Even though there is much conflict and turmoil in the world, I feel confident that the human spirit will prevail. I see so much to be hopeful about, and I feel that art can be an important part of making the world a better place.
While I’m upbeat about the future, I understand that it’s not always easy to remain positive, and that doubt and fear have a way of creeping into our minds. As I’ve interacted with artists over the last year, I’ve heard a lot of concerns and worry expressed. Being an artist is hard and sometimes scary.
I’m not an artist myself, so I can’t understand all of the challenges and difficulties you face. However, as an artist working to sell your art, you are a small-business owner, and as a fellow small-business owner, I have faced many of the same issues you have faced in building your business.
At this point, my gallery has attained a certain level of stability. Though there will always be bumps along the road, experience has given me a certain level of placidity about the day to day issues that arise in any business. I know that things work themselves out.
This wasn’t always the case. For the long, initial years of our business, I spent many sleepless nights worrying about how we were going to get through our challenges. How were we going to pay next month’s rent? What could we do to increase sales? What would I do if the whole gallery thing didn’t work out?
I could taste my fear.
I don’t mean to imply that I don’t still have concerns about the future, there will always be some level of uncertainty in any business, but at this point, it’s exactly that, concern, not fear.
Growing up in an artist’s home (remember, my father is the painter, John Horejs), I saw first-hand the adversity that comes into the life of a struggling artist (and his/her family)!
Just to provide a short list, I’ve observed that many artists experience the following challenges:
- Fear of Failure. This is a pretty universal fear, no matter what your undertaking, but for artists, the fear of failure attacks on several levels. First, there is a fear that your work itself might be a failure – that you will be unable to live up to your vision because you aren’t able to master your technique or craft. There is also the fear that the public won’t catch your vision or respond to your work in a positive way.
- Fear of Criticism. This one is related to the first, but I know that many artists are afraid that other artists or art “experts” will find their work lacking. I’m sure that many of you have been on the receiving end of harsh criticism. It’s not fun, and not every critic is good at turning their criticism into constructive criticism.
- Fear of the Unknown. This is one that I can understand directly. As you work to establish your art business, it’s likely that there is much that you won’t understand right out of the gate. How can you get your work in front of potential buyers? If you are showing your work directly to buyers, what will you say when discussing your work with potential buyers? How will you handle the mechanics of a sale if someone does buy? How do you ship and install artwork? What about sales tax? Income tax? Just thinking about all the moving parts that are required to run a business is enough to make the heart palpitate. It’s especially overwhelming when you are first establishing yourself.
- Artistic Uncertainty. As an artist, you make critical decisions about the direction of your work that will make a huge impact on your creative direction. What if you choose poorly at some point and go down a creative dead-end?
- Lack of Support. Okay, that’s a nice way of saying it. The fear I often hear expressed by artists is that friends and family will think you are crazy for pursuing your art instead of something stable. They probably have good reasons for thinking this, and they likely have your best interest at heart, but it’s also clear they don’t understand how important your art is to you.
I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface of the fears you face as an artist, and I hope you’ll share others in the comments below. Whatever your fears are, however, the important question is how can you overcome them?
I have several suggestions from my experience as a business owner. I don’t mean to imply that fear can be easily overcome, nor that these suggestions will revolutionize your life by helping you instantly vanquish your fear. You can start conquering your fear by doing the following exercises:
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- Face Your Fear. Over the years, I’ve learned that hiding from my fears, or burying them somewhere in the recesses of my mind, only serves to compound the impact of my fear. I’ve also discovered that when I deny my fears, they can poison my outlook on life and my ability to take action. It is better to identify what you fear, call it what it is, and start working toward a resolution.
- Get to Work. Fear can be paralyzing. Giving into that paralysis doesn’t help resolve your challenge, and time has a tendency to compound your problems. No matter how daunting the challenge is, I’ve found it’s best to just start working, even if it seems like the small amount I’ll be able to do today won’t make a dent in the problem. Most problems are eventually overcome by the myriad of small actions you take to resolve them. I’ve discovered that the opposite of fear is action.
- Make a Plan. In conjunction with getting to work, I try to approach problems and challenges systematically. For me, that usually means making a list. I love to-do lists. Listing what needs to happen to tackle a problem, and then checking off work as it is completed is therapeutic, and listing out each step of the process helps me see my problems in a different light.
