3 Principles for Great Artwork (No Matter What You Create)

Discover the secrets to transforming your artistic talent into a thriving success and learn how Christian artists can truly master their craft. Our latest episode offers an enlightening exploration into the intricacies of becoming a masterful artist. We delve into essential skills such as color mixing, composition, and the proficient use of materials, all of which empower an artist to express their God-given talents with confidence and ease. This is no mere chat; it's an opportunity to uncover how mastering your tools can not only distinguish your art in the marketplace but also forge deep, genuine connections with clients who will treasure the unique value of your work.

If you've ever wondered how to balance staying true to your artistic integrity while captivating the market, this episode is your guiding light. We discuss the allure of having a unique artistic voice, one that pierces through the noise and resonates with potential buyers, without sacrificing your creative spirit. We also tackle the enriching experience of art critiques and their role in an artist's growth. And, for those yearning for a community of peers and personalized mentorship, I invite you to join the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program, where your artistic and entrepreneurial passions are nurtured. Tune in to nurture your artistry and business acumen with us.

Join the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program at http://www.matttommeymentoring.com/artmentor 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast, where we hope you connect with God to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in His kingdom. I'm Matt Tommey, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey, my friend, hope you are doing well. It's Matt, tommy, and I'm really glad that you're here with me on the podcast today. You know, recently inside our mentoring program, we started doing art critiques for our members. It's something that is just super, super valuable, you know, just getting expert input on your work and what you're doing right, what you could improve on that sort of thing. And I was sharing the other day three things with our community and I just thought, man, I want to put this out on the podcast as well, because I think it could really really help you as you're developing yourself as an artist, because one of the things I've discovered over the years in mentoring thousands of artists is that you can be the best marketer in the world. You can have the best funnel. You can have the best you know funnel. You can have the best email marketing and social media and and Instagram photos and be in all the shows and all that kind of stuff, but bottom line is, if your work is not great, um, you know that you're going to have an issue with with trying to sell your work, and so having work that is at a high level and that really stands out in the marketplace, that really is ground zero for being a successful artist. And although we're, all you know, in process, in what we're doing and in what we're developing artistically, there really is sort of a ground zero that you need to be at in order to get your work out there, have it really be able to stand up and speak on its own and give you the ability to be able to develop, you know, interest from clients and relationship and connection and that sort of thing. And so three things that I want to really drive home with you today that I think are really foundational thoughts and helping to give you a context for how to grow in your art and how to begin to mature in that are these your work needs to be masterful, it needs to be unique and it needs to be desirable.

Speaker 1: 2:19

Now let me kind of break these down. By masterful, I mean that when I look at a piece of art, like if I'm doing a critique of somebody's work and I'm trying to help them come up to the next level, I can tell almost immediately is this person still struggling with things like mixing color, composition, the use of their materials, their ability to finish and present the piece? In other words, is it evident that this artist is still struggling with these things, still growing in these things, or have they really mastered the use of their materials and techniques to a point where they're now able to really freely express themselves through their art, as opposed to struggling with their materials and with techniques and and ideas in order to get it out on the canvas or on the pedestal or on the wall or whatever? It might be that masterfulness although, again, we're all growing in that. Really, when you get to the point like, for example, if you're a painter, where you, you know, mixing color is just second nature, where composition is something that that you just, you know, are innately knowing how to do that, that's something that that you are very comfortable with, that you've got multiple options when you go to the canvas or when you go to the panel or whatever it is, when you're creating 3d objects you know, like for me, and in baskets, or somebody working in clay or fiber. You know how to do the stitches, how to fire this, how to put your glazes on, what the glazes are going to do. You know those things like the back of your hand. Listen, it's. It's when you get those things in your tool belt and you're comfortable with them, that's really when the fun starts right.

Speaker 1: 4:06

The artists that continue to stay in hobby mode and take classes all the time and are just constantly learning and constantly switching mediums and constantly trying out new techniques, they never get to develop that mastery to where those things just become like a plumber would use a wrench you don't even think about it. You know a plumber would use a wrench like you don't even think about it. Right, it's just. Or a carpenter would use a drill or a skill saw is just the thing that you use in order to get to the next place. And for us as artists, that's, we're trying to do more than just, you know, the execution of techniques and the use of materials. We're trying to get to expression. But expression doesn't come nearly as easily until you get to that place of mastery. All right now.

