Degas once explained that when he needed cash he would paint more of his “little dancers” because he knew that they would sell. It is an appealing and romantic notion that art is only about personal expression. Ask art dealers, curators and collectors whether or not art is also a business.
But creating art that you intend to sell does not need to be the source of mediocrity. Lowering your standards, laziness, and lack of discipline are sources of mediocrity. Degas didn’t lower his standards or create schlock work to sell. He just understood that there was a market for a particular subject that he loved to paint. So he chose to paint dancers – exquisitely – over painting, say, horses.
The art market is one of the most competitive businesses in the world. I believe that there is great pressure to create high quality work for artists who truly want to be break into and succeed, especially at the high end market.
Not finding the right collectors for your art is a failure of marketing (one of the business disciplines of art). Marketing is a learned skill that all artists can learn, just like working with the material used in your art. It is not easy, but essential.
Create what you love. Do it well. Challenge yourself to do it even better. The artists who sell do.
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I couldn’t have said it any better, Michael. Right on the “money”!
Thanks for visiting my blog, by the way. I checked your site out too. Very nice work!
Brian