4 answers
kaiden
Student
Greenville, Ohio
11
Questions
Asked
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how hard is it to become a artist
#artist #art #artists #career #sonogram
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4 answers
Andy Wang
Senior Storyboard Artist
110
Answers
Albany, California
Updated
Andy’s Answer
Hello Kaiden,
You ask a very straight forward question with a multitude of answers. The simple and most basic answer is that anyone can be an artist just by making art. Whether that's painting, drawing, writing, dancing, making music, etc.
The more difficult answer, and what I think you might actually be asking is how to be a successful, professional artist. That comes through a great deal of hard work and even more luck. As a visual artist you should work on your foundational skills: anatomy, composition, color theory, etc. But then you look and see that some artists such as XKCD and the Oatmeal can succeed based on fun and clever ideas with very simple artistic skills.
And of course one of the more famous examples on the other end of the spectrum is Vincent Van Gogh. He was largely considered an unsuccessful artist while he was alive but became much more famous and his art has been among the most expensive paintings sold after his death.
The author, Neil Gaiman, gave a great commencement speech about making good art and how to do well as a creative professional. It's about 20 minutes long but I do think that it's worth the time: https://youtu.be/plWexCID-kA
So my answer is that it can be difficult to be successful as a professional artist, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the effort. Just don't into this profession without knowing that success could be overnight or could come late. There's no guarantee but if you're making art that you enjoy then at least you have done something that you can be proud of.
I don't mean to be a downer but I want you to understand that being a professional artist comes with some uncertainty. Good luck and don't give up. I hope to see some great creative works from you.
You ask a very straight forward question with a multitude of answers. The simple and most basic answer is that anyone can be an artist just by making art. Whether that's painting, drawing, writing, dancing, making music, etc.
The more difficult answer, and what I think you might actually be asking is how to be a successful, professional artist. That comes through a great deal of hard work and even more luck. As a visual artist you should work on your foundational skills: anatomy, composition, color theory, etc. But then you look and see that some artists such as XKCD and the Oatmeal can succeed based on fun and clever ideas with very simple artistic skills.
And of course one of the more famous examples on the other end of the spectrum is Vincent Van Gogh. He was largely considered an unsuccessful artist while he was alive but became much more famous and his art has been among the most expensive paintings sold after his death.
The author, Neil Gaiman, gave a great commencement speech about making good art and how to do well as a creative professional. It's about 20 minutes long but I do think that it's worth the time: https://youtu.be/plWexCID-kA
So my answer is that it can be difficult to be successful as a professional artist, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the effort. Just don't into this profession without knowing that success could be overnight or could come late. There's no guarantee but if you're making art that you enjoy then at least you have done something that you can be proud of.
I don't mean to be a downer but I want you to understand that being a professional artist comes with some uncertainty. Good luck and don't give up. I hope to see some great creative works from you.
Nasrin Rezai
Cyber Security
9
Answers
New Jersey, New Jersey
Updated
Nasrin’s Answer
Kaiden - It depends on what you mean by art music, painting - My experience has been it is a very competitive field. However if you have passion for it, you should also go for it. I have also seen artist who have couple of careers for example they IT or cyber security and then play or write music on the side. So overtime they career becomes a portfolio of careers. That way they can support themselves and be creative at the same time. Something magical can happen along the way and your art becomes appreciated by the public. At that point you will have many choices.
So simple - if you have talent - don't make it choice. Pursue your art and be pragmatic about your life choices.
So simple - if you have talent - don't make it choice. Pursue your art and be pragmatic about your life choices.
Rezoana Akter
Nursing officer
1
Answer
Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh
Updated
Rezoana’s Answer
Kaiden, I would like to say that, you will focus on what do you want to do.It depends on every individual inner strength. You just try it as your passion and self happiness. When you find that it makes you happy you will get more energy to do the work. As like example me, I like to draw any kind of picture and it makes me glad as well as refresh my mind.In the world any person who does his/her work with happy and enthusiasms it will best than others.
After all I want to say that every persons has hidden genius, so you should come out it and grow up. And be patience.
Thank you for your question
Rezoana
After all I want to say that every persons has hidden genius, so you should come out it and grow up. And be patience.
Thank you for your question
Rezoana
Alyssa L.
Independent Musician
20
Answers
Nashville, Tennessee
Updated
Alyssa’s Answer
Hey, Kaiden!
I'm not quite sure whether you mean musical artist or visual artist, but either way, the answer is basically the same. Anybody could be an artist. If you believe you are, then you are. It's a matter of how you define what you consider to be "success". You may think making a living as an artist and making enough to pay rent is success. You may think of making millions as your level of success. The arts field is a very difficult one, because it is very competitive and is hard to get your foot in the door. However, your main focus is simply to create, and then put your work out in to the world (whether it's through performing, selling artwork, social media, etc).
I hope this was helpful. Best of luck!
-Alyssa
I'm not quite sure whether you mean musical artist or visual artist, but either way, the answer is basically the same. Anybody could be an artist. If you believe you are, then you are. It's a matter of how you define what you consider to be "success". You may think making a living as an artist and making enough to pay rent is success. You may think of making millions as your level of success. The arts field is a very difficult one, because it is very competitive and is hard to get your foot in the door. However, your main focus is simply to create, and then put your work out in to the world (whether it's through performing, selling artwork, social media, etc).
I hope this was helpful. Best of luck!
-Alyssa