Introduction to The Empowered Artist

The Empowered Artist is now available on iTunes.

Below is a transcript of the introduction to "The Empowered Artist." Enjoy.

Hello & welcome to “The Empowered Artist.” My name is Brian Crawford & I would like to thank you for joining me as part of your day as you seek “inspiration for your creative journey!”

I am so glad that you have decided to join me today as we begin a journey that I believe will help each of us become more successful artists. This journey, after all, will help us reach new heights in our art careers.

Success is what we are after. We will accept nothing less.

This blog/podcast is intended to help you reach your full potential as an artist.

How do we intend to make you more successful as an artist?

How do we intend to help you reach your full potential?

Let’s begin by acknowledging that there are many facets to being an artist and having an art career. There are topics that range from art instruction, materials, marketing, studio time, galleries, pricing, etc. There is just so much that can & should be addressed.

With that being said, I want to first tell you what this blog/podcast won’t be about…

First, this blog/podcast will in no way be providing art lessons or tips on how to directly improve your paintings, drawings or sculptures. We will not talk about what brushes or canvas to buy; how to apply paint; or what materials work best for a given application. I am making an assumption that most everyone who listens in on this blog/podcast will already have a basic understanding of how to create art. Whether you are a painter, a sculptor or printmaker, I am assuming that you have achieved at least a general appreciation of all that goes into the creation process. That’s not to say that our work cannot be improved upon, because let’s face it … success as an artist IS a journey it is not a destination. Some of us are a little farther along in that journey, but no matter where we are, we should always be striving to improve upon our craft. There will always be some new way in which we can make our work just a little bit better. We are never finished learning how to make art.

Now, if you feel that you do need to have actual art instruction. That’s fine as well. I hope you will continue enjoying this blog/podcast as I feel it will also help you immensely on your journey as an artist. But do go out and enroll in an art class at your local community college or university. There are plenty of good instructors in the college ranks, or if you prefer, you can take private lessons. Read books and magazines. Do whatever you feel necessary to help you become a more accomplished artist. Whatever you do, don’t stop learning. Continue to advance your knowledge; your technique; your craft. It will serve you well if you are always striving to perfect your art.

As you do this, surround your self with like minded people; other artists who will support and encourage you as you continue on this journey. You will need their positive thoughts and words of encouragement if you desire to be successful.

Second, this blog/podcast will not delve much into the marketing aspect of art, although I believe every artist desperately needs to learn how to market their art. Let’s face facts, your art will not sell itself & like it our not, you are its best advocate so you must learn to talk about your art and you must learn the business side as well. It is crucial to your success.

Now, I realize that when you dreamed of becoming an artist, the business aspect was the last thing on your mind. I also know that academia does not really prepare one for the real world of art either. It seems that most artists simply think that “if they make it or create it, the buyers will come.” That is SO not what happens in the real world. You must realize that you are in the business of being an artist. You are, in effect, an entrepreneur which means there is a lot more to do than just creating your art. Marketing your art is difficult, but if you learn how to do it, it is SO rewarding.

My blogs/podcasts will touch upon the marketing and business side of art from time to time, but if you want more in-depth information on marketing I would highly recommend Alyson Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com. She is extremely knowledgeable in the area of marketing yourself as an artist. She has a podcast available on iTunes that I would recommend as it is also one of the podcasts that I listen to. I would also recommend picking up her book, “I’d Rather Be in the Studio.” It is chock full of information that will help you succeed in the area of selling yourself & your art.

Now that I’ve told you what this blog/podcast will not be about, let’s move on to what this blog/podcast WILL be about.

This blog/podcast will be about getting the most out of your self as an artist. It will be about nurturing those things that help you create & getting past those little things that seem to nag at you & stand in your way of creating truly great art. All of those “little things,” of course, tend to exist deep inside each of us and they tend to be the biggest obstacles in our way.

Here is a brief list of some of the topics that we will be covering each week as we start on this journey:

We will be talking about our desire to create; where that desire comes from & what you can do to nurture it.

We will be talking about how art and the process of creation is a deeply spiritual matter. How the very act of creating can bring you closer to God.

We will talk about ourselves & how one’s self-image is of the upmost importance if you truly want to be successful as an artist.

We will talk about maintaining a positive attitude, or about how you can create a positive self-image that will help you reach new levels in the creative process. You can’t sell your art if you don’t believe in yourself, but you will have little problem finding people to champion your art if you do.

We will talk about daily affirmation & how it can be used to help reframe how you see yourself as an artist.

We will talk about overcoming procrastination. Where procrastination really comes from & what you can do to get past it.

We will talk about creating definite plans of action.

We will talk about how goals are of utmost importance if you want to succeed. Success comes to those who plan.

We will talk about overcoming fear in the creative process.

We will talk about the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals who are interested in achieving the same type of success you are.

We will talk about how essential positivity is in your life as an artist. There is no time to brood around as a tortured artist if you truly want to be successful.

So, as you can plainly tell. This blog/podcast is about making you into a successful artist from the inside-out. I believe that a well-rounded positive outlook in all areas of your life will benefit your artwork tremendously.

I also want to give you an idea of what to expect in the format of these weekly blogs/podcasts. The format itself will be relatively static. I envision bringing you words of inspiration and encouragement for five to ten minutes each week. Each week will bring a different topic like I mentioned earlier. It is my hope that the topics will continually build on one another week after week in order to give you a more rounded idea of what it takes to be a successful artist. From time to time, I hope to also bring you interviews with different artists on how they have become more successful in their careers. As the audience for this blog/podcast grows, I would also like to start spending some time each week at the end of the blog/podcast answering questions from you in order that I might offer some personal tips to specific obstacles that you may be facing in your career.

Well, that is about it for now. I hope that you have enjoyed this brief intro into “The Empowered Artist.” I hope as the weeks go by you will continue to listen in and benefit from what we have to offer. Just so you know, I imagine that I will be getting as much benefit from these blogs/podcasts as you will.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at theempoweredartist@crawfordartworks.com.

Again, thank you for joining me today. It has been a real pleasure sharing this time with you. Remember, we are on this journey together as fellow artists. God bless you & may your art be empowered today!