What is an artist worth?

There is a quote by George Bernard Shaw that goes like this:  “Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.”

And the world of art isn’t at all as glamorous as one could imagine it to be.  Before choosing art as my profession, I used to think that artists only painted when they “were inspired.”  I thought artists were paid to experiment with different techniques and different concepts to show us the world in a different light.  I thought making art was all one needed to do to be a real artist.

The reality is that in order to succeed as an artist, one needs to be a master in marketing, branding, and investing.  One may make the most beautiful, interesting pieces of art the world has ever seen, but what is this art good for without an audience?  There are many of us who think we have something to say to the world, and we patiently wait for the day someone sees the world we see.  No piece of art can be called “finished” unless it connects us with someone else, unless a “stranger” takes it home.  

The truth of the matter is that we fail the world, the Arts, and ourselves when we don’t do whatever possible to let our work be noticed.  The value of one’s dream, of one’s work, of one’s name, is the value one puts into that dream, into that work, and into that name.  Nothing comes for free.  Invest in your own dream and others will eventually invest in you and your dreams.  

In this cruel world there is no prince charming coming to buy your work….and that could make your world unbearable!