- Obtain Knowledge. The more you know, the less you fear. Learn everything you can about your art and your business. Some of your fears are irrational – based not on a potential negative outcome, but rather on your lack of knowledge.
- Network – Build a Support System. It’s hard to imagine there’s a single difficulty that you are facing that hasn’t been seen and overcome by someone else in your community. Network with other artists or business owners to draw from their wisdom. This kind of networking shouldn’t be a one-way street. If you look for help in your network, you should also be willing to share your experiences and help those in your network when they are in need.
- Identify the Worst Case Outcome. This one is going to sound a bit counter-intuitive, because we’re always told to be positive and think about the best-case scenario. Doing exactly the opposite, however, can help you conquer your fears. If there’s something I’m afraid of, I’ve found that thinking seriously about the worst-case can help sooth my nerves. When a problem looms unexamined, my tendency is to think of it in a vague, “this problem could signify the end of the world” kind of way. Thinking about what will really happen if the situation unfolds in the worst way possible usually shows me that the negative outcome is less serious than my imagination might have made it out to be. Better still, it’s rare that everything will occur according to your worst-case outlook. This means that as events unfold, you will have the pleasure of saying “well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be!” In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I’ve taken this idea (and many other thoughts on overcoming fear) from a book, which leads me to the next suggestion:
- Read Dale Carnegie’s Book “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” This book is brilliant. It’s been years since I’ve read it, but it’s safe to say that it has a daily impact on my daily life and outlook.
- Talk Out Your Problem Or Conflict with The Other Party. Finally, I would recommend that you reach out to whomever may be on the other side of your fearful scenario and work with them to overcome your problem. For example, in 2008, after the economy had tanked and very little art was selling, I found it impossible to pay the gallery’s monthly rent. I lost night after night of sleep as I tried to figure out what to do. I imagined the landlord locking us out of the building and our business dissolving. Days turned into weeks as we got further and further behind. It was soon clear that we were going to end up several months in arrears. I eventually screwed up my courage and called the owner of the building for a heart-to-heart conversation. I explained what was happening and the problems we were facing. Our landlord would have been well within his rights to shut us down, and I know this happened to many businesses. I was fully prepared for this to happen (see my worst-case scenario tip above), but it turned out that our landlord was accommodating instead. I’m sure that he could see what was happening in the economy and realized that if we failed, he would likely be sitting with an empty storefront. He asked me what I thought we might be able to do to solve the situation, and together we came up with a plan to modify the lease so that we had a shot at making it through the recession. Here we are all these years later, but we wouldn’t be if I hadn’t faced my fears and made that phone call. I’ve had other situations where the outcome wasn’t so positive, but I’ve always found that I’m better off talking it out with the other party and trying to work out the problem.
- Gain Experience. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not that I no longer have anything to be afraid of, it’s just that now, having faced and overcome many challenges, I know that every problem has a solution, and that everything can be worked out.
Remember, courageous people aren’t those who have no fear, but rather those who face their fear and overcome it.
What are your Fears, and How do you Overcome Them?
What are the things that you’ve been most afraid of in your art career? What are the things that you most fear right now? How have you overcome your fears? What advice would you give to an artist who is facing fear right now? Share your thoughts, experiences and suggestions in the comments below.
It’s difficult to be objective determining if my artwork is good or bad. It reminds me of the Groucho Marx line: ” I would never join a club that would take me as a member.”
Rather than worry about what other people think, I create art that excites me. I’m fortunate in that I have a day job so I’m not depending upon the sale of my art to pay the bills. While this limits the time I have available to create art, it also liberates me from trying to second guess what pieces of art will sell.
Leo, I also have a creative “day job” that allows me to not have to depend on the sale of my art to pay my bills. I have been working for the past year on creating a body of work for a solo installation, for October 2021. These are all larger panels, but I am still able to sell the smaller works (36×48) that I have been creating as sketches for the larger works. Without gallery representation, I have been selling my work solely through word of mouth.
My greatest fear is that I may not be pushing hard enough. Josef Albers once told his students to write their name on a piece of paper. Then he had them write it backwards. Then, he asked them to write it backwards and upside down. “This is the level of concentration that you need for drawing” he declared.
If I can fully understand my own work, I fear that I am not concentrating hard enough.
Wow, powerful observation🙌
LOVE your work!
