Endurance of the working artist
I used to believe skill was the only aspect of being a successful illustrator, but experience has proven to be the contrary. Through my own speculation I have come to realize that stamina serves seemingly more important than skill. Although, I faithfully feel that skill is very important, perseverance will determine the level of success you will achieve. When I began as a professional illustrator I assumed that people could find me in my tiny, dark studio, but this assumption was proven to be the common delusion of the amateur artist. Being a successful artist is a lot like a marathon, the runner with the most endurance usually wins.
Staying in the game is easier said than done. Yes, life is a game and those who learn how to play it best will discover the finish line much quicker. There has been several occasions where I became so demoralized that all I wanted to do is quit everything completely. The only thing that stopped me was acknowledging the success that I have achieved, instead of dwelling on what I haven’t yet achieved. Sometimes it is a matter of manipulating your own mind and convincing yourself that you need to keep going because giving up is never an option. When you truly love something, you never give up. Start by recognizing that everything and worst of all yourself, will be against you. My advice is to shut off the outside noise and focus on your goals. Remember that you are not a victim, you are not a struggling artist like everyone seems to make you feel. It is a fight, A battle to prove to yourself and others that you are a viable and valuable member of society. Establishing a successful art career is very difficult. Mainly because you have to be everything. You are your own salesman, business man, marketing agent, graphic designer, creative department, human resource department, and boss. There is no 9 to 5 for you. An artist never clocks out.
My favorite quote is by E.E Cummings, “I am man, I am failure, I am artist and I must proceed”.
This quote got me through a lot of dark times. Failure is a part of life, it teaches you that life will not make it easy on you. You must fight, you must continue on, even if you know you will fail again. Because maybe the dream is the fight, the struggle to prove to myself that I am worth more than I believe.