Does
Hard Work + Discipline = Successful Artist
Find out what I feel about the changes in the art industry
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
Does Hard Work + Discipline = Successful Artist?
Becoming a successful artist is no easy accomplishment – it takes grit, discipline and hard work. Throughout my 10-year journey in this business, I’ve had countless times when things weren’t going as planned – but rather than give up, I took these moments to switch things up and try something new! Through consistent effort and determination, guess what? It is working out!
The art licensing industry has long been a popular way for artists to monetise their work and reach a wider audience. However, in recent years, the industry has undergone significant changes that have made it increasingly challenging for artists to succeed. In this blog post, we will explore some of the ways in which the art licensing industry is changing and how it is becoming more challenging for artists.
1 – Increased Competition
The art licensing industry is more crowded and competitive than ever, making it difficult for individual artists to find success. With huge POD websites such as Spoonflower having taken the market by storm, there are countless talented creatives vying for attention. Despite this challenge, I still receive lots of licencing requests from companies of all sizes – further proof that demand remains strong! That said, nothing lasts forever; clients may come and go but ultimately, every creative should feel confident in their abilities knowing they can handle whatever comes next.
2 – Digital Disruption
The rise of digital technology has disrupted many industries, and the art licensing industry is no exception. With the increasing availability of digital art and online marketplaces, traditional licensing models are becoming less effective. This has made it more difficult for artists to secure licensing deals and has created new challenges around protecting intellectual property. You also have the introduction of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Art has been an integral part of human culture for centuries, with artists creating masterpieces that inspire and provoke thought. However, with the rise of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), there has been a growing concern about the theft of art from the web.
AI-generated art is created using algorithms that analyze existing art to understand patterns and styles, which are then used to generate new pieces. These algorithms can create art that is almost identical to that created by humans, making it difficult to determine whether a particular piece is genuine or not. This has led to a rise in the number of counterfeit art pieces on the market, which can be sold for much less than the original.
AI-generated art raises ethical questions about ownership and authorship. If an algorithm creates a piece of art, who owns the copyright? Is it the person who programmed the algorithm or the AI itself? These questions are yet to be fully answered, and until they are, there will always be a risk of legal disputes and confusion surrounding ownership.
I believe good decent companies who want to licence art from artists do actually care about copyright (and protecting their IP). Currently, AI art can’t be copyrighted according to the latest US copyright laws. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I see so many AI-generated patterns on Spoonflower for instance, even in their weekly challenges. I can see that Spoonflower are struggling to stay ahead of the game on this, but eventually, they will and my hope is AI-generated art will stay away from Spoonflower challenges
As the use of AI in art continues to grow, it is important that we consider these risks and take steps to protect the integrity of the art world. This could include increased regulation and oversight, as well as education and awareness-raising campaigns to help people understand the importance of original works and the value of creativity and originality.
3. Teaching online
With so many artists offering online classes, it’s understandable to experience some skepticism. There is a lot of hustling going on, after all!
But from my own perspective as an experienced artist who has built up their career over the years through dedication and hard work – I can assure you that teaching isn’t always about profiting off vulnerable doodlers in desperate pursuit of 6-figure income success stories. Teaching is just one part of my diverse sources of income. One month it may bring in 50% of my income, the next only 10%. Just like the amount I receive for Licenses and royalties fluctuate greatly each month.
Teaching, for me, is something enjoyable and meaningful. It allows people to learn more about what I’m passionate about and provides people with the knowledge they need while allowing them an opportunity to learn straight from someone who knows first-hand, even though it may not always provide big bucks right away.
In conclusion
In conclusion, navigating the art licensing industry as an artist requires dedication and hard work. The landscape has changed significantly over the last ten years and is only becoming more difficult with increased competition in the space and digital technology disrupting traditional models.
With AI-generated art raising unique questions about authorship and copyright laws, regulators are now tasked with addressing these issues through education and awareness campaigns.
Online teaching also brings both opportunities for success and potential exploitation of those searching for it. For experienced artists, teaching can be a meaningful experience even outside of earning a consistent paycheck or being financially successful.
All in all, becoming a successful artist is no easy feat but one that is worth striving towards if you passionately have something to share with the world.
How do you feel about all this? I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments!
Hi Mel,
It’s good to hear from you again. Hope you and your family are doing well.
I wanted to ask you about children’s books too, what is your opinion on this side of the creative business, what is your advice for the people who are struggling to enter into the market.
Do you think that we have to switch to traditional mediums in order to survive the AI?
Thanks and all the best for you! 🤗😘
Hi Mirela,
Thanks for your comment.
I’m no expert in the Children’s illustration market, but I have found it seems to have slowed down the past year or two, well for me anyway. I’m hoping it will pick up again. It could be that my focus has been more towards surface pattern design, and I’ve not been so focused on Childrens illustration. Licensing and royalties for fabric deals pay me more, so my focus has been there.
