In today’s episode I wanted to talk about the ask – asking is the way to get what you want.
I’m providing an example of me.
I Branded Myself as a Teacher
I’ve branded myself as a teacher for so long, that people almost never ask about purchasing paintings.
Once I figured out this was the deal, I started “asking” for what I want.
I started mentioning when a painting’s for sale. I started saying what I want to happen.
And it worked! I’m already starting to get more of what I want.
The Market Will Tell You
Once you ask, the market will answer.
When what you want to have happen – happens – it means you are on the right track!
When what you want doesn’t happen, there may be something you need to work on.
In the example of selling art – maybe you need to improve your artwork, or perhaps your pricing isn’t optimized.
And that’s it for today’s ep! And now – artist corner.
Artist Corner – Tytus Brzozowski
Today I featured Tytus Brzozowski, an incredible Polish watercolor painter and architect.
His watercolor art is among the most unique and impressive I’ve seen. He works in a surrealistic style, and combines realistic stories with fantasy worlds.
His knowledge in architecture really serves his paintings, and adds an air of professionalism when it comes to his buildings and their details.
In today’s episode we talked about ignoring the noise, and learning who to listen to.
Here’s a summary of the episode, as well as the links mentioned.
What Selling at Fairs Taught Me
First I talk about how I came to think of this topic.
When I just started selling my art at the local fair, several artists made discouraging remarks about selling paintings there.
I then came to realize this happened all throughout my career. People seem to wonder whether there’s money in art, and be quite cynical towards the topic.
The Underlying Limiting Belief
These people basically communicate their own shortcomings and limiting beliefs (unless done maliciously).
They feel insecure about selling their art.
I have a lot of empathy for artists, but I have a strong aversion to the forcing of your own limiting beliefs upon others.
I think it’s important NOT to do that.
Which is why I also don’t think there are many people you should listen to.
Who Should Your Listen To?
I would say two things:
1. People who are actually succeeding at what you want to do.
These are great, and also perhaps more generally people who are positive and have a clear aim and vision for their future.
2. The market.
By the market I mean the whole sum of your potential customers. The average of all of them. Could be millions of people.
The market’s response to you will always speak the truth. If you aren’t successful as many paintings as you’d like – the market is telling you something.
Maybe your art isn’t good enough. Maybe it’s too expensive. Maybe it’s too CHEAP. Maybe it doesn’t fit the venue in which you try and sell it.
The good thing about the “market” is that it really is the average. It may be contentious, but I do believe this is one of the cleanest feedbacks you can get.
If a product fails, there’s a reason for it.
And that feedback is actually very valuable! It will help you sell more works, if you choose to listen to it.
Conclusion
So this is it for this one!
It takes time to learn who to listen to, so be open but stay on your path and believe in your own vision (another topic I have to cover in an upcoming episode.
And now, let us move into the Artist Corner!
Artist Corner – Alex Ross
Today I talked about Alex Ross, an American comic book writer and artist.
He worked with both Marvel and DC, and what really attracted me to his work is the one done in watercolor!
It’s fascinating for me to see watercolor used in a way I’m less used to. You can watch a REALLY AWESOME video of his here: Alex Ross Video
In this episode I want to talk about the future of art, as well as AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality).
The last couple of decades have brought with them amazing technological advancements. And these seem to accelerate.
This has the potential to change the art world, and provide amazing tools and services for artists.
Art Business Survival 101
In order to survive and thrive as an artist and as an art business owner – you have to be aware of technological & marketing trends.
I’ve been making serious efforts to keep up with technology so far. This means doubling down on LinkedIn marketing, having a podcast, the IGTV platform and many more.
I’ve been following Gary V for a while now, and watching him reminds me on a regular basis to pay attention to what’s going on in the world.
This led to significant success on IGTV (I have videos there with over 700K views). It also led to significant success in selling my courses using FB ads.
And now I spend a lot of time thinking about what’s next in store for us as business owners and artists.
Augmented Reality for Artist
This is the ability to show imaginary objects in real life. The best example for this would be Snapchat’s and Instagram’s filters.
You can use them to change the look of your face, or to add different elements around you (like the sunshine effect, the clouds and much MUCH more).
This can grant amazing capabilities for artists. Two things come to mind as I think of this.
1. Guidance and assistance for creation purposes.
I see many apps that use augmented reality to scan an area (a wall or a paper), and “project” on screen drawing guidelines. So when you look at the paper through your phone you can tell where to draw each line.
Kind of like a digital projector.
