Photo courtesy of Jessica Watts Art

We asked 14 accomplished artists: "What practice y'all wish you lot would have known at the start of your art career?"

Some of their advice is very practical (proceed proficient records!) and some is broad, sweeping and existential, but all of it can be practical to brand your journey every bit an artist a trivial smoother and a little happier.

These artists address issues that all emerging artists confront at some betoken in their career.

From finding your conviction, discipline, and voice, to understanding entrepreneurship, money bug, and business tips, and dealing with success, rejection, and hobbling egos, these artists have been through it all and are here to share what they learned along the way.

Here is what they would tell their younger selves:

Untitled Study (Fahan), Julia Ibbini, Hand and Lasercut Paper over Ink on Mylar

It'due south a marathon, not a dart

The road is very, very long. It takes a lifetime to develop your craft and anyone who tells you otherwise is only lying. There will be many tears and not much appreciation (at commencement).

People tin (and volition) be cruel or unconstructive towards you and your work. Grow a very thick pare.

Center fingers are useful when gallerists, teachers, critics, or other artists are being unnecessarily awful. Proceed making the work anyway.

There are no lightbulb or grand inspiration moments (ok peradventure once in awhile, simply hardly ever); it's about chipping abroad each twenty-four hours. Learn to feel the joy in that.

Learn as much as y'all can nigh marketing yourself and your work as soon as possible. Don't rely on anyone else to aid y'all with it.

Get to know the people who collect your work, and keep in impact with them. They are a role of what makes information technology all worthwhile.

Enjoy the ride. I get a lot of people telling me that they used to be really into art when they were children but had to give it up because of a diverseness of reasons (and dearly wish they could make art again). If y'all've got the guts to be making work and putting it out in that location, exist proud of yourself and have fun with it.

Julia Ibbini

@JuliaIbbini , @JuliaIbbiniart
I Think She Winked at Me by Jessica Watts, Oil, acrylic, and paper on canvas

There is no correct or wrong, at that place is no win or lose

When I was first starting out I thought there was a "right" way to approach my art and my art business. I felt like all artists knew the way ... except for me. If I could go back in fourth dimension, I would tell myself in that location is no correct or wrong way.

Rather, it's about doing things your mode. Had I known this earlier I would have been less troubled nigh how my work was received and more confident in my vision for my business.

The art business can exist very competitive: whose work is better (art prizes) whose work is selling more. It took me a while to detach myself from the dissonance.

And so, I would also tell my fledgling cocky that competition is the enemy. It's a much better apply of time to monopolize the infinite in which you create value.

Jessica Watts

@jessowatts, @JessicaWattsArt
LGBTQ Rights past Melanie Reese, Acrylic and spray paint on canvas

Being an artist also means being a business possessor

I wish I would have known how much being a working artist today requires you to exist a small business professional with an understanding of art market trends.

With the rise of the internet and social media came a new wave of art earth–artist interaction. Artists of all mediums, practices, genres, and talent have exposure in ways that those who came before usa could only dream of, but with that exposure comes more of a responsibility for the artist.

A website is a requirement, social media presence is a necessity, keeping an inventory is crucial, and an ability to sell artwork direct is non only possible merely desirable and with that comes the responsibility of understanding the intricacies of the fine art market.

Melanie Reese

@Melaniereese
Screen_Shot_2016-01-16_at_5.53.18_PM_f1vggw Shangrilah, Jill Sanders, Metal photograph

B.50.Due east.Northward.D

Be nice. Always be overnice to people even if they critique you or merely do not respond to your images.

Fiftyearn everything you can almost marketing and develop organizational skills. You can have four,000 brilliant images on your hard drive, but they slowly become insignificant without exposure.

Educate yourself.  Never stop learning. Intelligence is the foundation of great art. In lodge to stir an emotion in others, ane must be able to make a viewer question their previous ideas and challenge their established thoughts.

Network. Everyone needs a tribe for support.

Don't requite up … but try harder.

Jill Sanders

@jillsandersphotographer
Enkindling Mt. Susitna, Karen Whitworth, Oil On Panel

Minimize administrative tasks and maximize making time

Paint (or create) more.

I spent then much fourth dimension doing busy work early on that my time at the easel was affected. In hindsight, I should have devised a way to delegate or outsource my busywork sooner so that my painting time could have been preserved or fifty-fifty increased.

For that reason, I recommend that you hire an assistant before y'all think it's necessary. If you wait too long, things are already hectic and the transition of delegating volition be unnecessarily cumbersome. Some other symptom of waiting too long is that things start to fall through the cracks as your time to attain them becomes more than and more than deficient. This can be dangerous. The expense and time to hire and railroad train an assistant is worth it. Make plans and start budgeting for it now.

Karen Whitworth

@karenwhitworth
Cavity of Boundless Heartbeats, Caitlin One thousand McCollom, Acrylic on yupo

Develop the business side of things early

When I was merely getting started I really didn't understand the entrepreneurial side of being an artist. It was quite the learning process to go established every bit a business alongside developing my studio practice and personal vision every bit an artist.

I highly recommend finding a mentor who can show yous the road ahead while you lot're getting where you lot're going.

As, I wish I would take known how important information technology is to have accurate archives and records.

