Have you ever known someone who had artistic ability but never seemed able to accomplish much of anything after high school? Maybe this person achieved As in art classes with plans to continue in art but then couldn’t come up with ideas for new work. Or maybe this person would start a painting and never finish it. Then start another painting and never finish it, etc. Art teachers give their students the direction for each piece. So, how would a fledgling artist know what to paint if no one was giving him or her the ideas for each piece?

Is this problem a lack of motivation? It may rather be a lack of direction or organization. In other words, this artist has not yet made a decision about “genre” or “theme.” Does he or she want to paint nature—farm animals, zoo animals, prairie scenes, jungle scenes, mountain scenes, or ocean scenes?  Maybe he or she prefers to paint pictures of humans—humans at play, humans at work, etc. Does this artist use oil, tempera or water color paints, pastels or chalk? The more an artist can narrow the focus or purpose of his or her work, the more likely he or she will be able to develop a unique style and perfect that given theme. This concept also applies to photography, pottery, music, and other visual art forms.

If the artist we are talking about is you, you may want to start by imagining exactly where you want to see your artwork. Then do some research on competition in that market. Yes. An artist must be aware of the competition. Who are some of the artists who are currently being hired in the area you hope to see your work? Observe the work. Ask yourself, why is this artist being hired? Of all the artistic people you know personally, how many are getting paid for their artwork? Probably none. What does this mean? Does it mean the competition is tight? Does it mean very few ever pursue professional art? Does it mean those who are being hired blow everyone else away? You may feel that your work is already as good as that of those being paid for theirs. How should you proceed? Remain humble. It is often more than just talent that causes an artist to become “chosen” or “successful.”

Many people who become successful in a specific area have family members who “preceeded them” in some way, possibly blazing the trail for them–establishing connections. So, the younger artist did not reach his/her level of success entirely on his/her own. He/she had groundwork in place. Another example of shared success might be a band of musicians who support each other. In that case, success is a group effort. You however, do not have the “connections” just described and must somehow make up for that lack of “advanced placement.” You must study harder/smarter, work harder/smarter, and seek new opportunities as often as possible, etc

Lets say you decide your theme is going to be stuffed animals and other toys from childhood and your style or brush stroke is soft and fluffy. You recall the stuffed animals from your childhood and observe some from the present. You imagine or sketch several scenes, decide upon one and begin creating your first piece. When you have completed the first piece, you decide on a second scene, begin creating your second piece, complete the second piece and so on. Hopefully, in these scenes you are also developing that style all your own.

If after completing several pieces, family members and friends recognize the uniqueness of your work, you might then begin making your work known to people who know writers of children’s books or designers of nursery décor, etc. Look online and go to the library. Find books that explain in detail exactly how to ask for permission to submit your work. You also need to know how many pieces are reviewed and in what standard form such as digital. If you studied hard in high school, it will seem a natural progression of events to begin studying the business side of art which was probably not taught in your art classes. As you study, continue to create new pieces to keep your collection fresh. It might be more difficult to submit work that was completed five years ago while you were still in high school. Employers want to know that you are an active artist–working on a new piece or project at all times as much as your life allows. See previous articles in this series.

So, is your problem a matter of talent without motivation or talent without direction and organization? You may now be answering this question a bit differently. A unique theme and style may lead to name recognition and later success. If potential employers or consumers can’t quite put a finger on what makes your artwork unique, they won’t be able to mention you to someone else, much less someone who is looking for a specific type of work for a specific project. Get the picture? Keep studying the business side and keep spending time on your artwork.