I've been thinking a lot about the artists we consider Masters.  Many of them have one thing in common...they served as an apprentice to someone before they embarked on their own career.  It's interesting to hear artists today talk about being a studio assistant for someone because the comment often heard is "I'm a studio grunt!"  There's no doubt that being the studio assistant is not a glamorous job, but is it a smart business move for an emerging artist?  Yes!

As with any other opportunity it's what you make of it.  If you want to merely clean brushes or catalog canvases I guess that would be disappointing.  What if you were able to take that opportunity to be awake and pay attention to everything else that goes on in the studio.  Who visits the studio and what's their contact information?  What curators or gallery directors does the artist you're working for know and would they be willing to introduce you?  What makes the artist you're working with stand out and can you replicate those systems in your own art business?  I could go on and on because I want us as artists to get off the hamster wheel believing we all are creative so we have to reinvent the wheel.

There is a great saying, "Pain is Unavoidable, but Misery is Optional".  That quote says a lot, it honors the fact that the path we have chosen like any other entrepreneurial effort is not without challenges.  It also makes clear that suffering becomes a choice and if we hang around others who suffer, all we'll talk about is suffering and hardship.

What kind of arrangements would you like to make with an artist you deem successful?  What do you think you have to learn from today's modern day Masters?  How will all this fit in with your plans for artistic success?

Learning in action...
Greg

coaching artists to success