Years afterwards when I was established, I had to do months of data entry to get caught upwards. Artwork Archive was a life saver for this procedure, only it was still a ton of piece of work to do all at once.

I would also tell myself to stay positive and know that information technology IS possible to exist a professional artist. I got so many discouraging messages saying my dream was impossible, making it took much longer than I wanted to become a total-time artist. Merely, it's totally possible. It just takes a little ingenuity and difficult piece of work.

Caitlin McCollom

@cgmccollom
Echoes & Silence, Gillian Buckley, Graphite and Acrylic

But compare yourself to former self

I began in a place of very little understanding of the fine art world and other artists around me. I think that had if I had known the amount of talent that was already out at that place, I probably wouldn't have even started!

Back so, I compared my work just to my earlier work, which is a condom place to build confidence.

Gillian Buckley

@GillianBuckleyArtist
Hybrid Vigor, Julie K. Anderson,Ceramic

Don't rely on money from your art ... at showtime

Having multiple sources of income other than just selling your artwork is very important when y'all are first starting off and possibly throughout your career every bit an artist.

A diversified stream of income has allowed me to experiment and make the work I truly desire to make, rather than simply making work that I know will sell. I learned that trying to delight everyone with the type of art I make is a recipe for making pieces that are non so great.

It too fabricated me hate making art; I was bored by it.

Create the piece of work that you truly love and the right buyers will come up forth eventually.

This way, yous tin stay your own personal artistic path, but in the concurrently, you can feed yourself and keep a roof over your caput with your alternate source of income.

Julie Anderson

@JulieAndersonCeramics
Fringe V2, Beth Kamhi, Brass beads, aluminum, wood

Trust your instincts and your abilities

Your sincere commitment to your practise is the path to becoming a successful artist. That, and trusting your instincts.

Those two things plus a current approach to marketing = success.

A degree in Fine Arts is not the final answer. I know many highly talented artists who experience unqualified to call themselves artists because they don't have an MFA.  I also know many MFA Artists whose work is sub-par.

You take it or yous don't. Believing in yourself is paramount to artistic success and artistic happiness

Beth Kamhi

@bethkamhi
Luminous Blue Variable, Sawyer Rose, silver solder, copper, ultramarine powdered paint

Make more piece of work

The standard logic behind this advice is that working in greater quantity loosens y'all up and you terminate upwards making more proficient piece of work.

And this is true, but as well I notice that when I speed up my workflow I'one thousand not as emotionally married to the final production. Each gallery submission or residency application doesn't experience similar a personal referendum on me equally an artist. When, inevitably, rejection comes my way, it'south easier to carry on when I can say to myself, "Oh, but that was old work anyway."

Sawyer Rose

@Ksawyerrose
Arctic Tumbleweed by Kathleen Elliot, Glass

Keep going in the face of rejection

After near two decades every bit an artist, in that location is much I am still learning, and a lot I don't even know I don't know all the same. Perhaps the most important, though, is the power to keep going in the confront of declines or people not responding to and liking my work.

After pouring everything I am into my piece of work, I assume others will connect with that and want it, whether that's gallerists or collectors or curators.

Contest is vehement, the number of declines is exponentially greater, and we have to be ok and not knocked downwardly by that. Or, at least be able to pick ourselves up from disappointments and keep going.

Kathleen Elliot

@Kathleenelliot
Bird on Grenade (3 mad Swallow attached to pivot) Steven Spazuk, Soot and acrylic on console

Delivery is everything

I would tell myself to actually devote all my time to my art; to work towards my goals total-fourth dimension, stay on track, and stay focused.

When I was a immature teenager, I was a big Dali fan, and ane of his citations was, "No masterpiece was always created past a lazy artist." That ever stuck in my listen.

Steven Spazuk

@steven_spazuk
Daydream Luminescence, Laura Guese, Oil On Canvas

Put in the hours and persevere

What I wish I had known as an artist just starting out is that rejection is simply office of the profession. Y'all have to be willing to accept a lot of "no's" to finally become a "aye." Perseverance is key, and it'southward important not to take those rejections as well seriously or personally. Go along moving frontwards!

Your work volition continue to meliorate if yous keep practicing your art and putting in the hours. I received advice from an art professor in college that has stayed with me to this twenty-four hour period.  He encouraged me to but show up at the studio even if I wasn't feeling particularly inspired to work.

Unremarkably, after existence in the studio for an hr or so, I would find myself getting engrossed in my fine art.

Laura Guese

@Lauraguese
Moody Blues 2 by Annie Wildey, Oil On Linen

Don't wait to get serious about fine art.

Don't exist fearful. Exist more willing to take risks. Be confident and believe in yourself. Nurture and explore your creativity and principal your skills.

I put off seriously pursuing my art for 18 years. After art school, I was a footling lost and unsure of who I was. I traveled and fell into a career in business, working for an organization in New York City. Though I gained a lot of skills and matured,  the terminal few years of my business career I desperately wanted to make more than fourth dimension for my fine art. I didn't know how to navigate that journey alone so I sought the help of a creative and life passenger vehicle and eventually decided to pursue an MFA at 40.

I would tell my younger cocky to find a mentor or a creative coach whom you tin learn from. And, put money aside when you have information technology! Lastly, and possibly most importantly, identify your goals, and approach your art career with a business mindset.

Annie Wildey

@anniewildey

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