Painting the New West

What is artistic presence? Why is it important for success as an artist? Artistic presence is the creative state of being where an artist closes the gap between his or her intentions and the impact of his or her results. The viewer is emotionally influenced by the artwork, transformed by its story or message, and ultimately patronizes the artist. So how does an artist achieve artistic presence? It starts with setting one’s intentions through a three phase process—self-awareness, nurturing, and refinement. 

An artist can become self-aware through establishing an artistic identity, reputation, and brand. In the first step to self-awareness, the artist must clarify his or her artistic identity, which is one's self as perceived in relation to the artistic profession and to one's membership of it. Artistic identity is created through the beliefs and attitudes, values, motives, and experiences through which an artist defines him- or herself, in the current or anticipated professional life. What do you call yourself? What kind of artist are you—painter, sculptor, avant guarde, traditionalist, realist, or abstract? A solid artistic identity is established through experimentation, by obtaining honest feedback, and making focused refinements. 

The next step to self-awareness is understanding one’s reputation based on personal and professional principles, typically those focusing on ethics, code of conduct, appropriate personal interactions, and professional integrity. Do you have a reputation as community leader or organizer, a supporter of environmental consciousness, or someone who uplifts others? A good reputation is good business, as it leads to success and provides many ways for growth and development by leaving a good impression. 

The last step to self-awareness is establishing a stable artistic brand—recognition that one’s intentions reliably align with one’s artistic results. Through self-awareness and understanding, the artist can set intentions for artistic identity, reputation, and brand. The artist must form and nurture a support network of other trusted artists to advance this self-awareness, refine the alignment between one’s intentions and desired results, and become artistically present. Then the viewer is emotionally influenced by artist’s results, transformed by the artwork’s story or message, and ultimately patronizes the artist. Now, this is success!