By Farley Lewis
Tip #1: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. If you want to be a professional artist, decide that is who you really are. Then ask yourself, “As a professional artist, how should I use my time today?” Develop the habits of a successful artist before you become one. Success follows good habits, and habits follow how you see yourself, so seeing yourself as a successful artist causes you to adopt the habits of one, like consistent time in the studio and constantly learning from others. In 2017 I was an unknown artist doing mediocre work, not even known in my own city. I made a decision that I would be nationally known in the plein air world, before I ever did my first plein air painting. Since that day I have won ten Best of Shows at plein air events, and have been written up or published in several national magazines. It started with a new vision of who I really was, and the habits that go along with my new self. I dressed for the job I wanted.
Tip #2: Stir up childlike wonder. Being an artist means learning to see the world through eyes of wonder. Like a child, an artist sees with fresh eyes, beholding beauty in a dandelion, a passing cloud, a leaf in autumn splendor. We all see what we look for. The critic looks for flaws, the philosopher looks for answers, but the artist looks for beauty. See what others miss, beauty in the common, that all of nature is aflame with glory and wonder. This is how the great artists and poets have lived: They never lost their wonder. Rembrandt said, “Painting is the grandchild of nature. It is related to God.” The prophet Isaiah said, “The whole earth is full of His glory.” If I can get excited about a cluttered alley, I have a chance of getting others excited about it in my painting.
Tip #3: Focus on producing consistent art, not on being original or developing your own style. Those things happen along the way, as you pursue developing your skills as an artist. Your style follows naturally from what and how you like to paint. Style is what you see in the rearview mirror as you pursue excellence. If I wanted to write poetry in Spanish, my first goal would not be developing my style as a poet, it would be learning to speak clearly in Spanish. Consistent language learning. Art is a visual language, and learning to communicate clearly in that language is my primary goal. Being original is a great by-product of that pursuit, but not a very good goal.
Tip #4: Work small. Big paintings that take weeks or months can be scary, even discouraging. If a 9×12 goes south on you, big deal. Try another one. By working small, you hone your skills at developing solid compositions, the most important element of a successful painting. Why? Because you are composing a lot more paintings. When I began to pursue my artistic dreams with earnest, my average painting was 9×12. Later it was 11×14, then 12×16. I could do several paintings a day, and I didn’t get stuck for weeks trying to fix a 30×40. When you are starting out, smaller is better.
Tip #5: Get your work in front of people. Post it weekly on social media, join an artist co-op or painting club, enter contests – do things that get your art exposed to others. This takes guts, but it pays big dividends. The encouragement you receive inspires you to continue to create. The feedback from professionals and art contest judges can be invaluable. And the discipline to continually post or exhibit new work helps you develop the studio habits that lead to success.
On my easel now – I’m practicing painting mountains.