There's a lot of people talking about galleries here, and that's great. But it strikes me that all the professional artists I know make their money through Patreon, and market themselves on social media. That's another venue for professional networking that you may want to look into, especially since the barrier to entry is low (post art on Twitter, try to connect with other Twitter artists).
Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
31–40 of 73 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#32MBA Industrial Design here. I think that all art should start with the ability to draw. A foundational book like Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a good jump start if it is important for your ego to see quick feedback. Like mastering anything, drawing is about repetition. Exercises are key for building muscle memory. I personally like to start with pencil/prisma. Don't get in the habit of erasing. From there…
Agreed. I’ve done generative art for many years now: and I have found generally (with a couple exceptions of course), the most successful artists in the space all have a strong foundation in drawing/painting/graphic design.
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#33Create art that satisfies your own desires. Share it. Rinse and repeat.
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#34I don't get your question, do you want to craete art, or do you want to be recognized in the art world? Those 2 goals aren't equivalent... Do you want to be an artist? Just start making art!
If I were a cynic, I'd be wondering if this question, in this forum, is from someone who wants to jump on the NFT bandwagon. Oh wait, I am a cynic!
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#35(background: I was and adjunct at an art school (https://mica.edu) for a couple years, planning to pick it up again in the fall. I asked my students "what is art?" every semester, but they never knew.)
This is going to sound a lot like shooting down, but it's a note to myself as much as it's a note to you. You got this. :+1:
There is a difference--huge, massive gap--between, "I want to make art" and "I want to be an artist". The first is about creation and expression, the second is about going to parties and having people be excited to greet you.
Stephen King said it something like, "i meet a lot of people who tell me, 'oh! i want to be a novelist' but what they really want is to have written a novel."
Ronnie Coleman said it better, "everybody wants to be a body builder, but don't nobody want to lift no heavy-ass weights."
echoing another response:
> If you can make art and be happy, you're done.
Step 1: make art. Step 2: find other people who make art. Step 3: look at their art. Step 4: show them your art. You can do these in any order, but the most important is the making.
There is no magic formula. There is no formula that all successful artists follow. Art education is irrelevant to success, but it's great for technical skills and forcing you to practice.
Like with any other creative act the two best things you can do for yourself are figure out what you can tolerate engaging with in repetition for the rest of your life and then repeat it.
Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#36Full time artist here having shown work in NYC galleries, museums, etc.
Make art. Dont worry about anything else. Once you have stacks of kick ass work, promoto online and if you want to be at the top of commercial circles, move to where the artist are and start attending openings, visiting local up and coming galleries.
If your work is good and you are in the community where "things are happening".. say Manhattan 10 years ago, Berlin, etc. Then you still will likely need another gig to eat and pay rent and only be recognized after your dead :) but that is your best chance.
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#37If you want to be an artist, I recommend avoiding trying to get launched, seeking recognition, or even getting invited to shows. That's a huge distraction and only relates to the marketing of art.
I second this.
Additionaly, if it's one thing that a BFA (design and technology) has taught me it's that concept is everything (self and peer critique are close seconds).
Foundations in drawing, color, light, space, form, etc are highly recommended not just for execution, but also for your way of thinking about how you perceive your environments.
After going through the foundations, it's about how to formulate and refine your concepts. What do you have to express? What do you care about? Why does it matter to you and/or the world at large? Does it even matter or is it even worth people hearing? What does it address? How is your perspective different from precedents set by others who've created works regarding your topic of choice? The list goes on.
Only once you've answered those questions and more should you start to consider the medium for execution. From there it becomes an iterative process of creating prototypes/drafts, repeating those steps mentioned, and receiving as objective constructive criticisms from others in order to refine and come up with a final piece.
All in all, you may not get any attention for what you've created, but you will feel fulfilled. Seeking attention is what marketing is for and attention seeking has little to nothing to do with creating.
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#38Just start making and see where it takes you. Making and sharing is a vehicle for your curiosity and sometimes it gets called art.
My parents ran a non-profit arts organization that ran festivals and created all kinds of opportunities for artists and musicians. Growing up in that environment, you see that there are definitely some people who are just totally wired for a deep compulsion to create stuff. It's like a habit, an itch that has to be scratched. If you make things, keep following that compulsion.
As for a career in art, that's just a gamble and seeking out opportunities like local arts organizations. There are a lot of dimensions and niches to explore. 1st and foremost, make things for yourself, because of everything that brought you to that moment. Others may not give a crap about what you made, and you have to accept that, but you know what you have brought into this world, and you'll be glad you did it. Scratch the itch.
Personally, I'm 50 years old and just getting started with my own art. Having grown up in an arts world, served many years on the board of directors of a local arts organization, and I still feel lost all the time. It don't matter. Just make.
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#39If you just want a hobby, hit up an art supply store, buy some stuff, and make some art. If you want to have the experience of being in a show, search for local "Call for Artists", and you'll find small shows taking in local artist's work. If it is a juried show, it means they'll choose which artwork makes it into the show. Non-juried shows means if you drop it off, it is in. Most shows let you set a price at which y…
"You'll also get to know the people running the shows, and get to know the local community." This is key. Meeting people and forming relationships with other folks who love art so much that they, like you, want to find ways to share it with others.
What are your favorite galleries? Which shows stick with you, make you see the world differently? Are you more interested in formal work - visually appealing/ materially interesting work? Or are you more interested in conceptual work, art that is more overtly imbued with new ideas? Or all of the above/ something else....
Your studio practice activates by seeing lots of shows and introducing yourself to artists and gallerists who put on shows you resonate with. Art is a language we all share. So even though you are one artist making stuff, you are also part of a larger dialogue. Engaging in this conversation is how you get invited to show.
Re: Ask HN: How to Become an Artist?
#40You're not describing being an "artist".
I'm a musician. I play every day, I make music with other people, I play for money sometimes, I help people put out recordings.
None of that work is the same as the work we do to promote ourselves.
I also do a lot of pen and ink drawings. I don't sell them. It's fun.
Not what you're describing.
If you wanna do that as a hobby, just become an "Instagram influence" or something and try to figure out how to get stuff that get popular and shared. You don't even really need content.