There’s a truth that you’re just going to have to deal with. Not everyone will like your art. But that’s ok.
Decades ago, I did sales. It’s a hard job because you get 10x more no’s than yes’s. That’s just the reality of it.
When someone says no, shake their hand, thank them for their time, and move on to the next potential customer. Whatever you do, don’t take it personal.
Also keep in mind that a no today may be a yes tomorrow. So don’t burn bridges.
Maybe the potential customer didn’t get paid yet. Maybe they got bills due.
Once again, don’t take it personal. And don’t burn bridges.
You’ve probably heard before that on average, it takes seven interactions before a sale is made.
Now let’s actually talk about haters
A hater is someone who wishes you to fail. That’s quite different from someone who’s not interested. It’s not even someone who doesn’t like your style of art.
I paint pinups. In my style, the girls stand out. Everything else is secondary.
Not everyone will like that style.
Also, I’m not a realistic painter. My paintings almost look like a blend between a cartoon and reality.
I’m a pop artist, not a fine artist. I don’t even use realistic colors. They’re more fantasy than reality. When was the last time you saw an entirely pink sky?
If someone walks into one of my an art shows, looks at my work, and walks right out, that’s not a hater. That’s someone who doesn’t like my style.
Once again, a hater is someone who actively wishes for you to fail.
I had a friend I got rid of a few years ago who actively wished for me to fail. He was jealous of me for some stupid reason. I never figured out why.
I don’t care either. He’s not worth spending another thought on. I’m just using him as an example of what a true hater is.
Needless to say, we’re no longer friends. You need to get rid of people like that from your life. If you have anyone like that, cut them off. There’s absolutely no point having anyone in your life who actively wishes for you to fail. Life is hard enough without those people in your life.
Criticism
I’ve had several people insinuate that I exaggerate one of my model’s proportions. Apparently, they’ve never seen a Latina naked before.
Melisa is simply one of the most beautiful women on the planet. I’m blessed to consider her family to me and my wife. We’re super close.
But like Salma Hayek, she has a body to kill for.
Hayek has been accused many, many times of having breast implants.
Nope.
Like Melisa, she’s simply a curvy woman.
So when someone criticizes your work, sometimes it’s off based. If so, discard it. Let it go in one ear and out the other.
If it’s legitimate on the other hand, you might want to consider it.
For instance, I came from a cartooning background. When I decided in 2018 to take art seriously, I knew I’d need some art coaching from a professional artist.
He showed me how I was doing shading wrong. He also showed me how I got some bone structures wrong. He even showed me some quick tricks to verify my work.
Coaching
Everyone can use coaching.
Everyone.
Tom Brady is lucky that he’s had 20 years with Bill Belichick and 2 years with with Bruce Arians. Those two are unarguably two of the best coaches in the game of American football. And both are a reason why Brady has been so successful.
Yes, the player is the man on the field who must do the actual work. Just like you are the artist and your teachers are your teachers.
They can guide you. They can tell you what you need to do. But it’s you at the end of the day producing the art.
But good teachers help.
Big time.
I took one-on-one lessons for almost a year.
You can see the before and after, especially when it comes to shading.
He emphasizes anatomy. I can now dissect a corpse and tell you every major bone and every major muscle group. Of course, I don’t want to. Dead bodies are gross. But that’s how well I know anatomy now.
That’s because he stressed anatomy so much.
Going back to haters..
If you want to make it as an artist, you gotta have thick skin. Especially nowadays.
You got social media which is highly toxic. I’ve found the less time I spend on there, the better I feel. (And also the more work I get done).
If someone isn’t interested in your work, let them walk. Now if someone actively roots for you to fail, cut them off. And if someone said no, but did show some interest, see if you can get their contact information. They won’t be buying today but maybe get them on your mailing list.
But don’t take things personally.
I didn’t enjoy sales at the time but I’m really glad I did it. You learn to shake off rejection. It happens most of the time and you just shrug it off.
And last, stop calling someone a hater who simply doesn’t like your work. Let them walk.
A true hater is someone who actively roots for you to fail.
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