I am a born artist and want to make a career in art and painting but don't have any professianl degree.?

Question

I am 32 years old married woman. I am M.A., B. Ed., and Ph. D. I have seven years experience of teaching also but now this job is not giving me proper satisfaction and I want to change my career line. Actually I am an extremely creative person and I have a passion for art. I am really fond of drawing, painting, music, writing (poems, songs, stories, dramas, short plays and articles), handicraft making and such types of activities. People really appreciate me for the same and especially for my canvas oil paintings. This is my god given talent and you can say I am a born artist. I have a unique imagination power and a great sense of colour, structure and pattern. It is my keen desire to make a brilliant career in the field of art and painting but unfortunately I don't have any professional degree, diploma and even a short term course certificate of the same. Can you help me in this regard? How should I start my art career? Is it essential for me to join some courses? Can I start my career without a professional degree? I am a middle class person and I have so many responsibilities still I'll do everything to make my career as an artist. Please let me know according to my age and situation which are the cheap and best course suitable for me? I really need your help and guidance in this regard.

Answer 1

In this line of work your rating is completely dependent on the connections you make and how you maintain them.

Aesthetic is completely relative, and as a result unfortunately it doesn’t matter at all on how GOOD you are. It is more important to WHO thinks that you are good enough. And people taking courses after they are at your age are very rarely taken serious in the higher levels of the trade.

I am putting aside my personal view on this matter and simply stating facts.
If you want a career change: don't expect financial success unless you are closely connected with people you can interest in your achievements.

Have many untalented people earned fortunes from “art”? Yes.
Have people with no degree hopped into this at a much later age and earned a lot? Yes again.

But here the matter is again to be relative: What would you call success? What would you call talented?
If you feel for it, then go for it! Just keep in mind that it is polluted with very ugly people that are “sensitive”, jealous and backstabbing just to get one step ahead.
If those people appreciating you that you mention are in a good head count… well you may just as well have an upper hand… It IS really not easy to predict.

Try to go for courses that are highly populated with wealthy people, or courses that are famed for their success. As cruel as that may sound it is your best shot at changing your career and not being financially upset about it.

On my part, (as I said above… success is also relative) I don’t believe in anything I said above and have never gone through any of the pain and hard work to be able to sell myself best.
All I only want is to be able to gaze through pages in books, magazines and what not and not be able to stare at anything and end up saying “I can’t do that”. I simply want to be the best I can be.

And a “Born Artist”?…never heard of one and I don’t believe they ever existed or will ever exist.
Too immodest for my taste.

Answer 2

1. Of course it is a legitimate career. I mean, anybody could sell fish, even if he/she would get bored or not sell very much. Most works can be done but most people with a bit of brain, but not the work of an artist. Writing a book that is actually read by others is something. People don't have time for anything nowadays, why would they waste it on your book/movie/music? Unless it is great, of course. 2. I love art. :) 3. They should make money for they art. It makes the world smile. Yet, rich artists don't usually make such good art, and that's proven: suffering is extremely inspiring. 4. Eh, I don't have one. But, well, is that is what he/she likes, go ahead. I cannot stop it anyway, so I might as well help. 5. Err....I wanna be? I wanna become a writer, d'oh. Hard. Yeah. Most people say it isn't worth it. 6. I think of a Picasso painting. Something that not all can understand. Not everybody can feel. And those who can, well, they rarely do it in the same way. Paintings, books, music, movies, photography etc. they might want to show a feeling, but they usually get different from different people. Anyway :)

Answer 3

It's gonna be tough, but you sound like you want it, & that is wonderful:) Seek out galleries or even restaurants in your area that would be willing to display your work. Set up meetings & present a portfolio. Find a network of artists (online is a good way to do this) that you can talk to about events in your area, and that can work you through any questions you might have that you wouldn't have been able to address b/c you didn't attend an art college. (painting techniques, etc.) These are some of your first steps.
I spent one entire summer selling my work in a store near my house, while at the same time doing portraits on commission. This store owner allowed me to advertise my services in her store & I got orders even from other states! Hand out business cards like crazy, and get a professional to create a website for you. It is so much about contacts.
I'll be honest, I never had a consistent income. I'd go for 2, three weeks at a time with nothing and then suddenly I'd sell 3 paintings in one weekend. You might think about keeping a part time job elsewhere until you really feel like this thing is off the ground. You said you taught...if you could do that during the year & use your summers to sell...I don't know, just thinking out loud for you. Taking a class isn't a bad idea, just to get your mind flowing.

Lastly, research some "self-taught" artists online. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised & motivated:) They make up some of the best!
Good luck!

Answer 4

You don't have to have formal training in art to succeed, simply a gift that others wish to pay for in some way, however, I would suggest that some sort of art education can be very helpful, not simply to teach you how to create, but for the creative enviromnent you would be part of, which helps with inspiration and motivation.

This doesn't mean I'm suggesting you have to do a full-time degree... even just leisure classes in the areas you have an interest in can be very helpful. You may also find it useful to try some classes in media you haven't yet considered, some of which do require some learned skill, such as some ceramics techniques, printmaking etc.

One discipline that is extremely useful to any artist is lifedrawing, which one should, ideally, be practising on a regular basis to keep your observation skills well tuned. At the very least, I would recommend joining a life class.

