Success in art… what does it mean?  If you want to reach your goals as an artist, it’s important to know what ’success’ means to you, personally.

For many people, success is about earning a living with art… and only art.  For others, it’s fame.  Yet others want to achieve a certain level of expertise or skill.

Your motivation may be different.

But, to achieve your goals–no matter what they are–it’s vital to dig deeper.

Earning a living

How much is ‘earning a living’?  Ask any rich person if they’re ‘rich enough’ and they’ll probably say no.  There’s always someone richer who seems to live a better, more lavish and happier lifestyle.

So, does ‘earning a living’ mean $280 a week?   If you worked a 40-hour week at $7 an hour, that’s what you’d earn, before paying taxes.  Is that enough?

Do you have another dollar value in mind?  Think about this.   Get at least a ballpark idea of the figure.  That’s the only way you’ll know how much your works (or performances) have to sell for, and how many you’ll need to produce to meet your financial goals.

I’ll tell you my financial goal:  It’s to make enough money to live comfortably (no yacht, but I’d like a nice house on the seacoast and an annual trip to see my daughter in Florida).  I want to be able to make my art without nagging worries about bills or expenses.  I have a general idea of how much that is, and what I need to do to reach it.

Fame

Many artists want to be famous.  Money is a secondary concern.

If you’re reaching for fame, what would it take to say, ‘I’m a famous artist’?

Would you need to be on the cover of a particular art magazine?  Would your art need to sell for a certain amount?  Maybe you want at least one of your paintings in a particular museum.

Until you know what you’re aiming for, you won’t know how to get there.

If all you do is work in your studio and hope that fame and fortune will find you… Well, you could have a long, disappointing wait.

If you want to be in a particular magazine, contact artists–preferably artists in your area, so you can chat face-to-face–who were in  that magazine.  You may already know someone who writes for that magazine, now and then.

If your goal is to sell your art for a certain amount at a particular art auction house, go to their auctions.  (Be sure that they sell contemporary art, not just art from the early 20th century and older.) Chat with the people who buy there and who work there.  Find out what sells for high prices and why.

(It’s best to talk with the staff when they’re not busy selling.  Just remember that they want you to be a successful artist, too;  selling art is the only way they make their commissions.  Generally, they’re always looking for new, popular art–and artists–as well.)

If you want your art in a particular museum, find out how other artists got there.  Did they build their way up through galleries and lesser museums?  Did someone on the acquisitions staff ‘discover’ them?

Skill

Many artists set a goal of being ‘as good as’ another artist.

Just as with fame and fortune, it’s important to define that clearly.

Maybe that other artist–or one who’s nearly as good–teaches classes that you can take.  Maybe you can study with the same person who helped them find their best ‘artistic voice’.

There’s always a path

No matter what your goals and how you define ’success in art’, there is a way for you to get there.

However, just as you can’t go to the airport and say vaguely, ‘I’d like to go somewhere in Europe,’ you need to have an idea of where you’re going with your art career.

Once you’ve clarified that, you can see the next step to get there.  You’ll know what your next action is, to move forward.

Success in art is achievable.  You simply need to know what your goals are, and the next small step to move towards those goals.