Be Your Authentic Self and Paint What You Feel
Or, should we paint what the people want instead?
One question many artists seem to struggle with is whether they should paint what we love, or paint what sells. This is a debate that has always been at the heart of every artist’s journey and some point everyone has had to wrestle with making a decision.
On one side, there's the allure of commercial success. Paintings that resonate with the masses can bring fame, fortune, and a sense of validation. We can see this all over social media with artists bragging about the thousands of dollars they made last week, celebrating a just-sold painting, or getting accepted into that juried gallery show. We look in wonder at how the hell are they experiencing artistic success and we remain unknown to the universe. But on the other side, there's the pure joy of creating art that comes from the heart. Focusing on what fuels us and makes us happy. Painting what you truly feel can be a deeply satisfying and fulfilling experience, even if it doesn't lead to immediate recognition.
So, which is it? Should we paint what's good and feels good, or what people want?
There is no simple answer to this. There is value in both approaches and each individual artist will approach this very differently. Last week I talked about finding your WHY. This was key to understanding what your place is in this artist thing. Why do we paint, why do we step up to the easel and what is our story? On the other hand, painting what people want, what you see hung up in your favorite gallery or splashed throughout social media, can help to support your artistic practice (bring in income) and allow you to continue your creative journey. Many artists want the fulfillment of doing their craft full-time - doing this takes some sort of expectation of income. But don’t forget, it's important to remember that true artistic fulfillment often comes from expressing your own unique vision. This is your story - your WHY.
Here are some reasons why painting what you feel is important:
Authenticity: When you paint what you love, you create art that is genuine and authentic. This can lead to a deeper connection with your audience. Sharing your own stories can deeply resonate with your viewers. This reach does not need 100k followers - you only need one person to connect. Your consistent authenticity is what makes art amazing and personal. It touches people differently and brings out emotions and feelings that others may struggle to express. Experiencing your art could be that connection.
Fulfillment: Expressing your own creative vision can be incredibly fulfilling. It's a way to connect with your inner self and share your unique perspective with the world. I always say art comes from deep within. It is why when we experience rejection, it hurts. Why do we love to be creative? Is it something we have a deep passion for? Does it make us feel good? Is it something that is healing us? We all step up to the easel for different reasons. If we are creating to create art that we see others being successful at - are we missing the point? Are we not fulfilling our WHY?
Inspiration: Painting what you feel can inspire others to be more creative and to express themselves authentically. When we scroll through social media we find inspiration and motivation to step up to our easel. We see things that speak to us and connect with our inner creative soul. Let us not mistake this for copying - it is normal for us to be inspired by other people like us. Can we find inspiration from others without feeling like we can’t stack up to them too?
That being said, it's also important to consider the practical realities of being an artist.
We all want to do this all day and not have to pause our creative minds to do a 9-5 job that takes us away from our true passion. Understandably, not everyone has the same resources and abilities to be an artist full-time. If we need to pay the rent, and the universe wants us to paint unicorns for a steady paycheck, sometimes we need to back down from our artist pedestal and do it. I did this for seven years working at a local paint and sip studio performing as an artist to make ends meet. I taught and painted work that was not what defined me as an artist. I made a ton of royalties by creating new work to put in their vast library - none of it my art but what I jokingly called “Pinot’s” art. Did I love it? Sometimes and other times I did feel like it was getting in the way of creating my own body of work and resulted in missed opportunities.
Ultimately, the decision of whether to paint what's good or what people want is a personal one.
I want to emphasize that there is no right or wrong answer. The most important thing is to find a path that allows you to create art that is meaningful and fulfilling to you and your practice. We make decisions based on our personal needs and wants and wrap them up in our WHY. We are lucky if we can stand in our studio and create what we want and it sells like hotcakes. Most of the time we hear crickets. Occasionally that one person that connects finds you out of a million artists.
This struggle is like an ongoing circle - the hamster stuck in the wheel - running around and around with no exit. We want to paint. We need income to paint. To get income we need to sell what we paint. If we don’t sell what we paint, we can’t get more supplies to paint more. Someone asks you to paint a unicorn - you can’t stand unicorns. You paint it anyway because this allows you to get more supplies to paint what you like. You paint what you like. Again it doesn’t sell but you love it.
We can continue the cycle here…..
So, what's your take? Do you believe that artists should prioritize painting what they love, or should they focus on creating commercially successful art?
Should we focus entirely on what we love, our creative why? Or, should we paint what is trending, what sells, and what gives us validation as an artist?
Should we paint what a gallery wants or should the gallery want what we create?
Should we adjust and transform our work to pacify the masses? Or, should we stand true to our vision even if it doesn’t sell?
These are all valid questions and concerns. Some will be pure in their answer and say “I only paint what I feel!”. Some will sit in the middle and create art that speaks to them but also branch out to the mainstream and create what sells so they can maintain their vision. And then others will be on this journey to find success and treat their creative journey as a solid business to create income. Again, there is no right or wrong - it all depends on our WHY. Why do you step up to the easel and CREATE?
