Each Wednesday, I am featuring an artist that will share their thoughts and advice for other artists, called #wisdomwednesday. Advice about starting your art career, marketing, selling, and keeping a positive outlook and focus on your art career are just a few of the many topics these professional artists will be sharing. For this week’s gem’s of wisdom, Alaskan artist Maria Talasz is sharing 19 tips and advice with us. What is your favorite and why?

1. Get business skills, and develop a secondary trade you can always fall back on when life throws a curveball, or you need money to finance your projects. Keep the business organized, large or small to avoid headaches later when you do sell stuff.

2. Learn about copyright, terms and conditions, value, costs of living, legal matters to protect you and your art.

3. When you want to get ahead and protect good ideas, sell across State lines.

4. Learn to say “No”. Depending on what you make, many wonderful causes will ask you to donate something by saying how great your work is. It is difficult to refuse.

5. Follow your heart, but be realistic. The road is paved with the hope of success that may never materialize.

Want to read more articles like this? Check out the first #wisdomwednesday post, featuring Karmel Timmons!

6. Life is short, make what you love!

7. Focus if you can. Different audiences relate to specific things if you want to sell. If you have a very diverse body of work, you may not find one gallery that has the audience you need.

8. Understand it is “you” in your art and sometimes others won’t understand. That is OK.

9. You may need to move to the place where your work resonates with others.

10. Network as much as you can, build alliances.

 

This Month, Art of The Horse is Featuring Mylestone Equine Rescue as the featured charity. Would you like to add a wonderful new painting to your art collection or give a gift to a friend while helping horses in need? 50% of each work of art is going to Mylestone to help save a horse in need-you can see it all here.

11. Pursue the place you perform at your best.

12. The value of your work goes up after you die. If you don’t enjoy the process it is a waste of time!

13. The art world can be a strange world. Only 5% can live off the art they create. When I was graduating High School with straight A’s in art, I told my art teacher I wanted a nice house, a car, and a husband later too. He saw the conflict right there, but didn’t say anything.

14. Unless you have wealth, or marry into wealth, or have family or friends paving a way you may have a longer road ahead if you do not want to be a “starving artist”.

15. If you start out with a very diverse body of work, an academy may think you haven’t made up your mind. Categorize your work and show the lines of development.

16. Learn marketing, interviewing skills. Work on your personal brand.

17: You don’t have to sell what you make. You don’t need school. However, the time spent there and the network you can build and the doors that are open are of great value.

 

18: Your wonderful muse can be very demanding and tempting and takes a lot of alone time with you. In your relationships that can be difficult. Especially if you are not making money.

19: You don’t need school. However, the time spent there and the network you can build and the doors that are open are of great value.

This week, Maria will be having a full feature article here on Art Of The Horse about her career and art. If you would like to stay up to date on all Art Of The Horse news, please follow it on Facebook!

For more information On Maria and her art, please go here.