How to Be a Successful Artist

Success as an artist can be defined in many ways. This is not a post about money, the amount of collections you produce or how well versed you are in the particular art you practice. In this post I am discussing how to be a successful artist through discovering and stepping into your strengths.

What does it mean to step into your strengths?

You should always have your strengths at the forefront of your mind and use that as your starting point for any project. Stepping into your strengths means that your best work is put forward, you have creative pride in a job well done, others are blessed, and this gives you ongoing incentive to continue your creative practice. So, what are your strengths? When and where did you do your best work? Where has your success taken you? Do you know the answers to these questions? If not, stick with this post and I will guide you to how to be a successful artist.

Find Your Passion and Pursue It

Passion drives the bus of creativity. It may not always be present and that is okay. Being proud of your work can fuel your passion. Vocalizing pride in your work (affirmations) is key. Check out this post, “How to Create Your Signature Affirmations” for guidance. The following questions might be new to you or old hat. So it will be either a good refresher or a new conversation.

It is important to stay focused on area of creativity for a significant amount of time. If you know that you are invested in something that doesn’t fuel your passion, use the questions above to get into a practice you are passionate about. We need to have consistency to show to our audience that we are invested in our practice and we are authentic. Consistent creative practices that show your audience your commitment and passion will stand the test of time.

As a creative, do you doubt your abilities?

Even though I share a lot of how tos and tutorials, I held back for years sharing my creations because I feared failure. As creatives, you and I can be held back due to negative thinking. It might look like comparing your ability to others or not having the confidence to pursue your creative talent or putting your creations out into the world.

Is that you? Have you ever found it difficult to cope with imposter syndrome, your inner critic, fear of failure, perfectionistic tendencies, and being hesitant to share your work?

If your answer is yes, I have a Free resource for you. It’s just a click away!

Mark Success

Marking success is making a tangible way of recording our creative story. This is important as we need to look back at our accomplishments (as you would define them).

So how do you mark or measure success? If you have made it this far, you have all the mental tools you need to start marking success. The only thing left to add is some practical, hands on tools.

Marking success gives us the fuel to keep going with our creative work. If we do not look back and celebrate where we have been, we do not move forward with confidence.

A great tool for this process is to map your creative journey so far as well as what you would like it to look like moving forward. Use the questions and prompts below as a guide to start mapping out your creative journey.

Write down all of your creative “bright spots” that stand out to you as far back as you can remember. (Remember: This is not a tool to highlight the negative)
Include accomplishments, achievements, accolades, important words spoken that speak powerfully to you.
You don’t need to include dates or ages unless this is important to you.
Use as much paper as you need, this is just a guide.
This is a good exercise to do at the end of each year so that you can look back and “mark your success”
As you survey your markers, what trends, words or patterns do you notice? Is there a clear creative calling?
What are future markers you would love to add to your creative journey?

Celebrate Success

In addition to marking your success, you need to celebrate it as well. The way that you choose to celebrate markers along your creative journey is up to you, just as long as you do it.

It is best to celebrate in a way that is connected to one of the markers. You could host a party for completing a project. You could buy yourself some new; art supplies, a newer camera, a new journal. You could take a trip (it doesn’t have to be costly).

There are ways you can daily support your success with self care routines; enjoying a special tea, reading a new book or taking a walk to gather inspiration.

Taking Risks

Taking risks is about leaning into your strongest gifts and pushing yourself one step further. This may be a time that you must practice dismantling your inner critic if you become hesitant to “go for it”. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

As a creative, do you struggle with the comparison and confidence?

Is that you? Have you ever found it difficult to cope with imposter syndrome, your inner critic, fear of failure, perfectionistic tendencies, and being hesitant to share your work? Remember, you are unable to be a successful artist if you don’t work through these key stumbling blocks first.

If your answer is yes, I have a Free resource for you. It’s just a click away!

Don’t forget to grab your FREE Workbook – “How to Make Over Your Inner Critic: Recognize Fear & Step Into Confidence” so, you can confidently show up and share your work

What are the benefits of stepping into your strengths?

When you step into your strengths, you will let the unimportant work fall away and you will lean into your best work. This is the alignment of who you are with what you do and what you share with the world.

Why is stepping into your strengths important for how to be successful as an artist?

It is important to step into your strengths because you need to have passion, inner success and the ability to take risks to move into your greatest work. Your greatest and best work is your calling as a creative.

I hope you have liked this post on how to be a successful artist. If you love what you have read, please share a comment or pin. Thank you!