Every artist who participates in today’s creative scene has to be willing to take risks what with success always being a bit of a question mark. But what does it even mean to be successful these days?
Magnus Resch has addressed this question in “How To Become A Successful Artist“. Magnus a professor, author, and ex-gallery owner, comes with more than 15 years of experience of working in the art world. In his book, he addresses issues such as why are some artists more successful than others? How does the whole market actually work and which players have a major role in it? “The average female artist in Berlin has an annual income of $10,000; a degree in Fine Arts, in the Us, is the least valued major in college; “shocking and scary words for any artist”.
"It is no secret that the path of an artist is not an easy one and is marked by many rough patches and doubts. "
It is no secret that the path of an artist is not an easy one and is marked by many rough patches and doubts. Of course, no set path will surely lead to success. However, Magnus tries to show that becoming successful is a long and multifaceted process in which you have to cross different levels.
With the completion of his work, the artist has by no means reached the point where his success is guaranteed because several more factors play a very important role. These include, above all, the possibility of exhibiting one’s artwork to make a name for oneself in the creative scene and convincing journalists to write about one’s work. From the moment a piece leaves the studio where it was created, the artist has little or no control over what happens to their work. Even if it sounds absurd, every artist needs a simple kind of business plan, in terms of the mission you set out to achieve, the vision you have, and the goals you want to achieve with your work.
Magnus works a lot with case studies, with leading artists, traders, and curators, to pass on a precise analysis of the industry. No matter how beautiful the world of artists may seem to the outside world, it is just like any other field, riddled with systematic racism, discrimination, and inequality. Women, artists of color, and members of the LGTBQ+ community have to fight even harder for success and recognition to gain anywhere near as much attention as their white male competitors. Magnus writes: “They receive fewer shows, achieve lower prices, sell less, and find it harder to get good gallery representation than their white male counterparts.” This statement is backed by some rather sobering statistics. While we are on the road to improvement on these issues, this cannot yet be the goal. Magnus may not have a set recipe for success, what he does have are many exciting tips that can perhaps act as door openers, such as, “Work from the love of creation, and trust what you do well. Other artists will recognize that.”
The main issue with finding an answer to the question of how to become a successful artist is that everyone understands success in a completely different way: wealth, just enough to pay for one’s living, satisfaction with one’s art, fun with the creative process itself, networking within the artistic field.
Not much is certain for artists but this much is clear: Magnus Resch invites us to take risks and if at first you don’t succeed…