How to be an Artist

33 Rules for an Otherwise Unstructured Craft

If you asked the average Joe what it takes to be an artist, he’d probably give you an answer like: “Well, you just have what it takes, or you don’t. Artists are natural-born talents with magic running through their veins.”

There’s likely a lot of truth to that, but according to Jerry Saltz, Senior Art Critic and Columnist for New York magazine, there are some rules and practices that can be applied to the craft.

He claims that following these rules can “take you from clueless amateur to generational talent, or at least help you live life a little more creatively”. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want that? Who wouldn’t kill for the knack, the special eye, the ability to move, influence and tell stories with the simple stroke of a paintbrush, the click of a camera or the power of their words?

We’re all Losers

His first piece of advice is to realize that you’re nothing but a wannabe. We all are. Let’s be frank, does anyone really know what they’re doing? So embrace your cluelessness, invite your insanity to the dinner table, bathe in your insecurities and get to work. Put the pen to the paper, splash some paint on the wall, sew some stitches or create something buggy and strange. Stand on your head and throw things in a pile. Add glue. Smile. Just tell your story. Look to others for inspiration, but then find your own voice. Tell your unique story. Don’t think you have one? Yes you do. We all do.

Saltz suggests building a totem pole of your life. Or making a family tree, a diagram of your interests: “visual, physical, spiritual, sexual. Leisure time, hobbies, foods, buildings, airports, everything. Every book, movie, website...” He adds that: “The totality of this self-exposure may be daunting, scary. But your voice is here.” And don’t dismiss the crazy voices. The ones that seem silly, irrational, unhinged. They’re part of the show.

Become a sponge.

Look, listen, study, read, touch, feel, smell. Think of art that has made you cry, or laugh, or that has inspired you. Write down why you reacted to it in that way. Study the nudes, the techniques, the subject matter. What can you learn?

Get your mingle on.

And finally, find a network of people to help you promote your work. Be in the mix. Dealers, collectors, curators, critics, art buffs… get out there and start rubbing some elbows.

But most of all, use your art to know yourself. Find your voice, embrace it,  tell your story and stick to it.

Read the full—and fascinating—article here.