How To Become a Professional Artist

A professional artist doesn't have to go to traditional art school to be deemed as a professional in the world of art. The art world is a business, sure viewing art is a pleasure and creating art might be a hobby for some. Being established through a mission, vision, goals, and actually selling your art once you create it means that you no longer are doing it just because its a hobby or majored in art during college and your student loan repayment bills are stacking up. Sharing your art with the world, not being scared of others critiquing your artwork, receiving that first sale, and delivering beyond any expectations are not "newbie" moves, they are part of a what makes a professional artist. I want to share my professional art journey with you as it's been a rocky road, hopefully inspiring others to not give up on becoming a professional artist.

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I never took formal art education of any kind. In high school, the block scheduling had band class at the same time as art class and I was a band geek I played bass drum in the marching band. In college, I studied business administration and chose drama/theatre for all fine art electives. I began painting one day while my son was creating with finger paints. I had purchased a few canvas panels from Office Max for him to create a masterpiece on as I thought it would be cute to have something of his on display in the house. While he created his painting, I was having a staring contest with myself at the other canvas panel still in the package. I tried to talk myself out of it at first with serious mind banter going on of a million excuses why I cannot paint on the spare canvas panel. I didn't at first, I continued helping and watching my son make him instead. Later that night I crept back downstairs and dug through an old drawer where I knew there were acrylic paints from when we repainted the bedroom years ago, I know not museum quality but then again this was my very first attempt at anything art related since 6th grade when I received a U for Unsatisfactory on my report card. The only grade I had that prevented me from making the honor roll. Fast forward 15 years and I'm sneaking around in the middle of the night with acrylic paints I dug around for and a canvas panel I feel as if I was shorting my son of. This was a defining moment, as I began painting its like so many feelings suddenly rushed out of nowhere. Thoughts of, 'Omg, I can't tell anyone I'm making a painting!', 'Where am I going to put this to dry where no one will see it?', 'When will I get to pick up where I left off and finish this work in progress?' I will admit I made many mistakes along this journey as I have no formal art education, mistakes are just that though, they help only if you learn from them and change what you're doing to succeed further.

There are two worlds expressed through each painting that I dive into every day. I'm a third generation professional beach glass hunter....its a passion that I share with my bestie cousin, my 4-year-old son, and my beloved grandma. My son goes with me every day. He's my mini voyager. He has supersonic hearing and can hear a wave approaching well before we get soaked! When we would be at the beach every day collecting beach glass many people enjoying the atmosphere or also looking for beach glass would stop and chit-chat. Many times asking questions such as, "What do you do with your beach glass?" "Do you use it to make jewelry?" as I cringe now that I should have set up shop well before I did and I could have handed them a business card instead of stopping to explain I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it besides stare at each piece upon the return home.

It was after I had started that canvas panel about a week later and it was just my son and I doing crafts again when I decided to retrieve it from the where I had it hidden and began painting again. My beach glass pile from that day was on the table further down as I made the sunny sky and began creating the waves rather rough when it turned out in my opinion. Thoughts going through my head, 'What should I do with all the beach glass we have been collecting....', 'I don't want to make jewelry with it my cousins already do that within their gemstone business I could never compete with family within a similar market.' As I looked over again and could see how beautiful each piece was with the sun shining through the window on them, a light bulb popped over my head with a brilliant idea. I should add the beach glass to this painting I'm creating right now! Of course, I didn't add my beach glass right then and there. I had no idea how to exactly add it to my art first of all, and second of all, I wasn't done with the painting part yet.

Since I had a motive finally to start researching and testing out how to go about this business idea, I didn't waste any time. A few days later I found my first painted rock which completely sealed the deal as I took it as a sign from above that I should keep going down this path. After I posted the rock on Facebook #NEOHRocks that it was found and my son re-hid it with me the next day, I collected a few blank rocks of my own and started painting on them to practice my expertise. This also gave me the perfect opportunity to test different types of glue and varnishes to see which ones would hold up the best. Long story short, this is how I discovered that E6000 was the winner of how I was going to go about gluing each piece of beach glass to my paintings. It was rather stringy at first however, I've mastered how to avoid the stringiness at this point. Upon finishing that first canvas panel with beach glass added and triple varnished and cured. I set it in the living room on an easel type photo stand and went about my business. My mom see's it a day later and states, "That's a beautiful painting, who did that"?! As I was wondering what she was talking about I walked into the living room as she stood in front of it in awe. I couldn't believe it! If my mother likes it, then many others would most definitely love it! My mother has very elegant and superb taste for things paying attention to every detail, however, very difficult to actually see a reaction from her of this nature. "I painted it," I quietly murmured while I disappeared into the background waiting to hear where I messed up somewhere.


As my own worst enemy with a critical inner voice, my outlook started to appear brighter as I finished 4 more acrylic paintings and my collection of art supplies soon took over the dining room table. Everyone in the house was super grumpy one particular afternoon as I remember it very vividly. This was the moment that I was about to just give up and not even attempt to set up shop as a business or try to sell my art online or in person anywhere. After an argument with one of my close friends over the phone where I had asked what they thought about the business side of the art world, I was overwhelmed and the conversation went south fast. I went out into the garage which is also my late father's man cave to breathe a little easier and to also send a message to my father up in heaven hoping he would give me some kind of sign on what to do. I couldn't keep creating on the dining room table anymore it just was not working out how I imagined, I needed a spot to keep all of my art supplies and a designated area where my artworks could be protected while they dried.

As tears ran down my bright red cheeks, I looked up at all my late father's stuff that had been left since he passed. The dust that collected on the old lanterns he collected, the glass insulators that lined the old shelves that I never noticed before, the tools that were left after being rummaged through by my brother and whoever else felt the need to get their grimy hands on his stuff. It was like another light bulb over my head went off again  I realized at that moment that this was the perfect spot to move my art stuff into and clean it up to make it my own art studio. I pranced back into the house after moving some stuff around out there and cleaning it up for a few hours rethinking what I just realized and then started to load my stuff up from inside the house and haul it out there.

I believe my late father is to thank for my continued success. If I had not of moved my art stuff out there and made it into my own space to create I probably would have thrown the towel in and called it a day. I didn't though. Art has always followed me like my own shadow, I never tapped into it before and when I finally did I did not run from it this time.

I wanted to share this story with you because it's so easy to give up sometimes when it seems the world is against you. I hope that this real-life account of mine gives you the inspiration to keep going and to not let anything or any bad day hold you back. My art can be found on my website as well as my Etsy shop. Feel free to take a look at both I would appreciate it very much!