Artist Checklist For Success – UPDATED FOR 2026

My art journey began in 2002 after a difficult period in my life pushed me to enrol in a portfolio preparation course at a small art school at the age of 32. The following year I was accepted into a five-year MA Fine Art programme split between Edinburgh College of Art and Edinburgh University, proving that you’re never too old to follow your dreams. I was 38 when I graduated, so I knew I didn’t have time on my side.

Below is a list of things I’ve learned over the years that helped me become a full-time artist in 2015 and later build a career across both the traditional and digital art worlds. I apologise now that this list does not promise the secrets to becoming rich and famous quickly.

Many of the lessons I’ve learned through long hours, risk taking, making art, reading, researching, trial and error, and mostly outright stubbornness are transferable across almost every part of an artist’s life and career, whether you work in the traditional art world, digital art, Web3, or anything in between.

It’s not an exhaustive list and I’ll continue to add to it as I keep learning. There are always exceptions to every rule and everyone’s path is different. Have a look through it, take what you like, and ignore the rest.

TIPS TO BECOMING A MORE SUCCESSFUL ARTIST

BEGINNINGS

1. Continue to study & learn. Artists never retire and they never stop exploring.
2. Most artists don’t fail because they lack talent. They fail because they lack discipline.
3. Art school can teach you technique, context, critical thinking, and provide an exciting and immersive environment to learn alongside other artists, but it can’t replace the personal drive needed to keep showing up and making work long after art school is over.
4. Note: I really didn’t like a lot of what art college ‘provided’ me. I felt there was a huge lack of responsibility and accountability, and far too much politics and favouritism. Even so, it played a major role in shaping me, my career, and where I eventually ended up, both directly and indirectly. I very much doubt I’d be where I am today if I hadn’t gone to art college.
5. For me, studying the history of art gave me just as much confidence and direction as studio practice, sometimes more.
6. Prepare yourself for years of hard work and long days.
7. Prepare yourself for huge sacrifice and single mindedness.
8. No one ever became great at anything by practicing a few evenings a week. If you want to be the absolute best artist that you can be, at some point you’ll need to take that leap of faith and go full time.
9. Dedicate your free time to artistic pursuits.
10. Invest as much time and money as possible into your art practice, materials, and your education. If you won’t invest everything you can into yourself and your art career then why should someone else invest in you?
11. Define what success means to you. If being a full time artist isn’t the long term goal, still write down what your goals are and aim for them. You never know where a series of individual achievements may take you.
12. Any artist who says financial success doesn’t matter is lying. Of course it matters, but also, it’s not the only measure of value.

BUILD YOUR FOUNDATIONS

13. Visit art fairs, galleries, events, and national museums.
14. Read artist biographies.
15. Study the history of art. Study the great masters.
16. Study other successful artists of various disciplines.
17. Study other successful people in general.
18. Learn from other artists, past and present, but don’t simply copy. Create your own style that is relevant and meaningful for today. Your work needs to say, “I’ve learned from and I’m inspired by great artists, but this is now.”
19. Study the artists working today who are doing exceptional things and ask yourself why their work matters. Do your research properly before you start throwing your opinions and disdain around.
20. Watch the HBO documentary The Price of Everything.
21. Don’t believe everything you read in a museum or gallery write-up. Some conceptual art is incredibly powerful, but a lot is little more than academics and institutions congratulating themselves. Learn to tell the difference between genuine depth and the emperor’s new clothes.

