I haven’t posted anything lately. I’m going through a kind of crisis. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I love many areas, genres, mediums, etc. in art. I get bored easily. One day I’m into portraits and the next an abstract or something else. But the serious artists I follow strongly advise to get very good at one thing. Find your passion. Something that you would enjoy doing for a long time or forever. How does one find the one genre that speaks to them enough to do it over and over but keep it fresh. If I had the answer to that, I’d be happy and rich. Oh, so you thought I had the answer. Well, I do have some ideas.
- Go to Pinterest or other sites and see what interests you.
- If you have a Pinterest account, look at it carefully. You have selected ideas that draw you in and interest you. There’s usually a theme that runs through your choices.
- What area are you good at. No use to reinvent the wheel or have to start from square one.
- What makes you different from other artists?
Okay! You think you’ve finally figured out the direction you want to go in. It’s still not set in stone. Give it a period of time to work in the area you’ve chosen. Maybe six months or less. Then step back and reevaluate your choice and your work. Keeping a journal might help as you go through this process. If this is not a good fit, try again going through these steps.
Make sure this is your passion. Try not to choose something because it’s popular and do not choose a path because other people think you should. Feel it in your gut. This is not an exact science.
Narrow your artistic voice as much as possible through
- Subject
- Medium
- Color
- Area
This allows you to find the clients that will buy your work and will allow them to find you. If seascapes with red rowboats are your passion then people who had red rowboats on the lake will want your work. It will remind them of their childhood or just a happy memory. Get to know your client and in doing so yourself.
I have written this as much for myself as for you. I am going to go through this process. My hope is that my upcoming work will be more cohesive and limited in terms of style and palette and in turn become stronger giving me a voice. I will probably do a series which will help me stick to one artistic voice. We will see what develops in the coming months.
Please feel free to leave comments. I know there are artists out there that feel my pain. Would love to hear from you.
Original Fine Art 