Find Your Bliss & Screw Everything Else
Find your bliss. What kind of hippie shit is that? Well, it’s true. Find it. And say ‘Kiss off’ to anything else. (Within reason of course.)
Here’s the thing. The odds of becoming an internet famous artist, without some seriously shrewd marketing, are slim to none. Most of us are not really cut out for shrewd marketing, so why not just create what you love? So many of us break ourselves in half trying to follow trends, or copy famous artists, or become the next ‘it’ creator. And all it really does is stress us out and take away from our artistic process. Why bother? Remember why you started this endeavor in the first place?
Now, I’m not saying to completely ignore the facts and stats on what sells. We all have to make a living. However, I AM saying to not sell your soul to the sales gods. You can paint what sells. But, you don’t HAVE to only paint that!
Life is short, and YOLO, and all that other crap. Create that art, that style, that piece, that makes you feel alive. That makes you instantly joyful. That gets you excited. That calms you as well. The piece that defines you and makes you feel whole.
Because creating what you love is how you avoid burn out. And burn out will destroy even the most successful art marketer. Don’t let that happen.
If you are not living/painting your bliss, then get to it. Try a plein air session. Try a new brush technique. Try a new type of paint. Try sculpture. Try ANYTHING. Stop ignoring that yearning inside you that is searching for joy. Set it free. Allow it to feel. Allow it to dig your fingers into cold clay or warm paint or a pile of mud.
Find your bliss and screw everything else before it is lost forever and you are left with a wistful pile of regret.
also:
Do Your Older Artworks Invoke Memories?