What it means to be successful
Being successful is all relative to each artist. I believe every artist has their own goals, things they wish to do and achieve that motivate them through their career as an artist. Success would be achieving these self-determined goals. When you have the career you imagined and have done or are working steadily towards the goals you dreamed up, that is success. Some artists may base success on the number of galleries they’ve shown in or the amount of attention their work receives. My thought is that even if you are not writing out or acknowledging a specific, fully realized goal for your career, you somewhere within yourself know the level of success you strive for and will be happy with. My personal idea of success in my life would simply be to make a living by creating things. I have no specific career goal, no certain job I want to work towards. I would just like a job that comes with some creativity and that gives me the ability to make things and if I am making art and living off a job with any sort of creative outlet, than I’d call that success.
Talent
In the article we read in class talent is said to be a ‘nonissue.’ The author doesn’t consider talent when it comes to becoming a successful artist and instead values curiosity, commitment, and good work habits. I think the main point the author is trying to make is that you have to put in the work, if you aren’t dedicated to making the work and getting it out there then your talent will go unseen and won’t matter. I think it’s a very realistic way to look at being an artist, you have to know half of being an artist is a marketing/salesmen/business side. As a student this is kind of the first time I’m looking at being an artist from a practical side. The article was a bit of a reality check, I’m gonna have to get my less than stellar work habits in check. The thinking about art part I have down, I often find myself thinking about all the things I should make or do, I just need to sit down and actually do them.