What makes a self-taught artist different?

First, you need to identify yourself as a self-taught artist. The reason for this is simple. In the past, people who have been learning art on their own were always seen in a bad light by well-established artists and teachers. They tend to be discriminated against for being not properly trained and lacking formal training or schooling which they considered necessary in becoming a professional or well-established artist. However, these days things have changed and more acceptance has been given especially since there are so many amazing self-taught artists.

But, if you think it is just enough to identify yourself as a self-taught artist, you are wrong because this does not answer your question completely. You need to find out what makes you different from other self-taught artists and why should people know who you are and buy artworks from an unknown like you. So here goes:

Be confident of your talent and skills.

If you truly believe in yourself and your work (that is, if it’s good), never hesitate to promote yourself and sell artworks without fear or second thoughts while convincing potential buyers that what you do can be useful or worth their money. To gain the trust of buyers, make sure that they are not getting anything fake. It is always better to create something out of nothing, if you can’t make it, don’t paint it at all. However, I know that this might also be a problem for self-taught artists who are still developing their skills or talents. Sometimes, they tend to imitate the style of established artists simply because they lack the capacity and confidence to execute what they want on paper. If this happens to you, ask yourself first where you stand as an artist before pursuing your passion in art?

Have your own unique style.

This is another way of telling people that there’s no one like you when it comes to creating artworks. You need to develop something new so that people will appreciate and value what you do. Try to combine all your skills, ideas and emotions into one piece before executing it on paper or canvas. The more innovative your work is the better chance of people around the world knowing who you are.

Learn from other self-taught artists.

You don’t have to be an expert or established artist yourself to know how to improve your artistic skill. And the best way of doing this is by learning from other self-taught artists around the world especially those who are well-known for their creative talent. Some say that imitation is not always a bad thing as long as you let your creativity flow and make sure what you create can stand out from others. However, if imitation becomes copying the style of a well-known artist and passing it on as yours, this is already considered unethical.

Create your own tools of artistry.

There are self-taught artists who have been doing art not only on paper or canvas but also in several other media such as wood, metal, fabrics etc. In fact, some make sculptures that look life-like and amaze people with what they can do with their bare hands. Use this to tell the world that you are just different from others and that your creativity knows no boundaries which are one reason why the whole world should know who you are and buy your original works of art.

Participate in exhibitions and contests every now and then.

This is an effective way to tell everyone who you really are and what you can do in art. People will definitely notice your works and the uniqueness of your talent if only they will be given a chance to see it. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight but fortunately, there are several art exhibits that would welcome people with different forms of artistry which includes self-taught artists or ordinary people who are into arts.

Know your potential buyers.

Once you have identified what makes you stand out from other self-taught artists who are already well-known around the world, make sure you also know where to sell them. There are always possibilities for your works to reach beyond borders simply because art has no limits when it comes to creativity. But this should not be the reason why you should not know what kind of people buy or appreciate your original artworks. It is true that even self-taught artists need some suggestions when it comes to selling their works for money, but never let someone else interfere with your personal goal which is to share your own unique talent with the whole world.

Partner up with established artists.

This might be one of the hardest things for self-taught artists who are just starting out in developing their creative skills and talents yet unreachable by famous and established painters, sculptors etc. But this is also a wonderful opportunity for you to learn new techniques and hone your artistic skill while sharing ideas with them about what makes each of you different from others. At the same time, you get to sell your works at a more competitive price.

Give back to the community that supported you along the way.

As an artist who is just starting out, it is not unusual to experience a series of failures especially when there are so many talented artists competing with each other while trying to stand out from among hundreds or even thousands of self-taught artists around the world. But this should never discourage you from moving forward because at the end of the day, giving back is one way of telling your supporters how grateful you are for all their support and encouragement until today. You must also donate to the poor and underprivileged – a simple way of sharing your talent and creativity with everyone.

Be confident about what you do as a self-taught artist.

You can have doubts about being able to compete on par with established artists but definitely never let them steal your confidence. Once you have given the world a glimpse of what makes you different from others, there is no way that people will not pay attention to your works and appreciate your talent as well.

Keep doing what you love even if there are still lots of things to learn on an everyday basis. All successful self-taught artists have been through all kinds of challenges but never let these stop them from giving back to the community and improving their skills as human beings first and foremost so they can be more productive in making artworks for customers or supporters who purchase artworks from them.

Celebrate every success along the way. Each time you sell a painting, celebrate it! You have all the reasons to be happy because one sale means many people liked what you did and that this will inspire you to do more for them in return.

If you have any suggestions or comments on what you want to read next then please send me a message on my Instagram page.

You can check out my other art pieces here 🙂