FIND YOUR VOICE

22. Focus your work on themes, ideally for years, or at the very least make art in a series. Successful artists have something important to say and it’s much more effective to get complex and meaningful messages across through multiple pieces, solo exhibitions, and lifelong investigation, exploration and creation.
23. Continuity is important as otherwise you may confuse potential buyers/patrons.
24. That said, a recognisable style can become a prison if you cling to it for too long.
25. Develop your own style so that your work is recognisable and distinct, but keep experimenting and expanding your visual language. Don’t paint yourself into a corner or you may end up making art for paycheques instead of passion, with no clear way out.
26. Structure matters but creative freedom is essential to an artist’s happiness.
27. Always be true to yourself when you’re creating your art. Don’t make art simply because you think a particular ‘style’ will be more popular and will sell. This isn’t true creativity, this is production. Having said that, it is still possible to remain true to yourself while being flexible enough in your process to present what matters to you in a way that attracts more attention.
28. Being authentic is not enough if the work is boring.
29. A lot of artists hide weak work behind big statements.
30. You do not need to explain every piece.
31. Don’t try to write about your artwork in an art historical context if you’re not an art history major.
32. Don’t make up an ‘ism’ to describe your art. Leave that to the art critics and historians after you become famous.
33. If you write about your work, write honestly and clearly.
34. Feel free to write about your creative processes and your inspirations.
35. Artists often overestimate how much the public cares about their intentions.
36. What no one can take away from you is the strength and meaning of the work you’ve made.

EXPERIMENT AND EVOLVE

37. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new mediums, physical and digital.
38. Investigate and develop new ways to push your artistic limits and always be open to new ideas.
39. Don’t ignore the opportunities that new technologies can offer artists.
40. Don’t be precious about your work. Get comfortable destroying a piece to find new ways to ‘bring it back’.
41. You learn the most from your mistakes.

AI AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE ARTIST

42. AI is here to stay, so learn enough about it to have an opinion that matters. Ignoring it completely may feel principled but ignorance rarely gives an artist an advantage.
43. Using AI does not automatically make someone less of an artist. Bad artists can use AI badly. Serious artists can use any tool seriously.
44. If your entire practice can be replaced by a prompt, the problem may not be AI. The harder question is whether your work had enough depth and authorship to begin with.
45. Artists who refuse new technologies often end up defending nostalgia, not quality.
46. The future belongs to artists who can create meaning and work that connects people and communities, not just pictures. In a world of infinite image-making, context and vision will become an artist’s most valuable qualities.
47. The strongest artists will not be those who reject AI or worship it, but those who can use it without becoming generic. That balance is much harder because it demands restraint, education, and enough self-awareness to work with a powerful new tool without letting it dilute your voice or lower the quality of your work.
48. The more our culture is flooded with endlessly generated images, the more powerful great physical art can become. This is not the death of painting. In fact, it may be exactly why great painting will thrive.

EDIT HARD AND PROTECT THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK

49. Quality over quantity.
50. Many artists produce too much and edit too little.
51. Don’t release every single thing you produce. Yes, I know, Picasso created over 50,000 artworks and he did alright but unless you’re the reincarnation of a genius with the backing of the entire art establishment then I would suggest being a bit more selective in what you create with the intent to sell.
52. It’s not always possible but you should aim to improve in one or more ways with each and every work/series of works you create. Be conscious of these changes, write them down if you like and revisit them in the future to see how much you’ve grown as an artist.
53. Revisit your old works and sketchbooks and you’ll see growth more clearly.

LEARN FROM CRITICISM, REJECTION AND UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS

54. Take constructive criticism with grace but ignore that which isn’t relevant to you… but be honest with yourself when processing the criticism, especially if it hurts. Very often, the criticism that hurts the most is the criticism that is closest to the truth.
55. Don’t take art advice from your friends or family if they aren’t artists or involved in the art world.
56. Use rejection as fuel. There will be a lot so don’t give up! Turn it into motivation.
57. Use social media negativity to drive you to work harder. People can be mean online and it hurts but if you can embrace these feelings and turn them into energy to motivate you to work even harder you will always win.
58. Don’t blame others when you think you’ve failed. Life can be cruel. We all have privileges AND disadvantages, some people have more privilege but it is what it is, and at the end of the day, the buck stops with you.
59. Remember that almost every successful artist has built their career on one step forward and two or three steps back…. sometimes for months or even for years.
60. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t achieve every goal. Re-evaluate and continue.
61. The biggest difference between amateurs and professionals is that professionals keep working when the mood disappears.
62. Drink wine. But don’t drink and post and definitely don’t reply to negative comments when you’ve had a drink. Learn from my mistakes! 🙂

