Growth As An Artist

My tips for the young artist. How to grow your career and make meaningful art.

1990ish selfie. Manual camera with film. Headband always necessary. Missing my fiancé. (We had a long distance engagement.)

Today, we work side-by-side every single day at Mospens Studio) Back then… I worked at a tanning salon and was paid $2 an hour + free tanning… so I would always tell my dad what a Great Deal this was. I went to The Art Institute Of Pittsburgh for Visual Communications. I learned about hand lettering, illustration, photography, advertising, and marketing. It was only a 2-year degree. For me it was perfect! You see all the colleges I applied to denied me. I was pretty upset about it. I always struggled with reading and math. But I stayed in College Prep classes because all of my dearest friends were there. I tried so hard. But it was not enough. So for me, Art was always there to save me. My kindergarten teacher told my parents I was gifted in art. So I always remembered that. And thankfully my teachers in high school knew that also. Many times I had to draw my way out of F’s (thankfully they gave me this option).

Why am I sharing this with you? Many people contact me online and say… I want to do what you do.

1. My advice is… learn to draw. Basic drawing. Then painting in watercolor and acrylic will be a breeze.
2. Only paint and draw with your heart and soul. Don’t replicate. Let your art be an extension of YOU. This is why my greatest inspiration is nature. I love flowers, the blue sky and clouds, and any body of water.
3. Work hard. I mean really hard. Never give up and if you fail… start over on a new project. And move on.
4. Ask for help! I love asking my industry friends for help. I am not embarrassed to ask. And I have great friends who are there for me at a click of a button or call.
5. Don’t wait to get inspired. Find what inspires YOU and take time to produce your craft. Don’t just follow and wait. Your time is NOW.
6. Surround yourself with people who encourage you! I have to say I was really fortunate to have 2 grandmas that believed in me as an artist. My parents bought me supplies and allowed me to spend every birthday cent on pens, crayons, markers, and paper. I had an Uncle that was an engineer. I remember him talking with me over his drawing board after he drew Garfield the Cat… He said, “Maybe someday you will draw like this. Keep practicing!” How cool is that… that I remember that today at 52? Today, I encourage every young artist I see to keep on practicing. And I hope you do also.
7. There are going to be better artists than you. My grandmas thought I was THE best artist that ever lived. And in their eyes, maybe it was true. Heck, I even believed them. After going to art college, I quickly learned this was not true. Craig, Melissa, Chad, John, Angel, oh my the list went on… they were all a much better artist than me. I was quite intimidated at first then learned we each had our very own artistic specialties. I found my niche then and went with it! Later to be rewarded by the professor for displaying my art in front of the class. The assignment, to draw a still life. Everyone else used pencil, I used black chalk and my view was from on top of my dresser. Perched up for the perfect birds eye view. I thought out of the box. I remember one student was so upset, she literally stomped out of the class because she didn’t think like I did. She yelled, “I didn’t know we could use chalk or get up high like that!” Then mumbled, “I should have gone to fine art college!” What she didn’t know was she too had a niche of her own. She didn’t have to be the best at every single thing in art college. If she could have just seen what she excelled at.
8. Do not go with the flow. If everyone is creating only blue flowers. Don’t do it. Create mauve ones with peach centers. Create what YOU love. Not what the world loves. Create for you then people who love what you do, will find you and your work.
9. Put yourself and work out there! There are many people who would love to be lifted up by your art. I can not believe the stories people share with me about my art and how it has helped them. From burying my art with their mother, because she loved my art. To people getting tattoos of my art on their bodies. That is when I was like, wow. I need to keep drawing and uplifting people with my artwork. I hope you do too.

Please friends if you are starting out in business, feel free to ask me questions. I am here for you. xo And as we use to write in our paper notes in 1990… SSL. Sorry so long.

[originally posted in 2019, worth sharing again if I can help one artist. ]