For me, the fear is about work being copied and then that person both uses and gets credit for it. I keep hearing horror stories about this happening for both two and three dimensional work. Not sure what can be done about it (copyrighting seems to do little). I’m open to ideas!
I wouldn’t worry about being copied. Yogi Berra, my favorite philosopher once said: “If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him”. My work is pretty primitive, so if someone wants to copy me, then good luck!
They copy; you create. You are always at least one step ahead of ‘them’.
Imitation is the highest form of compliment.
Oddly, after years of painting and exhibiting, (but with few sales), I face each new canvas with trepidation! I am afraid to start! But I convince myself to break it down into steps – prepare the undertone, draw, put the paint out, then start! It usually works out and once I get going, I keep going. Now the fear that I set aside to the back of my mind is that I will die with so many good paintings unsold, and my fairly unsupportive family who do not seem enthusiastic about my work at all, will dump then at the Goodwill store!
I sold my first art piece at 17 years old… I am now 64. I’ve been a self employed artist my entire life… some years were really, really lean. My biggest fear as a ceramic artist is my physical ability to make work for the rest of my life. The sales always seem to show up when I need them to, my last 10 years have been my best in my career. So to overcome the fear of not being able to work as I age, I have looked at it more realistically. I can hire a helper if need be. I have begun to slow down and concentrate on quality not quantity. I think sometimes the things we fear are always worse in our head than they ever are when facing them in the moment.
Covid shut down all of my art fairs in 2020. I had my last show last March. 95% of my income comes from art fairs. I don’t know why, but I didn’t feel afraid…. I felt a bit relieved actually. This pause has given me time to experiment with new ideas, glazes, marketing etc. I gave up 9 art fairs this winter in Florida, my main income for the year. I don’t know exactly how or where I will sell my work, but something always comes. I am being proactive…I don’t believe sales will just fall in my lap.
Oh my goodness Debra, you are a delight! I rarely leave comments on on-line platforms, but your sincerity, faith and wisdom really spoke to me. Your comment brought a huge smile to my face, tears of joy and a great sense of peace to my heart. Thank you for living your life in alignment with your life’s calling. You are an inspiration.
I have some fears . Ive always done some form of art but at the age of 75 i got serious . My fears can i learn some of the new techniques ,am i good enough to sell my art , is it worth what i really want yo ask for . I have been doing this a little over a year . I have sild and still selling my art work not as steady. as i would like to as fast as i make it some rwturning customers but my pieces i want to make prints out of my other fear is finding my nitch so far everyone likes what ever i do i also glasses glitter mirror acrylic,my other fear is how yo market my art eork this my biggest fear.
It’s feeling like time for me to leave the west coast and relocate in the Mid Atlantic states, which was my alternate plan when I moved from Massachusetts/Vermont in 2007. My biggest worry is how to budget my work time once I do it so I can have a life outside it.
Keeping my stained glass business going will be no harder, but I’ll have to decide IF I want to still do and market paintings. If I do I’ll basically have to start that business over, which as much as I have a solid plan I am certain would work, it would take about 6 years. I miss my days of running the garden style gallery in Vermont when visitors would come, and may want to put my resources into starting a brand new one just like it.
As a “retired” professional and an emerging fine art photographic artist, I am fortunate that I can make ends meet for now without sales. I’ve been photographing high school sports for some years now as a side gig, and as boredom, repetitiveness and the rigid framework of allowable camera settings began to set in, I realized this wasn’t enough and that I needed a different approach to my work that allowed me more freedom to experiment. A chance image I made at a cross country event, with different camera settings and an approach than I would normally use, turned into a piece of art, and I had my “aha” moment. I also realized that my sports shooting, and professional career greatly influenced how I viewed my imaging and I am continuing to refine and define my aesthetic as I move forward. My first solo exhibition was hammered by the pandemic, with zero sales. I tell myself that it was the fault of the pandemic when in reality my artwork may simply not be that good. I’ve been told by reviewers that my work is cold and unemotional and without a supporting story.
To counter this, I’ve begun a different direction to add feelings and mood into my work and my concern is that while my images are well executed, there may not be a compelling reason for someone to want to purchase any of my artwork. And so, I grapple with whether I just need to please myself and not worry about sales as a mark of the quality or success of my artwork, or, whether I need to consider pursuing a change in the general subject matter of my photographic approach to something more current, rather than something that pleases my core of imaging earthscapes in different ways.