STAY CURRENT BUT DON’T BECOME A PRISONER OF TRENDS

63. Just because you’re ‘all in’ on the digital art/Web3 space don’t discount the lessons and knowledge you could learn from traditional artists and the institutions of the legacy art world.
64. If you’re always chasing trends you’ll never create what is uniquely you.
65. A lot of so-called artistic purity is just fear of selling. There is nothing noble about staying broke because you’re too proud or too scared to learn business.
66. Being commercially successful does not automatically mean the work is shallow.
67. Likewise, being ignored by the market does not automatically make the work important.
68. Social media has made many artists confuse visibility with value.
69. Be aware that just because your latest artwork you posted on social media attracted a lot of likes doesn’t mean that it’s actually any good… and vice versa.

GET ORGANISED AND THINK STRATEGICALLY

70. Treat your art career like a business.
71. Make intelligent and strategic decisions, think long term but be ready to adapt if necessary.
72. Be efficient with your time. Make lists and tick off at least a couple things every day.
73. Spend less time on social media and more time developing ideas and skills.
74. Set achievable goals and write them down, daily, monthly, annually and so on.
75. If your art career has been standing still for years, it may be time to step back and reassess with complete honesty. The work may need to grow in depth or originality, and your strategy may need to improve in terms of visibility and relationship-building, or both.
76. If your recent exhibition or release wasn’t as successful as you had hoped try to be as objective as possible to understand what really happened. Write down all the things that you could have improved on as well as the things that could have affected the sale that were out of your control. Re-evaluate and do your best to learn from the experience. Have a glass of wine or two, reread these tips, and get back to work tomorrow.
77. At the end of the day, if you put absolutely everything into your art and you’re exceptionally proud of what you’ve created and how your skills and concepts have developed it doesn’t matter what the outcome was. You will always have something meaningful that no one can take away from you.
78. Be aware that the vast majority of financially independent artists have taken decades, not a couple of years, to build their careers. And let’s be honest, there is little guarantee of any kind of financial success as an artist, so you do it and make the sacrifices because this is who you are. I know that’s difficult to hear, especially in the age of IG and social media frenzy, but prepare for the long term and keep learning, growing, and creating regardless. Your time will come if you are ambitious, disciplined, dedicated, and patient.

HELP PEOPLE DISCOVER AND UNDERSTAND YOUR WORK

79. Build an awesome website. True, most people will discover and admire your art on your socials but your website is curated specifically for people to visit to get to know you and your story. It adds another level of professionalism.
80. Find other artist websites that you like and learn from them.
81. Only put your best work on your website. Less is more.
82. Learn how to speak about your art. Admittedly, I really don’t like this part but if you can speak about your work effectively it puts you at an advantage over others because most artists hate this as well. Practice talking about your art with your family or friends.
83. Push yourself out of your comfort zone whenever you can. For example, not that many years ago I would never, ever speak in public. It frightened me to death. It’s still not easy for me but I’m much better at dealing with it now and I know that this part of the ‘job’ is important.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNITY AND REAL WORLD PRESENCE

84. Try to work with artists who are more skilled and experienced than you.
85. Find a mentor but remember it’s not a one way street, mentoring is time consuming, so what can you offer in return as the ‘apprentice’?
86. Collaborate with other artists especially artists with completely different styles and skill sets than you have.
87. Organise a solo or group IRL exhibition as you’ll learn important lessons, organisational skills, management, advertising and marketing etc.
88. Organise an exhibition for charity.
89. Support other hardworking, honest artists regardless of how successful you become.
90. Build a community around your work, even if it begins with only a few people. A small number of genuinely engaged collectors and supporters is far more valuable than a large audience with only passing interest.
91. Host or participate in productive and engaging online Spaces.
92. Network whenever you can. Networking matters far more than most artists want to admit.
93. Go to art events and conferences. I completely understand that this can be very difficult if you’re shy and introverted but it’s incredibly important to meet other artists and collectors IRL. Everything is difficult at first but it does get easier with time and practice.

