5 BIGGEST Mistakes I Made as and Artist and How Not To Make Them

5 BIGGEST Mistakes I Made As An Artist

Ever been stuck on the side of the Highway with a flat tire on the way to the biggest art market of the year trying to cash in on those Christmas shoppers? Sweating in the Hawaii sun trying to make it there in time so you can make enough money to put gas in your car and pay your rent? I have. I have made plenty of mistakes, It would take hours to list them all. 

I was 17 when I first made money of my artwork. It was 12 years later when I finally became a professional artist. 5 Years after that I was actually making real money. Thats a pretty long time line. Mistakes, lots of them, in all areas of my life. These are the top 5 mistakes I made as a professional artist that hopefully you can learn from, I sure did.

1. THINKING I WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH

For a long time I didn't believe in my own skills. I loved to make art and wasn't that bad but I always looked to other artists and thought how much better they were. I spent too much time in a self deprecating mental loop that  didn't produce the confidence to go out and show my work regardless if it was good or bad. What I learned from this mistake that I can share with you is that you will always be working on your craft. Your art will never be perfect to you, but it may be perfect for someone else. Don't let your insecurity hold you back from getting out there and showing your work.

2. SUCCESS WOULD COME TO ME

I made the mistake of believing that I would be "Discovered" That someone would come along and make it so all I had to do was create. This kept me from making more art and it kept me from getting out and showing my work at art fairs and festivals. I strongly believe that it is up to the artist to determine their success. Graffiti artist didn't get discovered they put their work out in the streets for decades before getting any notability. Get yourself out there. Ask a coffee shop if you can have a turn showing your art on the walls. Sign up for a craft fair, art market or art festival. Organize a group art show somewhere. Make it Happen. Only you have the power to launch your art career.

3. BELIEVING MY TIME/ART HAD LITTLE MONETARY VALUE

When I started making the resin art and people were actually asking to buy it, i would sell the art for so little. I had so much insecurity built up around myself as an artist that I was just happy to have someone like it. I would often give it away or sell it for way less than my time and materials were worth. Selling your art at low costs or giving it away only make your art have less value. the collector will value the artwork less if the artist doesn't even value it. Your time and creativity has value. Don't underestimate yourself. One book that really helped me with this mistake of mine was the book Art, Money, Success.

4. NOT TAKING THE BUSINESS SIDE SERIOUSLY

It took me a while to take the business side seriously. I got really caught up in being a starving artist, then an artist who was making enough money to survive. Once i Started to take the business side seriously was when I actually started to thrive. I Lived in a van outside my surfboard factory/ art studio. Now I own my art Studio, house and have a gallery. All this is because I started to take the business side seriously. Well my Wife takes business serious and she taught me how to take it seriously. 

5. FOLLOWING SOMEONE ELSES PATH

I Tried to follow another artists path. Though this help me break out of the starving artist mold, I tried to follow her exact footsteps. Unfortunately that path was perfect for her and her style of art, and it didn’t work so well for me and my style. Learn how someone became successful. Study what they did, but don't be afraid to blaze your own path. I chased someone else rather than focusing on leading my own way. Don't make this mistake.

BONUS KNOWLEDGE 

Seek help. Seek mentorship. Seek business info. Ask. Get out there. It’s on you. It’s no one else’s problem but your own. Stay inspired. Grind at it every day. Success comes to those who work the hardest and most passionate about it. Use your time wisely. I went to a Tony Robins seminar and thought it was going to be a waste of 400$ more money than I ever spent on self growth. I was embarrassed to go, but you know what? That weekend transformed my brain and I have seen nothing but growth since then. Its even one of the reasons Im writing this today, to help share the knowledge I have learned so you too can benefit from my mistakes.

MOTIVATIONAL ART SPEECH

Get out there. Make mistakes. Ive made plenty and I am here today to tell you its all going to be ok. When you make a mistake it will be frustrating and it can even get depressing. You can get stuck in ruts. You can become a hermit, afraid to put yourself out there. This has happened to me. But here I am at the other end of the tunnel. It's bright on this side. You can make it, you can do it. That dark tunnel you have to travel through sometimes build character. It make you authentic. It builds confidence, well after it shatters it. It will be ok I promise. Learn to be comfortable with your mistakes. Own your mistakes. Something bad happened, or you didn’t do something right? Good, learn from this, take notes. How can you do it better next time. Teach ones who haven’t experience that failure on what not to to and what to look out for.

Go Make some art. Get our there and show your work. Make a mistake and share it with me. I probably made the sea mistake in a more embarrassing way.

Stay Inspired, Aloha