I used to be overcome with lack of confidence in my artwork, and was paralyzed by rejections. But over the years I had the good fortune to be a studio art professor, and as i saw these fears in my students, I wanted to help them and it turned out that in so doing I also helped myself. I began gradually to love what I do so much that I couldn’t think for too long about rejection or lacking confidence. As I encouraged my students to work hard on craft, to explore more imaginative ways of seeing things, and to maintain integrity , which involved being honest in one’s self-criticisms –neither to condemn nor to praise oneself but simply to look dispassionately on one’s art, this has cured the “my-art-is-not-good-enough’ fear and rejections , although painful, are balanced by lovely, wonderful and often unexpected affirmations as well. I love discipline. I love to make to-do-lists and to check off tasks; I love reading about artists in history which has also given me plenty of company in times of overwhelming temerity. I love the gift of being an artist now, and don’t want to squander it with worry. Earning a living is a concern, and bills must be paid, so I continue to find ways to balance out those obligations with selling my work, and like Jason said: I find that action cures fear. “Do the thing you fear, and your fear will lose its power.” That grows more true as I move forward with advice from those more experienced and wiser than myself.
Lovely, thoughtful post.
Since Covid, I missed all of my art shows. I relaxed and spent more time painting and getting a better direction in what I really like painting. Portraits are what I like the best, so I refined that area. I have been focusing on online marketing and learning a lot but I find it grueling. One of my biggest fears is approaching a gallery. I’m going to push through that fear in 2021!
Thank you Jason for opening the conversation. Caroline Garrett Hardy you have enriched my day and if I pay attention my art making and my life-living. Blessings, Dianne
That I will not be able to finish all the paintings before I die.
I guess we never finish everything in life before we go. We’re lucky to have been able to do what we’ve already done — many can’t! Your artwork is beautiful and interesting. Maybe your ’60’s philosophy will help you remember to live in the moment and love the painting your with. ✌🏻
An artist friend and I have decided to partner together to help one another meet professional goals for the next year. One goal we have set is to grow our email lists, and while I am glad we have set a specific goal (we have weekly/monthly/yearly goals to meet), I am also already feeling nervous and worried about how to ask for and get new email subscribers.
This blog had a very good post about growing and using email lists .
Sadly, I can’t find a search button… will scroll for a while for that post!
I am pretty confident about the quality of my work, and I know from lived experience that I can produce a decent quantity of work. My biggest worry is that if by some miracle I do score gallery representation, I will screw it up, eventually get dumped by said gallery and ruin my reputation entirely. Because I am RUBBISH at maintaining relationships, and I would rather shoot myself in the face than ask ANYONE for help.
That said, I feel like these are things I can change about myself. I have overcome significant psychological obstacles in the past, and I can think of no good reason to stop moving forward. This post has been very helpful, including the comments, and I am definitely going to read that Dale Carnegie book.
Thanks, Jason!
Thank you!!1
My biggest fear is that I’m simply not talented enough to make what I put on the canvas match up with the vision in my mind – and I give in to that fear by making endless studies or playing it safe with the subject matter, and never actually painting what I want to paint. It’s like I can’t convince myself to try hitting the target for fear that I’ll miss, so instead I aim for something slightly off-center. Yes, the more I paint, the more my skills increase, but I also end up feeling more discouraged because I think “It’s nice, but… this isn’t the work I want to be known for, so… why did I do that?” Anyways, I went out and bought the Dale Carnegie book, and I think it will do me a world of good. Thanks for the article and recommendation!
Prior to COVID when I had gallery shows to prepare for, my greatest fear was that I would not get the work done in time and then what would happen if my work didn’t sell after all the investment in framing, time, etc. Well, COVID did hit. My largest show to date was shut down. The paintings had no where to go but back to my studio. For two years. Now, slowly, with only one remaining gallery, my work has started to move again… slowly, one piece at a time. I am focusing on a new body of work and I’m confident I will be able to continue to sell. I am, at this point, grateful for the “day job” that paid my bills for many years and now pays me a monthly retirement check and allowed me to retire with full benefits after 25 years so I could focus on my art. COVID made me realize that I wasn’t completely dependent on my art to pay my bills but can be used as a supplement for the nicer things. So I can relax a little.
At present, I have been procrastinating about making art. I had been taking meds that caused a tremor. I got the courage to protest the medication and suggest another, and was finally heard. Now that the tremors are gone, I doubt my abilities because I have been so long away.
