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Letter #8

Dear Artist,

Success is an interesting topic for most of us. I have a friend who sold a piece for $900 and just a few years later that same piece sold at auction for $900,000. He made $450 on the original sale. His heart grew and shrunk in the same breath when he heard the news about the auction price. His work was worth much more than he or his dealer realized, but as both of them still needed to pay rent they raised his prices slightly to offset this new sudden interest in his work.

 

But why didn’t they raise it more? Art is not a straight-line industry. It’s crooked, bouncing, skewed and non-directional. It’s a gambler’s delight rapped up in an early riser’s bread baking factory. It takes commitment and time with no real guarantee of security or success.

 

What’s kept me plodding along the strange life path of an artist is my love of creation. The experience of the form taking shape and becoming more than just wood or paint is what it is all about. The “becoming” due to my decisions is a little intoxicating. It gets even better when others find my creation ideas worthwhile as well.

 

Do your viewers like what you are doing? Are they verbalizing their love of your work? If so, keep at it. If not, keep at it.

 

What you are making is for you, the artist to communicate. The viewer may or may not understand your language, time will tell. If they want to understand they will stick around, eventually buying it, so they too can share it with others.

 

Vincent van Gogh once said, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” He is the perfect example of an artist who created with a unique voice. His works still delight hundreds of thousands today.

 

Communication is key. This is why copied art and pieces stolen from others fall flat; they are only an echo. What can you shout to world? Will it be clear, or muddied with the creation of others? Don’t get me wrong, we are always influenced by our predecessors, what I am asking is does your work come from within?

 

My work comes from inspiration but always from my own being. The uniqueness of my hand is always clear in a final piece of my work. Do you feel this about your own work?

 

Be you and create what comes from within and an interesting conversation will arise between you and the viewer. The non-verbal communication of the art piece and the viewer is sacred especially when it is powerful.

 

Is what you are making powerful? Send a photo of the art piece to Uncle5star_studioselfie4 in an Instagram message for a quick rating 5 ★ rating. It’s free and an easy assessment to give you piece of mind or a gentle nudge to continue.

 

Art can change the world but only if artists are willing to make it,

 

Uncle Salvador

A. M. Hedin 
Artist & Art Exploration Coach 
amhedinart@gmail.com

 

 artwork & Photographs by Anne Hedin © 2023

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