As for switching to traditional mediums to survive AI, that’s a really difficult question to answer. I’ve seen some pretty impressive ‘watercolour’ AI-generated artworks, which is rather scary. My advice is to not worry about it too much and just keep doing what is working for you in some way. As I said in this post, good companies will not licence AI-generated artwork. I will be watching the AI space, but I’m not going to get obsessed or worried about it at this point.
All the best,
Mel
Hi Mel,
You say something about Teaching, for you is something enjoyable and meaningful, however from my experience you don’t answer your students on Skillshare that put a lot of effort to try to complete the projects from your class, just a mismatch for me, of course is all a point of view
Hi Nah, oh I’m so sorry if I’ve missed a question you’ve posted or a project on Skillshare. Unfortunately, Skillshare’s notification system is terrible. I and many other teachers don’t get any notifications when someone posts a question or a project, so a lot get missed and I really hate that. They have been ‘apparently’ trying to fix this issue for the last couple of years. I try to respond to them all, but when I’m not being notified it’s almost impossible to respond to everyone as a lot of people post projects in my classes. If you could send me the link to yours I’ll happily respond. I’m sure those who take my classes on my learn.melarmstrong.com platform will tell you I’m very quick to respond. In a lot of my newer classes, I actually tell people to email me instead if they have a question.
Dear Nah, Mel is the nicest teacher and person ever and I can assure you that she helped me with every single question I had regarding surface pattern design. I think it is not her obligation to answer all the questions people ask on Skillshare, btw the most of the teachers there dont answer at all and to be honest your attitude is something that is not nice, not hers.
Hi Mel,
Interesting post and a but scary how AI is taking place also in Pattern design. How Do you know an artwork is AI generated?
I hope copyright laws appear before is to late. Thanks for your post
It can be difficult to distinguish some of them, but quite often they have a certain look that gives them away. On places like Spoonflower you can easily work it out by looking at the designer’s profile. Most designers will describe the mediums they use to create their patterns. It is a bit scary for sure!
Thanks Mel.
I Love your very professional skillshare courses.
Best wishes
Thank you!
Hi Mel,
I was a little worried when this popped up in my email that it would be a blog post that would leave me feeling discouraged, but thankfully not! I’m starting out in the creative sector having left my 20 year career as a drama teacher. I would love to enter the world of surface pattern licensing and am dedicating all my spare time to your skill share classes, you tube and everything else yourself and other surface designers are so helpful in sharing. I use traditional media (mainly water colour) and though I love the results I’m getting from creating patterns, the clean up process to digitise my art is laborious! I was wondering about diversifying and trying to also use procreate watercolour brushes. Do you think this would end up potentially diluting my original watercolours?
Thanks for your brilliant lessons, I’m learning so much!
Jane
Hi Jane, thank you for your comment and for taking my classes. Keep going with your watercolours in the traditional way. I wish I could paint like that. I also think dabble in the procreate brushes. They can create very realistic watercolours, but in my opinion, will never replace the real thing. 🙂
Thanks so much for your
reply! I’ll keep going! X
Hi, Mel.
What a great post! I do share the same feelings about the art industry.
In relation to AI, I believe nothing will replace the personal touch that comes from within the personal and unique talents we have.
All the best
Absoltuely Beto! Well said!
Dear Nah, Mel is the nicest teacher and person ever and I can assure you that she helped me with every single question I had regarding surface pattern design. I think it is not her obligation to answer all the questions people ask on Skillshare, btw the most of the teachers there dont answer at all and to be honest your attitude is something that is not nice, not hers.
Awww…thanks Eva! The notification issue at Skillshare is the one real gripe I have and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pleaded with them to fix it. They say they are, but in the 3 or so years it’s been an issue, nothing has changed. I still do love the platform though and try my best to respond to every question and project.
Hi Mel. Thank you so much for addressing these concerns. As a graphic designer who recently moved into surface design, I’ve been feeling demotivated with a the abundance of AI generated art. I have nothing against technological advancement and if it can make our workflow easier I’m all for it, ie if the info that it is being fed can be sourced ethically. However some of the AI tools seem set to replace us almost completely,especially with illustration work. While they have a certain glitches now, AI technology is improving rapidly . Although I still find it very difficult to believe that it will ever have the depth of feeling that an artist pours into a piece of artwork. I will be taking your advice and focusing on doing what I love. I have taken a lot of your classes and I appreciate your genuine care and concern for your students. I would have given up earlier this year but you motivated me to keep going and work towards my goals. All the best
Hi Zaa, thank you for your comment. It sure can be demotivating and I guess I wrote this post to try and encourage us all to keep real art alive. I don’t think machines can replace true artistry. Let’s all just keep creating!