Just want to encourage you to dive in and keep moving forward. It will come back to you, or something new will emerge!
I’m so glad you wrote this Jason. It’s very helpful. I don’t have many fears except that if creating my best work and having the market so crowded with competition that I can’t find buyers. I guess that’s my worst case scenario.
Opening the kiln to find a disaster. experimentation with new glazes and new methods are often fraught with pitfalls, and I have run into them where I’m fairly inexperienced and working in somewhat of a vacuum. I’m overcoming these issues by watching more YouTube potters and their methods, gleaning what wisdom I can extract among the pottery myths out there. I’m also just getting started with a local pottery group and looking forward to some much-needed interaction with fellow potters.
Since Covid hit, my greatest fear was being left behind. Galleries were closed which is what I depended on. I faced a big decision of whether my art was important enough to keep going or to stop entirely. I re-evaluated and asked The Universe if I was done. The answer came back as an overwhelming ‘Yes’. So I made the big decision to learn technology, which truly hurts my brain. The only way I could do this was to realize ‘coders’ are creatives too. I changed up my day to learn technology with a fresh mind in the morning instead of using that time to paint. Now I can manage my own website, I am learning social media and also able to present my art digitally to galleries. Being a senior, this hasn’t been easy as I still think in terms of filing hands on, like the dewey decimal days. But I am happy to say I can do Zoom classes, Art Academy Homework and feel more confidence moving into the new world reality. Social Media is still an issue but I am giving myself time for it to fall into place. Letting go of my own expectations and going with what is helps me every day. Thank you Jason.
Being an artist is being a person so the things that scare me as an artist are the things that scare me as a person.
I have an anxiety disorder and it’s very hard for me to be present with people in person or electronically. The whole self-promoting expectation of going to openings and “needing” to have an “online presence” is paralyzing. I can occasionally be coaxed out but mostly I make stuff, put it in a box, and put the box in the closet.
My fear was not being able to draw my designs as I got older and my hands increasing unsteady. There was such an ache in my shoulder, that I had to have rotator surgery. For two years, I did my art but only a small amount and then to rest . Then, my shoulder froze so now what? I am thinking I need to do abstracts or something that I don’t need to hold my tools so steady. I am not ready to give up doing my Art, but something has to change for me. I am open to any and all suggestions…..as I’m using my left hand to write this.
For 35 yrs before retiring I made a decent living as an engineering/architectural drafter/designer. In those days I painted in the margin – 2-3 hours at nite & weekends. Not having to sell in order to survive was refreshing. I hadn’t a care or fear in the world. The work accumulated out of pure joy & private, driven purpose. When I retired I turned the burners up on productivity – & yes I have a studio full of unsold paintings & sculpture. But my fear has never been if I’m any good or will I ever sell (those fears will certainly constrain creativity) but rather “how will I ever get this body of work before the public or a gallery.” Then voila – social media – & the capability of posting work around the globe on a multitude of platforms. But this technology in turn placed a new fear in me: “what if the cyberspace cloud disappears in some atomic or natural holocaust
and all digital documentation disappears?” This concerns me because I’d like to think my cyber images will be around after I systematically burn the paintings & destroy the sculptures in order to keep that work from high-end art profiteers auctioning it off for millions 50/100+ years up the road as per van Gogh, Gaugan, & a gillion other artists whose work is recognized & valued only posthumously.
My biggest fear is that I’m not very good. I have several paintings in a local gallery but haven’t sold anything. I have had commissions though and people tell me how much they love my art but.. I pretty much paint what I want to since I have a day job that pays the bills.
11 years ago I had a life event and had to move out of my large Victorian house (with giant studio & show space) and into a tiny one bedroom apartment.
When people would ask where they could see my art, my answer was…um in my bedroom? It soon became apparent that wasn’t going to work.
I decided to rent a studio, I knew with my tight budget I couldn’t afford it yet I took, a leap of faith and rented the smallest space and a week after moving in the complex had an open studio day and I sold enough art to cover six months rent.
A year later a much larger studio became available, it was almost twice the rent but took another leap and sales flourished. Soon one of the biggest studios became available and I nearly let it go by, the rent was scary but once again that leap of faith and I now have the best, most visited studio in the complex. Today I’m fearless. I meet challenges head on and don’t look back.
That’s fantastic! And very inspiring!!