Speaker 1: 4:51

Secondly is being unique and, again, part of that. Developing that masterfulness in your work is the emergence of your unique voice. And so I'm always looking, as I'm critiquing work and trying to help artists go to the next level, I'm trying to see, hey, does this work? Is it number one, is it masterful Number two? Is that masterfulness coming through in a way that it's conveying somebody's unique artistic voice, in a way that it's conveying somebody's unique artistic voice, in other words, does it stand out from the crowd among other artists that are doing the same sorts of things? If you're a landscape painter, can I tell your work from somebody else's? If I'm a basket maker, can you tell my baskets from somebody else? If you're a ceramic artist or fiber artist, can I tell your style, your aesthetic, from 10 other fiber artists or ceramic artists that are doing essentially the same sorts of things?

Speaker 1: 5:45

See, uniqueness without masterfulness is not necessarily a great thing, right? Uniqueness really can stand and can be this beautiful differentiating factor and set you apart from the crowd. When it's done masterfully, uniqueness when it's done sloppily, uniqueness when it's done at a low level of execution, really is just weird, right? So a lot of people think they're unique and they might be unique, but it's not unique in a masterful way, it's not unique in a beautiful way, it's not unique in an aesthetic that people are really going to be drawn to. And that's really number three, which is again kind of the third, you know, if you will sort of, you know, stand to this chair, leg to this chair is masterful, unique.

Speaker 1: 6:33

And then, third would be desirable, is the work that's being created, aesthetically desirable in today's marketplace by clients that actually have the means and interest to purchase the artwork. You know, just because you can draw the most incredible pet portrait or kitty, cat or person holding, you know, flowers or a vase, a still life or whatever you can maybe do that photorealistically it may be incredible, but it doesn't mean anybody wants to buy it. And so there's always this balance, if you will, this sort of tension that we as artists are faced with in the creation of our work, that we want to do what we do masterfully, we want to develop this unique voice, but at the same time, we're always having to look at the marketplace and to listen to the marketplace and to say are the things that I'm creating resonating with people aesthetically? Is it resonating with the people that have the means and desire to be able to purchase my work. Is this something that's now in the market color-wise, aesthetic-wise, shape-wise, function-wise, whatever it is and how? If not, how can I begin to bring what I'm doing into alignment with that? Because, again, if you're not selling your work, you may have a great hobby and that's great, but so many of the artists that listen to this podcast and all the artists that are in our mentoring program, you're wanting to do this, not just because you love it, not just because you want to fulfill God's plans and purposes for your life, but you realize that selling your art and getting it out there is part of that, and so, uh, I want you to really take this to the Lord and begin to meditate on this in your studio, about your work. How can you become more masterful in the things that you're doing, from a straight up skill development in your medium perspective, then how can you begin to press into and push further into the uniqueness that you're developing? And then how can you begin to get more and more intel on, you know, knowing whether or not your work is desirable and being responded to positively by people in the marketplace.

Speaker 1: 8:48

Listen, all of these things are things that we're always talking about and helping people walk through inside of the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program. If these are questions that you know after listening to me today you're struggling with. You don't know how to develop yourself in those directions, much less all of the practical things that you need to really begin to build your business. I want to encourage you join us inside of Created to Thrive. Listen, I love it that you listen to the podcast, but if you listen to podcast, episode after podcast, episode after podcast episode and you never really get on a track of growth, focused growth and development in your business and in your life as an artist, you're going to be in the same place next year that you're in right now, and you may be in the same place right now that you've been for the last 10 years.

Speaker 1: 9:38

Listen, we would love to help you actually start making progress, real, measurable progress, in your life, and the best way we know how to do that is inside the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program. You become a member right now by clicking the link that's in the show notes, and we would love to start walking with you, connecting you with our incredible community of artists who love Jesus all over the world in just about every creative medium and get to know you, get to know your story, find out what you need and, through live coaching and through our group calls and through small groups and through all the teaching resources that we have, really come alongside you and help you be everything that God has created you to be in his kingdom as an artist. Listen, my friend, I love you, I'm for you, I want you to be walking in everything that God's got for you and I'm so glad that you're here with me on the podcast. I hope we see you inside of Created to Thrive and I hope you have a great, great, great rest of your day and join me again right here on the Thriving Christian Artist Podcast.

Speaker 1: 10:37

Bye, hey. Thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me today on the podcast. Listen, I hope it's been a huge encouragement to you on your journey as an artist. Hey, also, before you leave, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the other episodes of the Thriving Christian Artist Podcast, and also be sure to connect with me on Facebook, instagram or at my website, which is matttommymentoringcom. Until next time, remember, you were created to thrive. Bye-bye, thank you.