For 2D Artists
We all know how much fun it can be to spend as much of our available time as possible painting. But every now and then it’s good to spend some time to give what you have done a good hard look. To step back and assess your development and strengths as a painter, the progress you have made, and what your future goals and aspirations are (if you don't know what these are, how do you know what you're working towards?).
Set aside a few hours (at least two) to go through all your paintings. Sort them into three piles:
Paintings You Regard as Finished
Take a look through your successful paintings. What is it that distinguishes them as your paintings -- have you got or are you developing a distinctive style? This could be in the way you lay down the paint, particular colors that you like using, exploring the possibilities of particular theme (favorite objects)? Think about how you are going to develop this style and, as a further creative challenge, deliberately try painting something in a different style.
Paintings That Don’t Work
Now take a look at your unsuccessful paintings with a view to recycling the supports. If you’ve painted on canvas or board, you can paint over what’s there and start again -- and remember that you can use any color, it doesn’t have to be white.
If you’ve painted on paper, consider using the back of the sheet. If you’ve worked in watercolor you can see how much of the painting you can ‘wash’ off -- soak the sheet for a while and then ‘scrub’ off the painting with a brush (be careful not to work too harshly as you don’t want to rub off any of the paper itself). Some watercolor pigments have excellent staining properties and won’t come off completely, but don’t discard these sheets of paper, rather use it as the basis for a painting.
Another option is to radically rework a painting, for example painting out large areas or turning it upside down and creating something new on top and out of what’s already there. Or to cut up the sheet for collage.
Paintings in Which Part Works
It’s very tempting to keep every single painting in which something works, even though the overall painting doesn’t. But storage can become an issue and, to be honest, how often do you look through them? If you’re working on paper, consider cutting out those bits that do work and putting them into a file so you can easily look at them. Consider writing notes about what you did to get that result, such as what colors you used.
If you’ve a digital camera, another option would be to take a photograph of the bits that work and create yourself an album on your computer.
Keep a Record of Your Artistic Goals and Achievements
Remember to create some sort of notes from this process, so you've got something to refer to next time you do it. Think of it as minutes from a meeting, albeit a one-person meeting. Be objective, be accurate, then file it away until next time.
Set aside a few hours (at least two) to go through all your paintings. Sort them into three piles:
- Paintings you regard as finished and successful.
- Paintings you don’t think work at all.
- Paintings in which something works, but not the whole thing, and those in which you learned something rather than produced a great result.
Paintings You Regard as Finished
Take a look through your successful paintings. What is it that distinguishes them as your paintings -- have you got or are you developing a distinctive style? This could be in the way you lay down the paint, particular colors that you like using, exploring the possibilities of particular theme (favorite objects)? Think about how you are going to develop this style and, as a further creative challenge, deliberately try painting something in a different style.
Paintings That Don’t Work
Now take a look at your unsuccessful paintings with a view to recycling the supports. If you’ve painted on canvas or board, you can paint over what’s there and start again -- and remember that you can use any color, it doesn’t have to be white.
If you’ve painted on paper, consider using the back of the sheet. If you’ve worked in watercolor you can see how much of the painting you can ‘wash’ off -- soak the sheet for a while and then ‘scrub’ off the painting with a brush (be careful not to work too harshly as you don’t want to rub off any of the paper itself). Some watercolor pigments have excellent staining properties and won’t come off completely, but don’t discard these sheets of paper, rather use it as the basis for a painting.
Another option is to radically rework a painting, for example painting out large areas or turning it upside down and creating something new on top and out of what’s already there. Or to cut up the sheet for collage.
Paintings in Which Part Works
It’s very tempting to keep every single painting in which something works, even though the overall painting doesn’t. But storage can become an issue and, to be honest, how often do you look through them? If you’re working on paper, consider cutting out those bits that do work and putting them into a file so you can easily look at them. Consider writing notes about what you did to get that result, such as what colors you used.
If you’ve a digital camera, another option would be to take a photograph of the bits that work and create yourself an album on your computer.
Keep a Record of Your Artistic Goals and Achievements
Remember to create some sort of notes from this process, so you've got something to refer to next time you do it. Think of it as minutes from a meeting, albeit a one-person meeting. Be objective, be accurate, then file it away until next time.
