fingers crossed good luck

It seems like some artists have all the luck. Do you want to learn some ways to improve your luck as an artist and be one of them?

Luck isn’t just some magical force that only shines down on select artists. It doesn’t require a magic wand, a lottery ticket or even good juju to be lucky. Fortune is created by hard work, dedication and passion and it’s up to every creative to make his or her own.

Most all artists can use a little luck from time to time. After all, the starving artist stereotype does exist — even if it is just a myth. No artist should ever give up because they’re feeling uninspired or a painting doesn’t sell. In other words — you must believe in yourself, in order for luck to strike as well as think and behave in ways that generate good career fortune.
Do you have what it takes to get lucky? Below is a list of inspiring tips written by ArtBistro’s art marketing experts.
Guest Author: The ArtBistro partners. Originally posted on ArtBistro.Monster.com

thank you languages

Honor the Customers You Have

ArtBistro Partner: Carolyn Edlund
Build your business by being proactive and starting with the customers you already have. It’s five times more difficult to get a new client than it is to get repeat business from your existing customer base. Stay in touch via email marketing, social networking and in-person contacts, not just with ads, but also through personal communication that shows you really care about your clientele.
Ask for referrals and testimonials — many people are happy to give them! The leads you get through referrals are often the best ones.
As you cultivate a following, give your fan base a reason to come back by giving great value, customer attention and service. Above all, remember — it’s not about you, it’s about them.

Everything Counts

ArtBistro Partner: Doug Farrick
One guiding principle that has served me well and provided me with my fair share of good luck is the belief that everything counts. Now what does that mean exactly? It means that every interaction, every email and every contact — EVERYTHING counts. It’s often very tempting to “cut corners” or take the path of least resistance, but it’ll come back to bite you when you least expect it. Ouch! Your success is all about your personal integrity and personal brand. Treat it with the utmost respect. And remember, how you do anything is how you do everything.

Be Proud of Your Product and Sell It

ArtBistro Partner: Lori McNee
Thomas Jefferson said it best: “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
In today’s competitive world, being a successful artist takes hard work and good business skills. Here is your ‘lucky’ four-leaf clover to success:
1. Create your best product.
2. Learn how to sell yourself. If you can sell yourself, you can sell anything.
3. Make use of the free marketing tools and promote your brand and art online.
4. Think like a small business professional.

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Market Your Art

ArtBistro Partner: John R. Math
I think new and emerging artists have all thought to themselves, “If I could only get lucky enough to get my art discovered.” I am here to tell you that you make your own luck in the art business by marketing and promoting your art better than the next guy.
It’s you — the artist who is “discovering” and finding the buyers, art galleries and art reps — who’s the maker of your success, not the other way around. The Internet has made it easier for artists to market their art and find their target audience, but it still takes a lot of work. If you want to be “lucky,” you must be willing to do everything in your power to get your name and art seen by the right people.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

ArtBistro Partner: Elisha-Rio Apilado
Art is always evolving. As artists, we must keep up with these changes not only because our passion necessitates new ideas and new inspirations, but also because the artwork we previously thought to be finished might now look painfully incomplete. In an artist’s mind, there’s always room for improvement — or, room for more experimentation to make one idea flourish into another.
Because of these realities, your portfolio should continually be changing. Just because you’ve selected your best work for your book once doesn’t mean you should never touch it again, or that you’ll never (ever) create anything better. That’s just crazy!

Facilitate Your Clients

ArtBistro Partner: Diana Mahoney
The definition of luck is certainly subjective. In terms of what makes a career lucky, one could measure success as it relates to salary, benefits and professional advancement. For interior designers, it’s striving to create intentional, fresh and personalized spaces for their clients. It’s a business of helping others.
Designers are hired for their expertise in a variety of categories, not for their own personal style. Clients want their designer to be the facilitator of their own personal style. A designer’s reputation stems from the positive, personal experiences they create with clients. There are specific core strengths of an interior designer that correlate with success: creativity, good communication, business savvy and leadership rank among the top skills.
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Stay Inspired

ArtBistro Partner: Eric Maisel
One way to prove the exception is to remember the reality and the importance of greatness. Demand greatness from your own work. I’m certainly not talking about subject matter choices — we are centuries beyond presuming that an image of a royal gala or a religious scene is grander than an image of a potato or an abstraction. I am talking about things that arise from our heart, our head, and our hands with the power to move our fellow human beings. I am talking about the intention we hold, to create something powerful, beautiful, admirable, meaningful, resonant, or grand.

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I hope some of these tips help to inspire your own luck as an artist! If you have any ideas you would like to share, please leave a comment for us. ~Lori

PS. I hope you will join me  on my Facebook FineArtTips page where you can share ‘what’s on your easel’ with me, and meet me on Twitter!

You might like to check out some of these other helpful articles:

When Are You Ready to Call Yourself a Professional Artist?

10 Important Things Every Aspiring Artist Should Know: Part 1
10 Important Things Every Aspiring Artist Should Know: Part 2
6 Free Ways to Promote Your Art Business Online
Top Paint Brush Tips from the Art Pros on Facebook
How to Overcome 3 Barriers to Success as an Artist
How Do You Define Success as an Artist?
5 Common Traits of Successful Artists
You are in Charge of  Your Art Career
Commissioned Art – Tips to make it a Success!
***Are you interested in Private Consultation with Lori??? (for art critiques and social media advice for the artist)

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