10 Surprisingly Civilized Tips for Artists Who’d Prefer Not to Go Full Savage
by Debra Keirce
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Today’s Article
The following article was written by Debra Keirce, a regular contributing author to The BoldBrush Letter.
10 Surprisingly Civilized Tips for Artists Who’d Prefer Not to Go Full Savage
If we still lived like our prehistoric ancestors, getting what we want would be simple…See roasted antelope leg, club the owner, take home dinner.
Effective? Sure. Socially acceptable? Not so much.
Thankfully, in modern society we’ve mostly agreed to stop hitting each other with clubs. Yet the wanting is still very much alive. This is especially true in the art world, where many of us don’t even know what we want until we see another artist basking in it. Only then do we gasp, clutch our pearls, and whisper: “I want that too!”
Naturally, we rush to reverse-engineer their success.
“What paintbrush did they use?”
“What classes did they take?”
“Did they make some sort of pact with an art mentor?”
But here’s the twist. Following another artist’s exact steps rarely works. Why? Because that artist is not you. You have your own personality, style, quirks, demographic, sense of humor, tragic backstory, and possibly a completely different caffeine tolerance. All of these influence your path.
Plenty of artists have imitated their heroes down to the same brand of oil painting medium. They still didn’t get the same acclaim. Honestly, most never will. It’s not because they’re lacking resources, but because they’re on an entirely different journey.
So does this mean the future for all of us yearning creatives is bleak? Nope. It’s fantastic news. It means there is no real competition. There’s no scarcity of success. There’s no need to reenact ancient battles over the last berry bush. Sure, exhibitions hand out prizes to a select few, but the number of paths to meaningful achievement is infinite, and uniquely tailored to each of us.
After rummaging through years of BoldBrush articles I have written for you all, from my opinions and experiences, here are ten recurring themes that describe the artists I have known who eventually get exactly what they want.
1. Stop holding yourself back.
Be the weird, glorious, authentic version of you. You know - the one you keep editing out because you think it’s too much and nobody else is doing it.
2. Stop competing with others. Compete with you.
If you treat art like the Olympics, you’ll miss the growth. And besides, gold medals are heavy anyway.
3. Show up.
Go to events. Meet humans. Shake hands. Nod thoughtfully. Doors open this way, mysteriously and often.
4. Network wherever and whenever.
People are opportunities wrapped in skin. Be kind, collaborate, and skip the part where you treat them like stepping stones.
5. Break rules.
Don’t break the big rules. (Please keep your clothes on.)
But bend and twist when you can, without breaking laws. Push boundaries and offer something new.
6. Watch for opportunities.
Don’t be so focused on one goal, that you miss someone waving a golden ticket to another, which might be better. Don’t be like the artist who I witnessed ignoring an eager painting buyer because she was pitching registrations for her art class. (Yes, that actually happened.)
7. Celebrate failures.
They’re just research that guide you away from the paths that are wrong for you.
8. Be ready to pivot.
In art and in life, stay flexible. Change is inevitable, and we rarely grow without it.
9. Be the person you’d ask for advice.
You know more than you think. You’ve survived things. You’ve learned things. Someone out there wants to be where you already are.
10. Have fun.
If you’re miserable, success becomes irrelevant. Joy is a creative superpower. Use it generously.
Thank you for reading. Can you think of more things to add to this list? Comment below! We all want to hear.
PS — Editor’s Note: Please support artists and help us get more exposure for the artists featured in this newsletter by clicking the “Like” icon ❤️, by clicking the “Restack” icon 🔁, or by leaving a comment. The more engagement we get, the more widely these images get shown. Help us support human artists and push back against the encroachment of AI!
Debra Keirce
www.DebKArt.com
Join me each month for free updates on this art adventure at
https://debkart.com/email-newsletter
No AI Zone: Everything written in this post (and all our posts) is written 100% by flesh and blood humans
We do not use AI images with our writing. We prefer to feature and provide more exposure for human artists. If you know of a great piece of art we should consider, please leave a comment with a link to it. All featured images are properly attributed with backlinks to the artist’s website. You can help support human artists and push back against AI by liking or restacking this piece by clicking the “Like” icon ❤️, by clicking the “Restack” icon 🔁 (or by leaving a comment).
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