2. Idea generating tool.
If you can see anything as if it’s really there in real life, this is potentially an incredible tool for generating ideas for artwork, as well as inspiration!
Virtual Reality for Artists
This is the real deal.
VR will allow us to basically be anywhere we want, and feel almost like we are really there. To what degree is unclear, some say it will be 95% convincing (which is insanely high).
Having the ability to visit anywhere and everywhere without actually moving may significantly impact the travel industry too.
But in any case – imagine you can step into a virtual version of the world and see any place you want. And actually feel like you are there.
Imagine stepping into IMAGINARY worlds, film-based universes and the likes. That’s incredible.
Now imagine you can control the time of day, light and shadow conditions of the scene, mood, atmosphere etc.
We’re talking endless opportunities and endless inspiration for artists.
Hell, we could even create VR art and VR museums.
The Possibilities are Endless
Gary V says we are about 20 years away from that, so there’s still time. But I want to make sure I’m on top of it once it’s here.
This also means, by the way, that tons of new jobs may open in the fields of 3D art, sound and perhaps even touch / sensory fields.
So plenty of things to look forward to (;
But with that being said, let’s go back to our time, and look at today’s artist.
Artist Corner
Today’s artist is Ron Ranson. He was a British watercolor painter, who painted in what I see as the classic British style.
I love his colorful portrayal of nature in his landscapes.
Ron Ranson actually passed away at in 2016 at the age of 92. It seems like he left a serious legacy after him, and lots of students and artists praising his contribution to the watercolor world.
And here’s a YouTube vid to check out, to see his painting process.
Also, an artist that paints in a very similar style (and was probably influenced by Ron Ranson’s work) is Steven Cronin. You can check out his work here: Steven Cronin
Today I wanted to provide you with a quick update about my septoplasty surgery.
This episode is not really art-related, but rather a personal update. Feel free to skip if you are uninterested.
Background to the Septoplasty Surgery
I have had a deviated septum for pretty much as long as I can remember. To be more accurate – I’m not sure I always had it, or it’s a condition that worsened with time.
The deviated septum made it so that my right nostril is mostly blocked. My instinct tells me I had about 20% airflow in it.
In the 10 years or so, I started feeling the effect of this. I couldn’t sleep on my left side properly (would only be able to breath through my mouth).
I also have some allergies, and this worsened them feeling of tickling and stuffiness. My nose was generally annoying haha.
After deciding to get the surgery done, it took about 6 months of preparations, exams and meetings. Most of this was due to the hospital schedule (these surgeries always take time to schedule here).
The Septoplasty Surgery Itself
I got to the hospital very early, signed on and started the prep and anesthesia process.
The surgery was quite short, about 45 minutes long. Out of that I think the doctor was working for about 30 minutes.
It was a funny experience, as I was under local anesthesia. So I felt the doctor pulling stuff, cutting stuff, hitting with a hammer. But at the same time I was really groggy, and luckily felt no pain at all thanks to the anesthetic-soaked pads stuffed into the nostrils at the start of the procedure.
After the surgery I stayed the night at the hospital, and left the next day.
The doctor said the surgery went well, and I should expect too rough of a recovery.
If you want to see some pics from the hospital (nothing graphic haha), check out this IG post: Septoplasty Update on IG
Recovery
I’ve taken a week of “forced vacation” haha. From last wednesday (03/04) till today (10/04) I’ve been sleeping, resting, painting a little and playing on my Switch.
I hope to start gradually going back to work tomorrow.
You can expect new YouTube videos for Thursday and Saturday.
And that’s it for this one. As mentioned, no Artist Corner this time, but we’ll be back to the usual routine really soon (:
In today’s episode I wanted to share with you a snippet of my interview with Cesar Santos.
This was an amazing experience, and Cesar is such a great guy!
You can check out the entire thing here:
Authenticity in Art
In this snippet Cesar shares his insights regarding developing your style, artistic freedom, being true to yourself and learning from others.
If you set aside techniques, master studies and so on… over the long run I find one of the most fun parts of creating is slowly learning more about yourself.
With time, and doing the right work, you become more and more like yourself, and less of an imitation of others.
I always aspire to learn from others, but at the same time preserve my authenticity, which is why this topic is so close to me!
Artist Corner
Today’s artist is obviously Cesar Santos.
He is a highly renowned classically trained painter and creator. He works in many drawing mediums, and mainly in oils.
His work is exhibited in galleries in the US and around the world. His series of paintings called “Syncretism” has been one of his major works, and he is always striving to teach, learn and improve.