UNDERSTAND VISIBILITY AND MARKETING

94. Build your brand, but make sure the brand grows out of the work and not the other way around. Some artists spend years building a persona instead of a practice. Brand can help but not if that’s the main draw and the work has little real weight.
95. Research marketing skills and apply them even if you hate this part. A lot of artists say they hate marketing when what they really hate is self-promotion that feels awkward, pushy and insincere.
96. Don’t use self-pity or victimhood as a marketing strategy for your artwork. It may attract attention in the short term but it doesn’t build lasting respect.
97. Generate publicity whenever possible but make sure it grows out of the work and not out of desperation for attention.
98. Be smart about the algorithm, but don’t become its slave. Use it as a tool to support your work, not as a master that drains your soul.
99. Build a media email contact list and get to know some art journalists.
100. Learn how to write a good press release.
101. Show your work at art fairs, art events, and conferences. It can be expensive and it often requires real commitment, but if you want your work to be seen you have to get it out into the world. There are no shortcuts. The real-world lessons you learn from these kinds of sacrifices will be invaluable.

RESPECT COLLECTORS AND THE REALITIES OF THE MARKET WITHOUT LOSING YOURSELF

102. Collectors are not the enemy. Without patrons many serious careers do not survive.
103. Nurture your relationships with collectors. Have honest conversations with them. Find out what they’re looking for in art, collecting, investing, artist/collector relationships, friendships etc.
104. Don’t build your career on flattery. Respect collectors, yes, but if you spend all day agreeing with everyone and chasing attention people will eventually stop respecting you.
105. Creating artwork in return for ‘exposure’ is fine if you’re just starting out. At some point though you’ll need to put your foot down and say ‘no more’.
106. Work with honesty and integrity.
107. Always give credit where credit is due.

PROTECT YOUR ENERGY AND YOUR EMOTIONAL BALANCE

108. Don’t get involved in online bitch-fests. They may be good for the algorithm, but they’re very rarely productive and they’re not good for the soul.
109. As you become more successful, be prepared to take shots from people who are not nearly as enthusiastic about your success as you are. Jealousy is an ugly part of life, whether it’s your own or someone else’s. In most cases, the best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut, keep your head down, and focus on the work.
110. Don’t let jealousy override you from learning from other artists. Jealousy can be useful if you are strong enough to learn from it.
111. You do not have to suffer constantly to make meaningful work.
112. Ideally you will have a very supportive, understanding partner as being an artist is, in general, a selfish career path.
113. Stop complaining online. It rarely helps, it rarely looks good, and more often than not it just drains your energy and damages how people see you.
114. When you’re feeling down about your work, this art world, the noise, the speculation, the fact that others always seem to be getting more attention or bigger sales etc, remind yourself of all the amazing people you’ve met through the space. A good life is about good memories with good people. The rest is noise.

PROTECT YOUR HEALTH, BODY, AND MIND

115. Set up your workspace properly. A good chair and correct screen height matter far more than people think. Years ago bad sitting habits in front of a screen left me with a compressed ulnar nerve, and it’s now a lifelong issue.
116. Keep a bottle of water beside you at all times and sip from it regularly.
117. Blink properly and look after your eyes. Use eye drops when needed and look away from the screen regularly. Keep a bottle of Hycosan drops next to you.
118. Set an alarm for every 45 to 60 minutes to stand up, stretch your neck, shoulders, arms, back, and wrists, do a few squats, and walk around.
119. Don’t work through pain, strain, or dry eyes just because you’re in a flow state. Discomfort is your body telling you something needs to change.
120. Be careful with excessive screen time and endless scrolling. I ended up recently being diagnosed with vestibular migraine, which brought brain fog, dizziness, nausea, headaches, and other quite terrifying symptoms. Don’t ignore what your body is telling you. Take breaks, reduce screen time and especially scrolling, and get checked properly if something feels wrong.
121. Get outside on a regular basis. Short breaks help, but they are not a substitute for real movement, sun and fresh air.
122. Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep. Try to get to sleep at a similar time each night. Exhaustion damages your concentration, your mood, your decision-making, and ultimately the quality of your work.
123. Know when to stop for the day. Exhaustion rarely leads to your best work.
124. Aspire to be more like Alotta_Money