What Does Being a Successful Artist Mean?
Why Do I Need to Know This?
One of the items on my goal list for 2008 was to define what success means to me as an artist. As I mentioned in that post, my definition of success has changed, so I wasn’t sure where to go with my goals for 2008 at the beginning of the year so I didn’t really write any.
This wasn’t a bad thing because turns out what I really wanted to do this year was sell my house and get out of the suburbs. That lifestyle was no longer working for me. I loved my big house and big studio but I’m much happier in the city: close to work, close to the kids school and close to everything - museums, galleries, restaurants. I’ve seen more art in the past few months than I did the last 5 years, because it is right here 10-15 minutes from my house.
But back to success. I feel it’s now time to define what it means to me to be a successful artist. I have a vague idea in my head what I intend for my career but I want to write it down and give it some serious thought.
I feel I need to do this right now for a few reasons:
- Clarity: Most importantly I want to get really clear about why I am making art and how I want to market it. Or more accurately, why I am making art today and where I am intending for this career to go. I believe that getting very clear about intentions is the best way to ensure they become real. When I am wishy washy with my intent my results tend to be wishy washy. When I get really clear I find I get very clear results also.
- Adapting: I don’t think it’s realistic, at least for me, to come up with big grand ideas about what success means and for it not to change over time. I wrote out some definitions for myself a few years ago and then I moved and I decided I like selling my art and so much of what I wrote is no longer up to date. By revisiting this definition I can learn and adapt and move get closer to my true desires.
- Direction: Having a definition of success for my art career makes writing goals very easy. If I know what I think success means then I just have to do the things that will result in that success. Without a definition of success it’s kind of hard to figure out what I should be doing on a day to day basis. There are thousands of things I could do as an artist and only by understanding what my desired destination is, can I pick the activities that best suit my stated intentions.
I’ve spent a couple days writing and thinking about the specifics of this definition and when I get it finalized, or at least polished enough that it feels right and it is clear, I’ll post it on my blog.
Do you have a definition for what success means to you as an artist?
Posted by Lisa in: Intent
Tagged: adapt, art career, definition of success, goals, Intent, making art, true desires
Megan Wolfe said,
September 23, 2008 @ 3:07 am
I have a panic attack every time I think about moving to suburbia, exactly for the reasons you mention. :) My husband seems determined to move there eventually though, mainly because of the cost here in San Francisco.
Alas, that’s a little off topic.. I tend to think artists are successful when I can read their name somewhere, and immediately know the work without seeing it (or vise-versa). Whether or not it’s memorable, and well crafted (in technique and/or concept). Even in the MOMA, with work that supposedly holds historical significance, there’s a lot of stuff that’s pretty forgettable.. not that getting into MOMA is an easy thing. :)
Diane Clancy said,
September 23, 2008 @ 7:01 am
Hi Lisa,
As always, this is wonderful to read about your thinking about success!! I too am doing a lot of re-evaluating … so glad your move is working well for you!!
Your thinking always helps me clarify my own.
On my blog there is a little something for you.
~ Diane Clancy
Katherine Tyrrell said,
September 23, 2008 @ 7:54 am
Lisa - I recognise the thoughts! ;)
Getting the balance right between being clear enough to get results and being vague enough to be able to adapt seems to be the really critical fulcrum for all result. Too precise we produce - but is it the right thing. Too vague - we might get the decisions right for an ever-changing context but we do we implement them?
There’s something about knowing how it feels to be doing the right thing and going in the right direction. I often don’t do things when it doesn’t feel right even if I’m not quite sure why I’m feeling like that.
I also navigate by a ‘nose’ for the right direction - but that’s another story. However I very nearly always get it right - which only endorses for me the validity of the ‘feels right’ perspective
Success for me is having people I esteem like and value my work. I’m not into ‘happy clappies’ - it might be nice for some people but I find them kind of empty. I want somebody who really knows about quality finding quality in my work.
Daniel Sroka said,
September 23, 2008 @ 9:47 am
Success for me means making a living from my own creative output. It’s as simple… and as hard… as that.
Tracy said,
September 23, 2008 @ 11:30 pm
I’ve been talking the talk for so long about how I see my own success and where exactly do I want to be, but it’s only been recently that I’ve been walking the walk.
I would say all the right things, but my vision was so very short term and only the next step on the ladder. Not until the past 6 months that I’ve been more aggressive about exploring my own artistic voice that it has cleared my myopia and I can start to see further down the road. Start to see the bigger picture of what “success” might really mean.
Bravo post.