What Makes Desirable Art?

What separates your art from others is something that is uniquely you, however many artists struggle to find it multiple times throughout their careers.

We look at others for inspiration, but oftentimes emerging artists spend too long analyzing what’s selling, or trending, or what someone else is doing, that it can quickly turn from inspiration to replication. That fine line is something each artist faces in every creative endeavor they embark on.

You see, as each of us goes about our day-to-day comings and goings we’re forever being changed by our individual journeys; whether it be our culture, religion, failures, successes, heartbreaks, adventures, or people you meet. These changes happen constantly, shaping our viewpoints, perspectives, philosophies, and values. It is these shared concepts that link humanity and encourages us to put our unique outlook into the world. It is in this small offering of ourselves we find meaningful connections with others.

Artists can have a hard time doing that if they are duplicating someone else’s experiences and style. That’s why many emerging artists have difficulty understanding why there’s something missing in their work, or why it blends into the crowd of similar genres and artists.

STORY

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So what makes desirable art? It’s your STORY!!!

It’s that certain “je ne sais quoi” that makes it uniquely you, your emotions, and your understanding filtered through your art. How do you accomplish this? The sky is the limit if it speaks to your heart and soul, and is not done out of obligation to an industry, trend, or idol.

Consider the message you would like your piece to remind YOU of. After all, we are meant to create art for ourselves first, and others second. With that being said, there are certain shared emotions among humanity that are easy to develop a connection with through art; love, sorrow, bliss, grief, longing, just to name a few. These avenues allow for an individual to instantaneously connect with a piece, transporting them to memory in another place and time.

Allow your creations to tell the story.

Where are they, what’s happening, what’s the mood or atmosphere, is there energy to it, what emotions do the subjects feel, who are they, where are they from, how can I relate…

These are questions that run through my head when I am really connecting with a piece of art, and what I think about when working on new pieces. I have found that I discover new things about myself through this process and in doing so being able to bring a new perspective to future pieces.

STYLE

I continue to struggle with this, as I’m sure many artists can relate. We are inspired by so many things that it’s hard to find what truly speaks to us. However, once we find it, that’s when stars align and you truly get into the flow where time stops and your spirit just flows from your body.

But how do I find my style?

I wish there was a quick trick, but the best thing is to study and practice. Have you heard of the phrase you have to learn the rules in order to know how to bend them? That kinda applies a lot in art, but that’s good otherwise we probably wouldn’t have the variety that permeates our world today.

Some exercises to try might be:

● Study pieces of the masters or favorite artists

● Several nature study pieces

● Play around with multiple styles

● Push yourself out of your comfort zone

● Build a Pinterest board of art you like and see if you are pulled toward a genre, color palette, or style.

DRAFTJS_BLOCK_KEY:31occ● Lay all your art out together and write down common themes already

When you’ve got a general idea of what makes your art stand out, continually practice and push yourself. Once you get the technique out of the way you’ll be able to get fully engulfed with the process of creating. Let whatever feels natural flow through you and you’ll see a pattern/style emerge that will be characteristically you.

It’s ultimately your style of presenting your unique perspective into the world that is the foundation of a desirable art piece. One that will connect with someone on a deep and emotional level. Chances are, they will become loyal fans, and it is those fans that keep us going.