Artists are highly motivated.
If you want to become successful at anything you have to put in a lot of work and effort. To do this you must be highly motivated otherwise it can be easy to give up when you do not see immediate results. You must make it enjoyable and fun along the way and find clever ways to keep you motivated and interested throughout the early stages.
Being motivated will keep you moving forward and progressing even when things might not seem to be changing. Keeping your eyes on the final goal will help you achieve this, by constantly reminding yourself why you started in the first place. There is no shortcut for motivation.
Artists are ambitious.
Not only must you be highly motivated you must be ambitious enough to set goals high whilst still believing they are achievable. Keep the realisation that some goals may never be reached, but working towards them for long enough will still allow you to become successful. Ambition must be rooted deep and be born from the love of art creation, not self-rooted. This way you refrain from becoming vain.
Successful artists are observant.
An experienced artist will see things differently than a younger one, allowing them to notice things others might overlook. This is also a skill that can be learned over time by observing other artists, asking questions and gaining insight. As you practice you will start to pick up small details and techniques that will allow you to perfect your craft. Techniques will include shadows, highlighting and colour blending which will ensure your paintings stand out.
Successful artists are risk-takers.
Successful artist are risk-takers. They are not your typical risk-taker who will attempt the most outrageous challenges without thought, resulting in a bad reputation. They are very calculated and analytical, weighing up all the pros and cons of a risk which is usually based on their own experiences.
Most are not afraid to make drastic and bold changes to their art. However, these are usually backed up by both experience and practice which allows them to be well calculated. These can still become failures as that’s the nature of taking risks, no matter how confident you may be the unexpected can still happen. It’s how you overcome and adapt to this that makes for a good risk-taker.
Successful artists aren't afraid of making mistakes.
To become successful you must not fear making mistakes, as making mistakes means you both tried something new, and can now learn from it. Fearing this can hinder you from progression and experience. Now we’re not saying artists are completely fearless, but they have accepted the fact that making mistakes is just a part of developing your creative flow. Some things will work and others won’t, if you don’t try you won’t know.
One famous quote from Thomas Edison (inventor of the humble light bulb) “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”
Don’t see mistakes as failures but rather see them as learning opportunities. This way you will not get discouraged and will keep pushing forward, learning and growing. No work is ever perfect and thinking it will be is foolish, even the most famous artists were their own biggest critics.
Successful artists are unfazed by others opinions.
Art will always be judged and criticised, it is your job as an artist to not let this affect your performance. Whether this be positive or negative judgment a successful artist doesn’t let this affect their creativity or self awareness. All judgment is taken as feedback, as this highlights areas for improvement.
Successful artists are able to detach their feelings from their work when taking criticism. This allows them to see their art as a product rather than an extension of themselves. Allowing them to take on board the criticism rather than letting it affect their performance. Successful artists recognize that although they may love each piece of art they produce, the audience’s opinion is also just as important.
Successful artists have originality.
This doesn’t necessarily mean every successful artist developed their own original ideas, rather they put their own originality to ideas to make it their own. Having your own originality isn’t something that can be taught, it must be developed and formed with experience. Becoming an extension of the artist as their experience grows.
Having originality is what defines each successful artist, but this road must be walked cautiously. This is because there is a fine line between ideas being accepted or rejected. Of course have fun with ideas when developing your own originality as its through criticism, mistakes and experience that you will find what works and what doesn’t.
Final statement.
Its often assumed that a successful artist is only comprised of skill, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Their skill is often attributed to their success, but this skill wouldn’t be as perfect as it was without the artist possessing these key attributes mentioned above. As it is through these attributes that the artist is able to perfect their craft. This is true for most successful people in any craft!