It takes two things to be a successful part-time artist: hustle and an understanding spouse. If you have these, then continue reading.

ARTISTIC SUCCESS

Let's start by what I mean by "artistic success". Without a doubt, any definition of artistic success is personal opinion, so this is mine. Artistic success follows a relatively simple formula:

None of the three components of artistic success are mutually exclusive. They all work together. Absent one of the three your success will not be complete. At certain times you may lean toward one component to maintain balance. At one time, sales may be your most pressing need and your strategy may emphasize those actions increasing your exposure in the marketplace. At other times, recognition from those you respect or a sense of personal achievement may be what you need to keep the fires burning. Let's take a moment to reflect on what happens when one piece of artistic success is forgotten or neglected.

First, great sales, lots of recognition, but no personal achievement: Moving in the direction of the applause may bring fame and fortune, but it will not bring self-respect. Fame and fortune are more readily achieved outside the arts, where treasure and glory are seen as signs of personal achievement. To be an artist means pursuing excellence in and of itself, regardless of the material benefit it yields. The artist overcomes personal limitations to find new forms for expressing the fullness of inner life, leaving only the work itself as the record of that effort. More than any other thing, this striving for the perfection of an ideal is what makes you an artist. The career path for the visual artist is not climbing a corporate ladder. The artist works as an entrepreneur speculating on self-directed projects of ever increasing scope.	WOOTERS AT THE STEEPLE GALLERY, ST. JOHN, IN.
Sales and personal achievement, without peer recognition: There are numerous benefits to the respect and admiration of your peers; they are your primary audience. Without a sophisticated and interested audience of peers to help identify your strengths and weaknesses, your work will be slow and lonely. You may inadvertently repeat well-worn solutions or waste time in futile pursuits. You will also miss out learning from the successes of others. Your peers need not be other artists - any non-family member with a good eye will do.	PAINTING A LANDSCAPE
Finally, personal achievement and peer recognition without sales: Personal achievement and peer recognition only go so far before they start to sound like rationalizations for a lack of financial success. Financial success is the type of success the world is most quick to recognize. No one will question your success if you're making money. Resist the temptation to think of yourself as successful "in other ways". Forget about Van Gogh; he was insane. Without financial success your artistic success will feel incomplete. Even if you don't currently enjoy many sales, or any sales at all, you have to believe that someday you will. You are a professional. You deserve to be paid for your work. Period.	WOOTERS POSING FOR A REFERENCE PHOTO

YOUR DAY JOB

If we waited until all other obligations were met before making art, our talent would atrophy and many moments of inspiration and triumph would pass us by. Don't worry if you're not currently where you want to be in terms of sales. That's okay, provided you are working towards your goal. In the meantime, you'll need a day job to further you towards your goals.

I am not suggesting an obsessive pursuit that neglects your previous obligations. Merely this: as your vision of artistic success becomes clearer, all other goals will be refined by the fire of your life's ambition to serve that vision. Remember, you can never get enough of a substitute. If your life's ambition is artistic success, accomplishment in any other area, like a job promotion, will never make up for your unfulfilled desire. Unfulfilled desire will gnaw at your soul making you, and everyone around you miserable. In the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, "Keep holy your highest hope."

WOOTERS PAYING THE BILLS BY DOING FACADE INSPECTIONS

Most emerging artists feel constrained by their day-jobs. What they want is to be making art full-time. I've spoken with many such individuals. Internet forums are literally filled with posts from frustrated emerging artists. I can really identify with these feelings, but I can't afford to stay stuck in that frustration. I've learned to use my frustration. It's motivated me to make the positive changes necessary to learn how to paint, how to promote my work, how to clarify my goals and how to succeed as an artist. But at the time it seemed hopeless. I was absolutely convinced that I was in a catch-22. I couldn't leave my day-job unless I'm making money on my art, but I couldn't make any money on my art if I didn't have enough time in the day to make a body of work. Day in and day out I would criticize myself for not leaving my job and painting full-time. I agonized for eight hours each day imagining time I could have been painting. To keep me going, I listened to a lot of motivational tapes filled with slogan like "follow your bliss" and "leap and the net will appear". These only made me feel worse. Quitting a well-paying and fairly secure job for the possibility that I might be able to jump-start an art career seemed irresponsible. I berated my lack of courage. Looking back, I've been way to hard on myself.

After interviewing numerous artists it's become clear to me that not having enough time to produce art may be frustrating, but so is not having enough money. All the photography, printing, postage, and supplies add up to a large capital investment. It's extremely difficult to build an art career from the starving artist category. For now, the day-job funds my art career. It's the perfect patron that purchases all my materials, pays for framing, and capitalizes my marketing.

A good day job meets these obligations, but isn't too draining. It's important that you keep for yourself an energy reserve and adequate time for making art. By all means respect your day job and strive to meet the needs of your employer. Getting and keeping a day job is important, but all the same, never confuse the day-job with your real work. The day job is a means to an end. Making art is your true goal.

CREATIVITY

There is a great deal of confusion about creativity. Creativity is about both quality and quantity. Lots of people talk about the books they would write, the music they would play or the paintings they would make. It isn't enough just having cool ideas, you have to make things and give form to your ideas. It may sound simplistic, but to be creative you have to actually create things. The more things you create the more creative you are. Of course this doesn't mean formulaic piece-work, it just emphasizes a point many artists fail to really understand. Quantity is as important as quality, because the current art market rewards quantity.

The fact is, there aren't any meaningful standards for quality. If you make lots of stuff, people believe that you take your art seriously and they'll they start to take your work seriously too.