I have the good fortune of selling a good part of what I paint…be it a portrait, figure study or abstract…but I don’t even put the piece on the wall unless I love it. There are dry spells of sales interspersed with “can’t paint ’em fast enough.” Yet the hard sell doesn’t get employed at Hartshorn Studios and clients aren’t chased and haggled with.
Read the best description below of why passion, patience and humility are an artist’s best attributes for the long and happy career…..
“The humility of the artist” by Seth Godin
It seems arrogant to say, “perhaps this isn’t for you.”
When the critic pans your work, or the prospect hears your offer but doesn’t buy, the artist responds, “that’s okay, it’s not for you.” She doesn’t wheedle or flip-flop or go into high pressure mode. She treats different people differently, understands that she is working to delight the weird, not please the masses, and walks away.
Isn’t that arrogant?
No. It’s arrogant to assume that you’ve made something so extraordinary that everyone everywhere should embrace it. Our best work can’t possibly appeal to the average masses, only our average work can.
Finding the humility to happily walk away from those that don’t get it unlocks our ability to do great work.
Posted by Seth Godin on January 19, 2014