by Graeme Smith
Ways to succeed as a professional artist
1. Focus on your goals until you achieve.
I'm sure you'll have read this elsewhere, for this piece of advice is no secret, However, it is sound. You must establish a goal, which is, as suggested in the previous issue of Art Professional', realistic too. It is better to have a series of achievable goals, than a single impossible dream. You could even have a series of goals for different areas of your artistic activity! For instance you could have goals in relation to your actual painting, various aspects of your selling and marketing, your lifestyle and so on.
Having established your career goals, you need to focus until you have achieved them. Do not let your focus slip. Those who do not achieve success may even share your goals, but maintaining focus is the aspect that sorts the professional from the hobbyist. Maintaining focus will mean you are prepared to make sacrifices if a particular activity does not lead you towards your goal. If you want to be one of Australia's leading oil painters; you won't even dabble in watercolour, no matter how interesting the medium may be. Such activity will only divert you from achieving your goal.
In fact you may break down your goal into smaller sub-goals and progressively work at those as you advance towards the major objective. Armies win many battles before the war is won. The oil-painter could only paint in black and white, for a year or two, then add another colour to his/her range, and at a later date another colour could be introduced. Just think of how such a process is likely to lead to mastery of the materials, particularly if similar subjects and a limited range of brushes were also part of the plan. This illustrates focus. There's really nothing truer than the statement about being Jack of all trades and a master of none ! Focus is the characteristic of winners in any field. Don't be sidetracked, but stay on your chosen pathway. This doesn't mean you can't change your focus from time to time. You can, but only if your goals are first changed. These will only be changed for something better (you have achieved your initial plans) or because you set your sights too high to start with (so now they're more realistic but still in the same direction).I'll be saying more about focus in future issues of 'Art Professional' but it's no coincidence that I have titled the 1999 Artist's Conference 'Focus 99'. Focus really is the key to success.
ACTION MEMO Make a list of your goals, Which means you can check what you are doing to make sure everything is focussed suitably.2. More on those hidden assets.
Your hidden assets are almost certainly worth at least as much as the ones you know about. If you are like most readers of 'Art Professional' then you're a successful artist. You have probably been painting for many years, and are as good as you'll get (although this may not actually be the case). However, you feel that perhaps there should be more actual financial reward at this stage of your career. It's a bit frustrating, particularly when your spouse thinks of your art as a hobby! It's a bit hard to just walk away from isn't it? More like impossible, I'd say.But if you don't have a plan of action there's unlikely to be much change If this is your story then answer these questions.
1. Have you identified and valued your true expertise and negotiable asset inventory?
2. What skills have you demonstrated in the past that could be of importance to business - or a specific type business?
3. What have you accomplished, perhaps in association with other people to produce a result that people would not only respect but also desire to utilise?
Now it's likely that you won't think of too much at first. However, analyse and reconstruct what you've experienced, contributed to, and been part Of in your work. In business? Think about those things you have done, where you had expertise. That's the answer to question 1.Now of all these things, great or small, which ones are important to someone, or a business? Don't just think about the kind of business you were in at the time, any business or person who needs your type of skill or expertise. Let's say you can draw well. I mean really well. Now what sort of business needs someone who can really draw? Newspapers might, if you can draw people in' court. Real estate agents might need drawings of houses or other property. Homeowners might like drawings of their property. Are you getting the idea? Of course if you were a teacher, then people may like to be taught how to draw. You could even teach how to teach people how to draw! You could actually teach anything you are interested in, or know about. In life you make the rules. You can set things up to suit yourself You could become a drawing consultant for example. I don't know whether there is any such job right now, but there's no reason why it couldn't exist. If your expertise is not drawing, then another line of possibilities will suggest themselves to you. Offer your services to suitable businesses or people, for an annual fee or retainer! Build into your contract performance bonuses, for profit increases and sales improvements you bring to them, or whatever else is appropriate. Moving from being an employee to consultant can be done if you understand how to document your value to other people. Even artists can do it.
ACTION MEMO
Write down your true expertise, which mean you can now find people who can use this expertise then have them pay for it!
3. Business success.
Here it is in a nutshell. If you want to be successful in any business, including that of professional artist, there are five things you should do.1. Make sure you have a cashflow. Easier said than done, and it may mean holding down another job for a period. Without actual money nothing can be done. With money other things become possible. You can eventually make money work for you, instead of the other way around !
2. Grow your assets. Assets traditionally mean having a house, car, life insurance policy, superannuation, shares and so on. These things are still assets to day, but the best assets are those that provide cashflow. A house rented out is better than the one you live in from this point of view. Your paintings, and those by other people, can be assets too. This is where swapping works with other artists can become quite a smart thing to do.
3. Use other people's money. Borrow if necessary, particularly if it allows you to increase your cashflow. For example a deposit on a house is all that is needed for you to buy an investment property. Pay off your loan as quickly as possible using the help of your tenant and then you have a property, which adds considerably to your cashflow with very little expense. You are on your way. Borrow for another property.
4. Use other people's help. You cannot possibly know everything there is to be known about anything. Other people must know more than you. Use their knowledge to your advantage. If necessary pay them well, for it will be money well spent.
5. Have an organisation or system. If your art career is properly planned and systematic your chances of success are enhanced. You can always improve your plan. However the best plan will be one aimed at increasing your cash- flow.
ACTION MEMO
Start working on ways to increase your cashflow (amount of money available).
Which means you can start to develop a system for perpetuating your income.