To Do or Not to Do: All the Lessons Artists Learned the Hard Way
It’s not easy being an artist — we all know that — and it’s not just because of the same reasons as any corporate day job bummers. Worrisome financial stability, fluctuating number of projects, clients from hell, customers who pay shoutouts instead of money, online art thieves — there are way too many threats to securing an established art career, and some artists just got the unfortunate deal of learning how to stay far away from all these in the most unexpected way possible.
Art may be the riskiest, most unstable field we can think of, yet there are brave, creative souls in we now call artists who faced its uncertainty head-on all for passion and survived to tell the tale. Come along as we bring you 13 of the biggest lessons artists learned the hard way so you don’t have to!

1. Have web presence — to do
“I’d say the most important thing right now is to have some kind of web presence — that way you have somewhere to direct people to see your portfolio. After that, it’s getting the right people to look at it.” — Lorna, Comic Artist an Illustrator
2. Do it for passion, not profit — to do
“You need to have the passion, love, and motivation to do it. I would honestly say that the hardest part of creating your own projects is that success doesn’t come easy and to be grateful for what you have. I still feel like a small drop in the large pool of artist. But then I think to myself that if I gave up and just threw in the towel, all the ideas and stories I’ve been so excited about doing will never get done.” — Peter Ahola, Founder of Green Raptor Studios and Creator/Artist of Kalwa webcomic
3. Accept projects without contracts — not to do
“Sometimes [my clients] change their minds and call your work a “test” so that they give you the job or not. It’s really complicated. It’s frustrating, sometimes it even makes me wanna give up on that job. I cry, and when I’ve finished emptying my sadness I stand up and do it all over again. The best advice I can give is to learn from mistakes and to always have a precise contract before doing anything.” — Sawyer Cloud, Illustrator, Author and Designer
4. Save all your files in a flash drive/hard drive — not to do
“The biggest risk for me as an artist has been when I’ve put my artwork on a USB drive/flash drive and used it in a computer that scans the work when I put the drive into a computer. There is so much started with laws to not copy another’s artwork in life to help this. When there are the people that use technology to hide their crime and still information, artwork, and personal possessions of other’s in life, there is still a high risk involved.” — Chantal Foerster, Inspirational Artist
5. Believe “creative block” is not a thing — not to do
“I went through a 5-year creative block, a phase of no art where I struggled with self-doubt. This was sometime in 2007. I only picked up my brushes again starting in 2012 and tried to find my voice once again as an artist. I only became a professional full-time artist right as I turned 40. If I could have figured this out a lot sooner, that would have been great!” — Cherie Altea, Painter and Surface Designer
6. Know your marketing strategy — to do
“It depends on everything from your personality style, artistic style, who you know or don’t know, etc. Galleries can be great but I personally love social media. When you self-promote and get a following, the buying process is more intimate; you get to connect with the collectors. You can also make more money at times because you don’t have to pay a gallery commission.” — Clary Lucretia Pollack, Oil and Digital Artist
7. Come up with a reasonable pricing structure — to do
“You have to consider the cost of materials but then no one can pay for the time spent on doing a good artwork other than appreciation so it’s the work of art itself that speaks of is worth to the buyer” — George Okudaye-Stephens, Mixed Media Artist
8. Rely on self-validation — not to do
“One of my main struggles comes at the end of a painting when I realize that after all the hard work the painting came out as mediocre and was ultimately unsuccessful. It is great to have an audience that ‘validates’ your work as they are almost always right. I have learned a lot from my mistakes and will continue to do so. The feeling of failure sucks but it is necessary to grow as an artist.” — Andreas Rocha, Freelance Digital Artist
9. Give enough focus on starting — to do
“Starting can be really scary and anxiety-provoking! But it’s so crucial to keep making work. Sometimes it’s easier for us to keep going after our successes than it is for us to keep going after our failures, but it’s very important that no matter what you keep ‘starting.’” — Jana Marie Cariddi, Painter, and Illustrator
10. Choose specific moods to work under — not to do
“I can be in any mood when creating my art as art is a gate for me to express feelings and letting them out. The only feeling that can stop me from painting is if I am tired. The only ritual I have is listening to music.” — Osnat Tzadok, Professional Painter
11. Just simply accept criticisms — not to do
“I don’t mind constructive criticism if it makes me better at what I do. An artist needs to be able to defend their work. Reviews should objectively inform the viewer about whether or not he or she should choose to go see an exhibition.” — Lance Rodgers, Fine Artist
12. Hold live events — to do
“I do use live events as a platform for selling. We are primarily an online shop- but I find it a great opportunity for sales AND networking to do pop-up shops, markets, etc. Find us on FB to keep up with our scheduled events this summer!” — Shanna Johnson, Designer, and Owner of Rescue Designs
13. Understand the concept of copyrights — to do
“The way it works is this: I am a hired gun for companies like Disney / Lucasfilm. In other words, I am not at liberty to just wake up one day, create a painting of Boba Fett and then make prints of it to sell Online or elsewhere. That would be stealing from Disney / Lucasfilm. Some would say, “Well, can’t you just give Disney / Lucasfilm their percentage and then it’s okay?” No, because they didn’t authorize it in the first place. Rightly so, they need quality control, but also they need to keep track of what projects are happening where. Everything is timed for specific marketing around a movie or product release.” — Matt Busch, Artist, Writer, and Filmmaker
Have you been through a lot worst? Or just simply want to share a creative process staple? We always love to hear from artists like you! If you find your head nodding in agreement with what we’ve listed and want to share some cents, just to host your AMA Session today and have your thoughts heard — who knows how many you would inspire today?
Originally published at amafeed.com.
