Should I keep creating the same type of art, or should I experiment with new subjects and styles?

You must experiment and pivot. One of the most dangerous traps in this industry is being told to ‘create what inspires you’ and then taking that creation to market. When it doesn’t sell or gets a lukewarm response, you internalize it as lack of talent and quit. Success in this business is about how many arrows you fire—you can’t fire one arrow and expect to hit a bullseye. Pablo Picasso died with 45,000 unsold works; he kept firing arrows, and some didn’t even hit the target. The most successful artists constantly try new things and experiment. The least successful people are completely rigid with their subject matter, never experimenting or pivoting. Understand this: what your business looks like when you’re making $100,000 a year will be completely different from what you’re doing today. Your best-selling subject matter will likely be different. You’re an inventor who can create new products weekly or monthly—that’s your biggest advantage. If you’re painting river scenes with rocks and they’re not selling despite your marketing efforts, try something else that has a real market: famous people, cultural icons, subjects with proven demand. Experiment until you find what resonates, then go all in on that.

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Asked by general teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan and Nick Friend · art-marketing-podcast · 2022-01-08