|
I feel compelled to defy conventional wisdom. Assuming that you have talent and desire to be a successful artist, I would strongly recommend that you take as many business and marketing courses as you can (perhaps toward a bachelor of business administration degree). One may be a phenomenal artist, but if you can't market the product and conduct a proper business, art will just be a frustrating hobby. The vast majority of really good artists are miserable failures commercially because they do not have the necessary sales skills or a proper mentor to guide them.
To acquire the necessary art skills, take the one or two week courses offered by outstanding artists such as Daniel Greene, Norman Shanks, Marvin Mattelson and others. You will learn more from them in a week than you will from a years instruction in most "art colleges". it will also a lot less expensive plus you will be able to get good guidance from someone who has succeeded.
One last point. Less than 5% of the population are entrepreneurs, 80% need to be told what to do and the remainder are somewhere in between. An entrepreneur is self assured, very focused on what they want to achieve and comfortable in pressing forward when everyone is telling them that they will fail. if you don't fit this profile, it will be difficult to succeed as a professional artist. The one exception is the artist that has financial support from another source such as a mate. This enables the artist to proceed with less of a fear of failure and the urgency to bring in income to survive. Eventually this type of artist can also succeed if the talent is there.
Make a plan for your future, set realistic goals and then work the plan to achieve the gaols. Success will follow.
|