I’m glad you wrote this article, Jason. As an artist, I do mostly watercolor and acrylics, my biggest fear is
not getting to where I want to be. I have been trying, and applying for years, to get to Signature status in my local and other watercolor societies that I belong to. It seems to be very difficult. Yet, when I see that some of the other artists in my groups are there, I feel that I am not up to it. I wonder if it is just me, or the powers that be that jury and judge my work. Maybe both. It scares me that other artists can do it but not me. Maybe I should just not worry about it and get busy painting.
I am both an introvert and a military brat (you know, those kids that excel at being invisible in a civilian school except when challenging the teachers). While I have the skill to speak with people, being around people is…extremely uncomfortable. Is that fear?
The one fear I can identify is associated with points during a painting where I don’t really know what to do next. Reading the comments in Jason’s series always helps as does spending some time looking at others’ work online.
The “wow factor” of seeing what the rest of you show the world gets me started on the action needed to keep going.
Ginny, your background as a military kid and being an introvert is shared by myself. The book “Military Brats” by Mary Edwards Wertsch was recommended by a fellow artist from a military childhood. Reading about what we have in common helped bolster my awareness and confidence in surprising ways. Just knowing that I had a point of view of the world that was very different from my non-military background acquaintances but just as valid gave me more courage to express my artistic voice with confidence. Press on, Ginny!
my thanks to each of you for your honesty and openness .you are wonderful ,brave encouraging people .
This blog is SO helpful Jason- thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences about this topic.
Yes, the very first feeling that tends to hit my gut is the “Oh God, am I going to make it?” Followed by the dreadful thoughts of having to produce enough inventory of work that will, hopefully, grab the attention of a buyer and/or art gallery. That in itself is enough to spook oneself away from a career that seems impossible to achieve! Over time, I just learned to live with these feelings because that’s all they are- feelings.
As you know, I have been part of the Art Business Academy for five years now…and you, as well as any other honest, hard working business owner knows that building a business, especially for a sole proprietor, takes time and discipline. Quite frankly, five, ten…even twenty years time! Furthermore, I learned early on that there are no ‘get rich quick’ tips or schemes that will accelerate one’s career. This way of thinking is of a grandiose, delusional mindset. Like, someone who expects to drive a Lamborghini in the first few years! Good luck. It’s just better to be honest and realistic with myself- Yep. I could fail. Is that the absolute worst that could happen? No. Will people laugh at me? No. And WHO really CARES? Certainly, the law of the jungle does not care if I make it as an artist!
Therefore, what helps me overcome this fearful undertaking is #1: keeping my day job while I hone my skills as an oil painter, create the art that I personally love to create and build up my inventory. In due time, I know all that other stuff will work itself out. Such as, representation, shipping, pricing, etc…
In other words, I paint for the sheer joy of exploring, learning and growing.
#2: I make sure that I set aside time, after hours, even if it’s just thirty minutes, to sit down and do the work. Then, once I have finished a piece, I give-it-a-go on social media to see how the market responds. The market does not lie. Within a few hours time, I find out very quickly if the art is awesome or it just plain sucks!
It’s no joke, this wild ride that I’ve chosen. But, having a healthy mindset, discipline, humility and courage is the only way forward to achieving recognition and financial success.
Scariest Thing you Face as an Artist: one item missing from the list: That You Might Suceed! Many, very many person have self-defeat way of going through life. Failure reinforces their belief in themselves…it is true but hard to understand.
I can identify with fear of criticism- no the positive, honest critical feedback which I am always open to it, but the criticism that is malicious, full of negativity i.e. jealousy, envy, full of assumptions, and the like- which it seem to have as the main intention, to tear down the work.
When I would worry about things when I was younger, my father always told me, “Activities get results, and worrying is not an activity!” I don’t know if he made that up or heard it from somewhere else, but I always hear his voice in my head when I find myself on the precipice of worrying about something. I’m a gallerist now, but not an artist. However, I do write novels and it is a form of art that welcomes the potential of judgment and criticism. After someone reads one of my novels and I ask them what they thought, I find myself trembling in fear of criticism. And with that experience, I can relate to the 20 artists that I represent in my gallery. Your art comes from inside and if someone criticizes your art, it feels like they are judging you and not the art piece itself. I’ve found that being an artist who puts their work out for the world to see, it can be quite a humbling experience. However, just think of those moments when you make a sale and the collector is throwing wonderful praises at your work and your talent. Those feel good moments that make the bad ones dissipate into thin air. Those are the moments to take with you and move forward while creating your new work.
