The love for art is innate. It is in our blood, our DNA. Art is a part of us. For some, this passion is a means to deliver beauty through their art. For others, this is the only outlet to express their feelings, their fears, their joys, their sorrows, and their hopes. For many, this is their way to make a living. The title of this article might sound like a cliché, but the truth is that becoming a better artiste doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it takes a lot of self-awareness, intentionality, and dedication.
However, that doesn’t mean becoming a better artiste is impossible; in fact, by taking these 5 tips into consideration, you can start working on becoming a better artiste right now.
Know your strength & weaknesses
It’s crucial that you know what your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to art. In fact, knowing this will allow you to become a better artiste, as you’ll be able to choose which aspects of your art you want to focus on. There are many different ways you can do this, such as taking artist’s notes and keeping a journal. For example, you might notice that you’re really great at something, but you struggle when it comes to something else. By knowing this, you can then choose to practice that specific aspect of your art, instead of neglecting the other aspects.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
One of the biggest mistakes artists make is being too prideful and stubborn to ask for help. After all, no one knows your unique style, or what you need to grow as an artiste, better than you. However, there are many advantages to asking for help. For example, you might be able to learn new techniques, and new styles or you might be able to save time by struggling with yourself. There’s no reason why you have to
suffer and feel embarrassed by asking for help, especially if you have the right people around you, There are plenty of online communities, or even local meet-up groups, that are open to receiving help from members.
“During my poetry open mic events at The Social House, I consistently allocate five to ten minutes for a Q&A session, where I am available to address any inquiries pertaining to the artistic development of the participants. This practice has proven to be highly beneficial for the artists involved. So, I encourage you to seize the opportunity and pose your questions during our upcoming poetry gatherings.” — Ravie Solanky – Founder TSH
Network & Build Relationships
While you can meet a lot of people in one day at a networking event, or in a professional networking setting, the truth is that you can make more friends and connections online as well. After all, what’s more convenient than messaging someone on social media, and then connecting with them in-person the next time you’re in their city? Additionally, by building relationships online, you’ll be able to receive help from others, or even ask for referrals.
Have a clear objective
As you start to become a better artiste, you’ll start to notice that there are a lot of things that can distract you from your progress. For example, you might have a full-time job, a family, or even a million other things that you have to take care of in life. However, if you don’t have a clear objective and a schedule that you follow, it can be easy to lose focus, or even see your progress become stagnant. One way to stay focused, and on your art, is to have a daily practice schedule. With a schedule, you’ll be able to achieve more milestones in your project.
Stay Consistent
One of the easiest ways to become a better artiste, is to stay consistent. After all, consistency is one of the keys to growth, as it allows you to see results, and allows your subconscious to process what you’re doing. There are many different ways you can stay consistent, such as posting related to your art on social media, or even making a daily practice schedule. By doing this, you’ll be able to see how
much you’ve achieved, and what you’ve been practicing. This will allow you to stay consistent and on your art schedule.
Always be learning & practicing
To be a better artiste, you must be willing to learn new things and experiment with different techniques. The more you learn and study other artists, the easier it will be to improve your own work. However, what’s important is that you don’t just let inspiration come to you, but that you actively go out and search for it. One of the best ways to improve your art is to surround yourself with others who are
better than you. This can be a group of artists who meet regularly or even a mentor. What works best for one artist might not be the best fit for you. With enough practice and effort, you’ll eventually discover your own voice as an artiste.
Be Patient & Persistent
It’s obvious that you have to be patient when it comes to growing as an artiste, but is patience also necessary when you’re practicing? After all, you have to be patient when it comes to getting published or building a name for yourself, you don’t have to be patient when it comes to your art. However, there’s a big difference between being patient and being persistent. After all, patience is about waiting for the right opportunity, or the right opportunity to come your way; whereas, persistence is about not giving up, and not giving in.
For example, When you’re a writer, your whole life is about waiting. You wait for inspiration to strike, for ideas to bubble up from your subconscious, for characters to show up at your door. You wait for editors to finish reading your work, for booksellers to display your books, for readers to appreciate your words. And when all those waits come to an end, you wait for your work to have an impact on people. You wait for people to love your story, for them to read it and remember it and share it. You wait for them to tell others about your novel and make them read it, too. You wait for reviews that tell people why your book is great and give them hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to write, too. You wait for readers who will be the first people in the world to read your masterpiece. But when you do it with patience and persistence, as a writer, waiting becomes something that you embrace instead of dread.