Of course, if you even wished to explore art as a subject to teach in a formal setting, employers would want a formal qualification.

Answer 5

Art is one of those wonderful career paths in which you do not need a degree! Just go for it! Maybe teach part time or substitute until you get your feet off the ground but just do it! Draw, Paint, Write. Maybe open up a gallery and house your artwork! Just paint and sell, draw and sel, etc. Maybe do some mixed media with your poems and artwork. Find your "thing" and just pursue it!! Hope this helped! I'd like to see some of your work! Could you post some on here sometime? Thanks!

Answer 6

If you have a natural gift, you don't necessarily need an education to be an artist. If I were you, I would start designing and painting things, then look into local galleries or stores that sell artist's wares on commission. You could also plan to attend local fairs or craft shows. If you think you need additional training, you could always take a few college or community art classes every now and then. Good luck!

Answer 7

You can pat yourself on the back all you want, but if you can't show us any of your work i wouldn't even venture to guess as to whether you stand a chance or not, also, have you sold anything yet or taken on any works on commission? I can answer one thing, you don't need a degree or diploma in art to be a successful artist, but i can tell you it's not easy and it will take alot work on your part. Setting up a website and posting your work might be a good start if you are looking for good honest opinions from people other than your friends and family.

Answer 8

Hi,

I'm going to be totally honest with you.
Like in many things, some people have more «talent» for this or that activity. But that isn't enough to stand from the rest.
A child may play better baseball than his friends, but to outstand from the rest, through his/her career, hardwork is necessary. You sure don't think that piano players, ballet dancers wake up at noon and think «I was born with a gift, let me sleep a bit more».
So, my advice is for you to get in touch with other people/artists that will help you to develop your art.
And of course that is also expected that you will help them to develop their own.
I'm sure that you've already found out that as time passes, painting becomes more difficult, not easier. And that's what's great about it : new challenges.
Now for my best advice : go to this great site and explore it in depth : http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums
Check the Oils and Business forums.
I wish you the best with your art.

Kind regards,

José
http://sitekreator.com/hushcolours/index.html

Answer 9

The short answer is yes, you need to study. Just as you wouldn't expect to sit down to a piano and play well without ever having had a lesson, so you can't expect to create good paintings without training and practice of some kind.

This won't be easy to hear, but a lot of highly educated people are their own worst enemies when it comes to learning art because they think that their high level of education and intelligence are sufficient skills, and few of them have the necessary humility to get into an art class and be willing to make tons of horrible mistakes --- the only way anyone can learn art. You sound like a lot of students whose situation is just like yours. They have the hardest time turning their brains off and allowing the learning to take place and allowing the hand and eye and mind to develop --- it has little to do with intellect, in fact. They have a hard time being patient, really listening to what the teacher has to say and taking that information to heart. They have a hard time following instructions and remaining patient when the teacher won't let them "do what I want to do." Sometimes they have a hard time even putting a line down on the paper; their intellectual conception of what they want to see they know will not match their first clumsy attempt and they are afraid to make that mark. But eventually, one way or the other, that pencil has to hit the paper, and you have to make a lot of huge mistakes in order to figure it out.

Abandon all pride and approach the process with total humility. Check your ego at the door. Subordinate everything to the process of training your eye and hand and subordinate your own "I know better" inner voice so that you can really receive the advice your teacher has to offer.

Abandon the need for approval and compliments. You will get some of this, but you will mostly get a lot of constructive criticism, and this can be very scary too. On top of trying to do something you aren't yet good at doing, you have someone telling you exactly in what way the work is not good. Develop the ability too hear constructive criticism without taking it personally or getting your feelings hurt. Good criticism is there to help you; if you take it in the right way and follow through on your commitment to good work, you will be willing to make changes and try to keep going on a drawing or painting.

Every time you hear a contradiction rise to your lips, stifle it and LISTEN for the first year or so. Humbly acknowledge that you have a lot to learn and your teacher has a lot to teach you.

Find a teacher who is well educated, approachable, talented, experienced, a good communicator and supportive and able to give good criticism. Avoid teachers who are unusually temperamental.

Being fond of the arts is not the same as being good at them. If you really have the ganas and are prepared to sacrifice a little pride and approach the matter with humility, the first thing you need to do is sign up for a good drawing class. Drawing is the basis of painting and good painting cannot hide poor drawing.

You don't need a professional degree to make your career as an artist: BUT you do need to work at it constantly. You need to want it more than you want anything else and be willing to let everything else submit to that priority. You need a supportive structure around you. You need to be committed to working very hard, and you need to get comfortable with the idea that it is a lifelong process of developing your discipline. You need to get comfortable with the assurance of a lot of disappointment and frustration in terms of the images not turning out the way you had hoped for a while, and never, ever, ever give up, because as time goes on you will get stronger and your ideas will change and evolve too as you learn more about the basics of drawing, painting, materials and color theory.

And oh yes, you need to remember that it is all the root of a joy that you can't derive in any other way.

Imagination and talent are great; you need skill to back it up, and that can only be gotten through study. Get the best training you can find. There are a lot of good art schools out there, and lots of them will let you take a course or two at a time without having to sign up for a full matriculation.

Answer 10

So? Go for it. Nobody asks for a degree if they like a painting.