”Fear is just an unpleasant feeling.. product of imagination”’.. i heard this phrase so often in my life.
And yet only intellectual understanding of this truth didn’t change much in me.
When i started mindfulness practice (Vipassana) through my own direct experience i have understood the fear and it’s transient nature better.
Every time fear arises now i observe it attentively without judging and see how it changes in real time and eventually passes away in minutes, sometimes in seconds without any effort from my side..this process requires repetition many times but it pays absolutely and can be applied to any obstacle emotion in our career or life..
Wish You all to experience impermanence of our emotions and be more peaceful.
Jason thank You for another wonderful post..
What will become of my work when I die?
I live in an “artist’s heaven,” New Mexico, where the number of galleries rolling over is fairly high, and the number of artists per square inch trying to get into those galleries is also very high. I’m at the end of 18 months of nonprofit art organization and show management during which time I had less time to spend either painting or going after galleries. During that time, to my surprise, my eye and understanding have continued to grow, and I am more recognized within the art community. Now I can move ahead and work just for me. Yes, I have fears, although finances and health are the worst of them. I’m not young, and health issues are beginning to show up. I hope I “make it” before I can no longer make it.
I noticed all the dates in thes comments referred to 2021
It is now 2024…
My greatest fear is not getting my 2 sculptures Finished, cast and sold before I die. I’m 75 and 95% finished with the figures. Just have to tweak the hair on both and create structures to support them…
You can do it, Marilyn!
My greatest fear is that no one will want to buy my art. Oh, I have sold a few through the years but mostly to relatives. I have donated a few pieces and given away a lot. I have recently went live on a new website and have put photos of my work on it and advertising it hasn’t helped to sell but 1 to a relative. So…hence… my fear of not selling my art.
I had terrible fear that not only was I not good enough but that I would be found to be lacking as an indigenous person as well. I have never had any training as an artist, I only knew that I loved drawing. Financial circumstances prohibited me from buying art supplies until I was in my 30’s. I have explored just about every medium there is trying to find my voice. In 1999 I got my courage up and submitted work to the Red Earth Art Festival. I was juried in and I borrowed money to get out there. It was a two drive and once I was there I sold everything in my booth except for one 3’ x 5’ dog painting. I came home ecstatic and repaid the loan. I painted more. Once again, our finances faltered and my husband’s health took a turn. I was invited back to Red Earth the next year but couldn’t go. My confidence faltered with no sales here in the southeast, lack of support from our local tribe. It wasn’t a wood or stone carving, it wasn’t the traditional baskets or pottery. So, 8 years ago I gave up on art, left the reservation and moved home to my mother’s people and horses! It changed my life. Approximately one year ago, I picked up a pencil to draw my beautiful horses. A friend saw it and we started art day. Each week we would spend the day making art.. we encouraged each other and drew off of each others energy. This past October I knew I wanted to add color to my work. I didn’t want to go back to acrylic or oil paints because I had never really been satisfied with the results so I opened my watercolors. These watercolors had been sitting for 7 to 8 years because I was terrified of them. It was like magic!!! My horses came to life! Then, last month I wanted more color, more life and sitting on the front porch one evening I knew I had to paint my native art and incorporate my love of horses into it. Thanks to social media, my friend who got the ball rolling again, and the encouragement from our wonderful horse community here, I am more confident in who I am as an artist and as an indigenous artist. Each painting gets better as learn my chosen medium and I’m disciplined enough to paint every day and I’ve become brave enough to put myself out there. You can do it!
Hey there Jason! I forgot about this blog and am happy to find it’s still thriving. It came up while I was searching what constitutes a series of paintings vs. a collection. But I digress!
I find that clearly defining your fears is the best start to facing them head-on. Write all of them down, even the most irrational ones. Then read Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. It’s very helpfuI for artists of every kind.
I have found that it is fear that stops people from reaching their goals, and the most common one is being scared you’re not “good enough.” This stops artists from even trying. It freezes you in place. There are steps you can take to conquer even your biggest ones. One of the steps is learning about what is in your circle of control, and the other is HOW to set your goals (SMART goals). Putting these things into reality helps get people back on their feet and moving toward what they’re meant to do. Just my two cents. I’ve written a lot about these steps on my own blog.