Letter to a discouraged artist friend
How fortunate you are to be able to enjoy Art Basel.
When we lived in Miami, I visited every year since it started and enjoyed it tremendously.
I also loved all the satellite shows that sprouted up around the city.
I did read that attendance and sales are down this year.
It is only to be expected when the economy is so shaky.
As to your question about my art career, I have had four inquiries since we've returned from NZ.
I already shipped two of the paintings, the third is a commission for a client and the forth did not respond back yet.
This is pretty good for only ten days.
I am actually applying to do some art shows over the summer.
I did not get any answers from any of the shows yet, but I am hoping that I will get in.
I see no other option for me than to keep on promoting my art.
I chose to be an artist and I will do all that it takes to make my living as an artist.
I know that there will be hard times, but I will have to economize and keep on trying.
What works well for me is that the price of my art is still very low for the art market.
I am at the "emerging Artist" price level.
All of the wealthy collectors that may pull back from buying established artists at astronomical prices, may look for good and promising artists that are no yet known.
It is a safer investment to buy emerging artists at low prices than to buy establish artists and to see that the price of the art that you bought, had depreciated because of the weak economy.
Now more than ever, I need to participate in our earnings.
I will give it my best this coming year.
There are so many ways to market art, that I will not be dissuaded until I have tired them all.
Maybe with much effort will come great results.
I wouldn't get discouraged over the rejections from the shows.
When I started doing shows, I did not understand how the game works.
Certain shows have certain criteria and different reasoning.
Some shows that I really wanted to get into, said that they had space for 250 artists.
But this is not accurate. All the award winners from last years are automatically invited for next year show.
They judge by categories so that sometimes mean that they accept only 50 new artists and from that they will jury in, 5 painters, 4 photographers, 5 sculptures, 4 ceramic craft, 4 digital media, 3 fabric artists etc.
Galleries is another venue, but you should not get discouraged if they reject you either.
After all most galleries have a curator or two who represent only artists that they like and believe in their art.
So if you got rejected by sixty galleries, it only means that sixty people did not like your art.
When I was doing art shows, I put my art in front of 50,000 people on a weekend.
On a great show, I sold 30 paintings and made a great deal of money.
But this also means that around 49,970 people either did not like my art, or that some liked it, but did not want to collect it.
Another thing to remember is that a style that you are working in now, is not you.
It may change and progress and become more mature.
I have had many series of work that got very little response and no sales.
I simply keep on developing and sometimes the market catch up and loves what I do and sometimes they do not.
If you are really determined to be an artist, you keep on creating and developing and putting it out there.
When we lived in Miami, I visited every year since it started and enjoyed it tremendously.
I also loved all the satellite shows that sprouted up around the city.
I did read that attendance and sales are down this year.
It is only to be expected when the economy is so shaky.
As to your question about my art career, I have had four inquiries since we've returned from NZ.
I already shipped two of the paintings, the third is a commission for a client and the forth did not respond back yet.
This is pretty good for only ten days.
I am actually applying to do some art shows over the summer.
I did not get any answers from any of the shows yet, but I am hoping that I will get in.
I see no other option for me than to keep on promoting my art.
I chose to be an artist and I will do all that it takes to make my living as an artist.
I know that there will be hard times, but I will have to economize and keep on trying.
What works well for me is that the price of my art is still very low for the art market.
I am at the "emerging Artist" price level.
All of the wealthy collectors that may pull back from buying established artists at astronomical prices, may look for good and promising artists that are no yet known.
It is a safer investment to buy emerging artists at low prices than to buy establish artists and to see that the price of the art that you bought, had depreciated because of the weak economy.
Now more than ever, I need to participate in our earnings.
I will give it my best this coming year.
There are so many ways to market art, that I will not be dissuaded until I have tired them all.
Maybe with much effort will come great results.
I wouldn't get discouraged over the rejections from the shows.
When I started doing shows, I did not understand how the game works.
Certain shows have certain criteria and different reasoning.
Some shows that I really wanted to get into, said that they had space for 250 artists.
But this is not accurate. All the award winners from last years are automatically invited for next year show.
They judge by categories so that sometimes mean that they accept only 50 new artists and from that they will jury in, 5 painters, 4 photographers, 5 sculptures, 4 ceramic craft, 4 digital media, 3 fabric artists etc.
Galleries is another venue, but you should not get discouraged if they reject you either.
After all most galleries have a curator or two who represent only artists that they like and believe in their art.
So if you got rejected by sixty galleries, it only means that sixty people did not like your art.
When I was doing art shows, I put my art in front of 50,000 people on a weekend.
On a great show, I sold 30 paintings and made a great deal of money.
But this also means that around 49,970 people either did not like my art, or that some liked it, but did not want to collect it.
Another thing to remember is that a style that you are working in now, is not you.
It may change and progress and become more mature.
I have had many series of work that got very little response and no sales.
I simply keep on developing and sometimes the market catch up and loves what I do and sometimes they do not.
If you are really determined to be an artist, you keep on creating and developing and putting it out there.