Musicians: How to go from amateur to professional: Ten key components
1) Excellent live performances and/or recorded music.
This may seem obvious, but it is the cornerstone of a successful music career. Do all that you can to improve your songwriting, live show, and recordings.
2) Find your music mission.
Make sure you know what it is that your music is giving to your core fans. Your music mission can inspire you, help you make decisions, keep a positive attitude, and generally keep you focused on your fans and what you have to offer. This, combined with #1, can make a huge difference in your career.
3) Website that is clear, interesting and useful.
Your website should make it easy for fans to learn more about you and buy CDs or downloads. It should also be an easy-to-use tool for the media, with clear access to high-res photos, press kit, etc. You should update it often.
4) Professional photos.
You must have these. The photo editor will be the one who decides if your act gets featured in the calendar listings, and if you don't have professional photos, the music editor will not take you seriously either.
5) A clear one-sheet.
This is a mini-press kit that includes a photo, short bio, media quotes, and info about your latest album. This can also double as your press release, if you add info about the upcoming show. Have this available on your website as a downloadable pdf.
6) Keep in touch with your fans.
Maintain regular communication with your fans. Collect fan emails and addresses at shows and on your website. Don't just email tour dates and say "come to my show". Make your monthly email a newsletter with interesting thoughts and stories, so your fans will bother to open and read them.
7) Create a great tour poster.
Create or pay someone to design a professional tour poster using artwork or one of those professional photos of your band. Send them to venues at least a few weeks prior to the show.
8) Expand your online presence.
Besides your website, set up several social networking pages (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc), and make sure your music is available on i-Tunes, Amazon, etc. The more your music is available and the more you update these pages, the more fans can keep connected and easily purchase your music.
9) Publicity. Do it.
Do not book a show if you are not going to do publicity for it. Create a press release and make sure you distribute it to key media outlets in the market, at least 2 weeks (preferably 4 to 6 weeks) prior to the show.
10) Cultivate gratitude.
Treat everyone with appreciation. No one owes you anything, and so you should respond with gratitude to everyone who is supporting independent music. This includes fans, venue owners, media folks, promoters, sound guys (and gals), agents, managers, and even other musicians.
This may seem obvious, but it is the cornerstone of a successful music career. Do all that you can to improve your songwriting, live show, and recordings.
2) Find your music mission.
Make sure you know what it is that your music is giving to your core fans. Your music mission can inspire you, help you make decisions, keep a positive attitude, and generally keep you focused on your fans and what you have to offer. This, combined with #1, can make a huge difference in your career.
3) Website that is clear, interesting and useful.
Your website should make it easy for fans to learn more about you and buy CDs or downloads. It should also be an easy-to-use tool for the media, with clear access to high-res photos, press kit, etc. You should update it often.
4) Professional photos.
You must have these. The photo editor will be the one who decides if your act gets featured in the calendar listings, and if you don't have professional photos, the music editor will not take you seriously either.
5) A clear one-sheet.
This is a mini-press kit that includes a photo, short bio, media quotes, and info about your latest album. This can also double as your press release, if you add info about the upcoming show. Have this available on your website as a downloadable pdf.
6) Keep in touch with your fans.
Maintain regular communication with your fans. Collect fan emails and addresses at shows and on your website. Don't just email tour dates and say "come to my show". Make your monthly email a newsletter with interesting thoughts and stories, so your fans will bother to open and read them.
7) Create a great tour poster.
Create or pay someone to design a professional tour poster using artwork or one of those professional photos of your band. Send them to venues at least a few weeks prior to the show.
8) Expand your online presence.
Besides your website, set up several social networking pages (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc), and make sure your music is available on i-Tunes, Amazon, etc. The more your music is available and the more you update these pages, the more fans can keep connected and easily purchase your music.
9) Publicity. Do it.
Do not book a show if you are not going to do publicity for it. Create a press release and make sure you distribute it to key media outlets in the market, at least 2 weeks (preferably 4 to 6 weeks) prior to the show.
10) Cultivate gratitude.
Treat everyone with appreciation. No one owes you anything, and so you should respond with gratitude to everyone who is supporting independent music. This includes fans, venue owners, media folks, promoters, sound guys (and gals), agents, managers, and even other musicians.