10 Skills You Need to Become a Better Artist

10 skills you need to become a better artist - here they are -ready for you to put them into action! As an artist you are constantly balancing producing art and running a business. There are a lot of skills you need to be a successful artist. Here are my list of 10 skills to become a better artist below!

Skill #1 Confidence

It is easy to think that everything has been done before, that you will never “make it” as an artist and that you are just wasting your time and money. You might even feel like you are not qualified enough or that you shouldn’t even apply to an exhibition because you probably won’t get in. It’s important to have confidence and faith in your artwork and in yourself as an artist. If you aren’t confident you will not want to put your art out there. You will not want to share it and you won’t receive art opportunities or money for your art.

Skill# 2 Time Management

You need to be able to balance your time with making art and completing admin tasks like updating your website and social media, answering emails, updating photos, buying supplies, applying to artist calls and more. If you aren’t making art then you are not enjoying the reason why you wanted to become an artist in the first place. It is also hard to grow as an artist if you aren’t making any new work!

Skill #3 Patience

I don’t think it’s possible to wake up one morning and all of a sudden you’re a famous artist and making money without having to do anything. It takes time and it takes work to happen! Artists face a lot of rejections and disappointments in the art world. Just remember that your time will come!

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Skill #4 Consistency

In order to be good at anything it takes consistency. Consistent applications, social media posts, art making, etc. If you aren’t putting in the time and the consistent effort it will take longer to become a successful artist!

Skill# 5 Ongoing Learning

I am a teacher and I love learning. You can learn through YouTube (check out my painting channel), through books, courses and more. Brush up on learning new art techniques or business strategies to make your art business more successful!

Skill# 6 Risk Taking

You have to be able to fail and to learn from it. Try new materials, take a chance and step outside of your comfort zone. If you always do the same thing you can become stuck or bored and that’s not good either.

Skill #7 Writing and Communication

You have to be able to talk and write about your art. When you apply for grants or exhibitions often you need to write about your art clearly and concisely. When talking to people it could always lead into a networking opportunity further down the line. It’s important to know what to say when speaking about your art and share it proudly.

Skill #8 Money Mindset

This relates to confidence but if you have issues with money it will be hard to make money as an artist. If you believe in the starving artist narrative then good luck trying to make consistent sales with your art! You need to start believing that you can make money with your art and that you can make as much as you want!

Stack of books to have ongoing learning as an artist to improve your skills as an artist

Skill #9 Creativity

You need creative ideas to be able to make something exciting and something that stands out. In the world of social media going viral can help your art. But if you are making art that looks like everyone else’s you won’t stand out. Be creative and do something different that is unique to you!

Skill #10 Marketing and Business Strategy

In order to make sales you need to share what you are doing. You need to have a plan if you are launching a new piece of art or an art collection. You can’t just post about it once. It’s good to learn more about marketing and business if you are new to it!

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