Star Noble: Art Advice Columnist for Fine Art Registry®

Compare to Stand Apart... Not With

Star informs artist not to be consumed by comparing their art to others.

Do you find yourself comparing your artwork with the work of others? If you do, it's normal but don't let it consume you. You have to know that there will always be artists that are deemed better than you, well, by art critic standards anyway, but luckily that will not determine your success as an artist. The art critics, gallery owners and judges with their juried shows have had a nice long run over the centuries but the good news is they no longer have a choke hold on artists and the sale of their work like they used to. Shhh! Don't tell them. It might hurt their ego.

Instead of focusing on how your work compares with others or worse yet, trying to be like others, I would suggest you focus on creating your own unique vision. If you find a lot of artists out there creating something exact or close to what you're doing then you're going to have difficulty separating yourself from the pack. What is it that you do or can do that makes your work different from anything else you've seen in the art market? If you can't answer that question, then keep working at it because you're not there yet. I talk a lot about originality because plain and simple... it's key. From a collectors stand point, it is one sure fire way to get noticed and ultimately, isn't that what you want? And even if you'd prefer to maintain a low profile while you evolve as an artist, 'tis better to work on creating your own style and/or spin on the genre you've chosen then to work on perfecting the work of another. Let me save you some time and recommend a paint-by-number set if all you want to do is be like somebody else.

There has never been a better time in history to be an artist in today's market. There are droves of people jumping into the art collecting arena. It’s no longer a passion and hobby reserved for the rich and I predict the number of collectors will continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Why? Because it has never been easier to search, find, research and buy... and buy right. God bless the internet!

So my advice to you as an artist is to be prudent in showing both new and seasoned art collectors out there that you have something well worth collecting. If you can do that, they'll be glad they started collecting and investing in your work and will enjoy telling others "they knew you when"...

- Star Noble

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