Almost everyone should make an effort to be an artist. Whether it be in photography, painting, sculpture, writing, music, jewelry-making, or just about any other artistic medium you can think of, a person needs a creative outlet. It is so important to expand the limits of our imaginations... to let our minds carry us far beyond our own self-imposed limits.
It doesn't matter if no one ever sees your work. Its only important that you do it. To create works of art that you are proud of, whether you share them or not, is being an artist. It doesn't matter what others think. It is only important what you think and that you are deeply involved in the process to create your art while learning new techniques and coming up with new ideas to take it even further.
That, briefly and probably badly put, is the the definition of an artist. But, there is a difference between being an artist vs. a full time artist. Let me explain.
Suppose after some time spent with your art, you show your works in local shows and you get favorable reviews. Maybe even people want to buy your work. Now, your mind starts to wonder if you are good enough to become a full time artist. Can you afford to quite your day job and go full time?
Most people would not take that step, and probably 99% of them are making the absolutely right decision. It is a difficult life for many reasons, especially economics. But even more so, you are putting your creative soul out there for everyone to see and judge. And that judgment comes only in the form of money. You can't live on compliments.
In my case, the "big" decision was greatly helped along in that I didn't have to quite my job...it quite me. I was part of an economically-motivated layoff that cost me a well-paying job. At age 58, my job prospects were not good, especially living in an isolated rural county with a population smaller than the attendance at a Super Bowl game.
As my work was being well received locally and were selling, I decided to make the jump. Sure, I was a little scared, but I was far more excited than scared. I remember talking to my wife Susan about retirement, while I still had a full time job. She asked me what I would do when I retired. My answer was be an artist, do some writing, and travel.
Of course, that is what I do now. It has taken on a different form than what I envisioned when Susan asked me the question, because I still have to bring in some money. I am not at legal retirement age when it comes to Social Security, IRA's and 401K monies.
The next decision to be made could be very hard for some artists. When you become a full time artist, you have to be willing to part with your art for money. For many fields, like writing or music, this is not an issue. But if you are a traditional paint artist, sculpture, sketch artist, pottery maker, or jewelry maker, you have to be willing sell your originals. Now, that could be difficult for some as so much of your soul goes into every work you create. If you can't do it and you don't have a million or so in the bank, you can't become a full time artist.
Now, the next big decision becomes how does one go about getting started? How does one go about marketing and selling one's artworks? I will save that one for tomorrow.
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