A Guest Post by Frank McKinley
Have you ever felt like your art only matters to you, and it is nothing but a nice hobby?
In today's guest post my good friend and fellow writer Frank McKinley is
giving you 7 amazing reasons why art truly matters, and why you should carry on with your passion, thus making the world a better place!
Enjoy the read and DO create more art!! The world needs it - and we need you, too!
The Beginning
When I was young, my parents gave me crayons, pens, and construction paper to entertain myself.
One day I made a magazine out of that construction paper. It had articles, pictures, and even commercials!
I was an 11 year old writer, editor, marketer, and publisher.
Maybe that's why I'm so driven to publish today!
Nice Hobby You Have There
As I got older, I was still writing and making art.
After high school, I decided to go to Art School. Here in the United States, universities focus on teaching you the craft of art. They do a good job of it, too.
One day I decided to ask my advisor what kind of job I should expect after graduation.
"Well, you can always be a school teacher."
Yuck.
"Or you can go to grad school."
"What if I want to make my living as an artist?" I countered.
My advisor's nose wrinkled.
"You'll have to go to business school to learn that."
From his expression, you'd have thought I had sprayed his face with poison.
My mind turned to the sound of my father's voice saying,
"That's a fine hobby you've got there. But you'll need a real job to pay the bills."
So why was I even bothering to go to school at all?
The next semester I quit and started working.
Why Do We Need Art Anyway?
I live near Athens, Georgia, a hotbed of every kind of art. If you drive through the neighborhoods near the University, you'll notice something amazing.
Rows of rows of homes.
And no two look alike.
Many of these homes were built in the 1960's and 70's.
More recent homes on the outskirts look like they were built from cookie cutter designs. One looks just like the next, with a few minor differences.
It seems art has lost its appeal and uniformity has taken over.
What can we do about it? How can we make our world beautiful again?
7 Incredible Ways Your Art Can Change the World
Who wants a world where everything looks the same?
Who wants to do business when every competitor is trying to lower the bar more than the rest?
Not me.
You're unique.
You matter.
So go make your art. The world needs it.
And so do you.
The first reason we need your art is ...
1. Art Makes the World Beautiful
In downtown Athens, near Pulaski Street, under the train tracks, you'll find a colorful graffiti wall painted by local artists. It's a great place to explore and take pictures.
We have art galleries because people want to decorate their homes rather than just live with dull white walls surrounding them.
Case in point:
I stayed in a hotel once that had white stone walls, and no decor other than a table and a bed. I felt like I had rented a room in a warehouse. It was depressing, boring, and made me long for
home.
Even a simple hotel room with some color is more attractive than that.
Express yourself. Add your personality to your projects. They'll be beautiful, and a lot more interesting.
2. Art Makes You Smarter
I used to draw portraits.
It was fascinating work. I meticulously shaded the face to reflect the essence of the person. I wanted to capture all the subtleties - those nuances that make that individual unique and special.
When you create art, you use a different part of your brain than you do when you're doing routine tasks. It's more than just putting paint or words on paper. You're giving form to your imagination. And when you're done, it's beautiful.
Do it regularly and you'll be smarter!
3. Art Makes You Bolder
It takes guts to show your work to somebody. Even more to show your work to a lot of people.
Do it. You might get some compliments. Some may not like it. Who cares? You can't please everyone.
Don't hide your work to avoid the embarrassment that may (or may not) come from people who really don't care.
Be bold. Show your stuff. Every time you do it, you get a little bolder.
It's the best way to find fans who'll rave about you!
4. Art Makes You More Resilient
I have a portrait of my kids that took me 21 hours to draw.
Anything that takes long takes dedication, patience, and a vision for the final outcome.
The more you create your art, the faster you'll get.
My main art now is writing. I've done it so much I can create a 1000 word blog post in less than 3 hours.
Have you heard of the 10,000 hour rule?
It asserts that it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at something. I've been writing since I was 8 or 10 years old. It probably started to resemble my current style in middle school.
I reached the half century mark not long ago. That's a lot of writing for a lot of years.
If that's discouraging, take heart. Anthony Robbins says, you can get those 10,000 hours in as fast as you want. For example, he mastered public speaking in a year or so by booking himself to speak several times a day.
The big win for you is that all those hours you've invested will forge a habit that will serve you forever.
5. Art Helps You Dream Bigger
Recently I wrote about journaling for the popular website Positive Writer. As I did, these words came to mind:
Your imagination has no limits when there are no critics.
When you're in the studio, chances are you're there alone. No one is there to tell you your work stinks. No one will say, you should have shaded that a little more. And no one will say your story is boring or unrealistic.
You're really free to dream of whatever your mind can conceive.
And who knows? If you focus on it long enough, your dream might come true!
6. Art Allows You to Turn Passion into Profit
If you want to thrive as an artist, you've got to sell your work.
How do you do that?
Let me give you a short course in marketing that will save you thousands of dollars.
In fact, I believe it will even ADD thousands of dollars to your bank account.
First, decide who will buy your work.
Go into detail here.
- Is this person male or female?
- Is she married or single?
- Does she have kids?
- Does she work?
- Where does she live?
- What type of house does she live in?
- What is she passionate about?
- What does she think is beautiful?
That's a lot of questions. The more answers you have, the easier it will be to create art your target customer will buy.
You don't have to carbon copy what sells. Learn from it. Take what works, rearrange it to reflect your style and talents, and make something unique and beautiful.
Second, market your work where people are buying.
This can be online or in a gallery. Maybe you'll open your own store. Test, test, and test again. If you want to succeed, you've got to put your work where buyers can see it.
7. Art Can Touch People Like Nothing Else Can
I used to visit the library a lot.
Sometimes during the week, storytellers come in. It's enthralling to watch a pro not just tell a tale, but cast a spell with a story.
A point wrapped in a story will resonate with people better than the point alone will.
Otherwise, it's just a lecture. And you know how thrilling those can be.
If you want to create a memory that lasts forever, art can do it better than anything.
Now Create Some Art!
Congratulations! You've made it to the end.
Now that you know 7 ways your art can make you and the world around you better, what are you waiting for?
I'd love to hear what you think.
Have a story that relates to what you just read?
Want to ask me a question?
Please share in the comments! And remember to tell your friends on social media!
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About Frank McKinley
Frank McKinley is a published author who has sold over 25,000 books. He's been writing since he could pick up a pen.
His mission is to help writers engage readers, sell their ideas, and build their tribes. Frank is the Founder of the Tribe Builder's Network, a place where writers can get the attention they deserve.
He lives in the Southern United States with his family and a dog named Jake.
Download Frank's free report Learn how you can sell 25,000 eBooks
For more great articles like this please visit his official website.
You can reach Frank via e-mail: frank@frankmckinleyauthor.com.
Head image credit: Sketches of
Sofia & Meg Konovska Art and
Design
And now, tell me, seriously, just how cool is that?
- Just so cool
- Pretty cool
- Beautiful cool
- Gorgeous cool
- MEGA cool