Why No One Likes Your Art - 26 Reasons

FEBRUARY 16, 2013 BY ALEX MATHERS — 83 COMMENTS

Why No One Likes Your Art: 26Reasons

You work hard at creating pieces of art, design, writing, music, song and dance. But dopeople truly like what you do? If you want to do well, earn and survive in this industry, it’squite important that at least a few people do.

What follows might come as a reminder of your brilliance but it could also be a realityadjustment for some of you. The aim here is to reveal some of the things that turn awaypeople from the art that you create, so that you can start with greater clarity to really makethe most of what you can offer the world.*

*This is not to say that I regard my own work to be great; I still feel I have only just started.We are all in this together and I too am learning every day.

Some of these reasons are common sense. Some of it might really help you; some mightsurprise you and some of it you’ll see is pretty unfair. This is the nature of the art world, andit is also dependant on the speciFc industry you’re in, with some being a lot more reliant ontrend than others.

Despite all this, it is my aim that you come away from this with a refreshed sense of whatyou might be doing wrong, what you are getting right and what you can do to put yourself inthe best possible position.

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Here we go…

1. It’s not re;ned yet

You simply haven’t got to a stage where your style and presentation of the work you do ishoned and reFned. This means you reach a point where your work possesses a level ofclarity and is distinctly your own. This takes time and practice, but people will notice whenyou get there.

2. It’s not targeted

Not having an idea of who the end user or admirer of your creations actually is, will muddyyour decision-making process and affect the clarity and message behind your work.

“Art, especially the visual stuff, requires some graspof colour, light and layout.”

3. It’s been done already

Emulating and taking from other artists early on as you develop a style and a voice isperfectly Fne, in my view. But don’t expect people to fall head over heels for your stuff if itisn’t original.

4. You don’t understand light/colour balance andcomposition

Art, especially the visual stuff, requires some grasp of colour, light and layout. In writing, theequivalent would be along the lines of pacing and sentence structure. These compositional‘rules’ apply to all other forms of creative work.

Make sure you ‘get’ these basics before expecting people to like what it is you do.

5. You don’t know why you are doing something

Knowing ‘why’ means having an understanding of how your art will serve the end user. I usethe term ‘user’ in a broad sense, encompassing admirers and fans, as well as users of aproduct. For example, in understanding what message you are putting across to readers ofa magazine to which you are providing illustrations.

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Knowing why in this way creates real clarity of purpose, which will have a direct effect onthe work you create.

6. It lacks consistency

Having some form of consistency in what you produce is important. People recognise yourstyle, it builds credibility as an artist, strengthens your brand, and looks professional.

Staying focused in this regard is therefore important.

7. You’re not making sacri;ces

It’s not everyone who has the balls to consistently make truly great work. Some things needswitching off in order for your own creative spark to ^ourish long enough to ignite into Fre.

Strategically saying no to things that obstruct this is very necessary. You very likely knowwhat these things are.

8. It’s not fashionable

This is when it helps to be aware of what kinds of things people are drawn to at any point intime.

I’m not an advocate of shifting your style according to fashions. These come and go, andthe real artist is the one that is leading or bypassing the trends. Just make sure you aren’tworking to a style that is clearly emulating something that isn’t ‘fashionable’ in your cornerany longer.

“Look towards something greater than yourself.”

9. Your portfolio is poor

Cut out the stuff that is subtracting from the quality and excellence of your portfoliocollection. Don’t include crap work and keep work of different mediums, or entirely differentstyles within separate portfolios.

Overlapping painting and photography within a single collection, for example, will only serveto detract from the clarity that you are aiming to achieve as a creative pro.

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10. You lack a purpose

Know why it is you do what you do at a level beyond the end user experience.

Look towards something greater than yourself. Take pictures professionally to contribute tosociety, over solely making you look good. A solid purpose in this way will motivate you,thus leading to better work, and work that people are drawn to who also share your purpose.

11. You aren’t well known

Whether you like it or not, there is a lot of power rooted in people knowing you and talkingabout you. Your work literally will appear more appealing to people if they know other peopletalk positively about it, well beyond someone’s rational response to a piece of art.

This is helped through building up credibility and exposure over time through the work youcreate, putting up testimonials, the way in which you promote yourself, meeting people, andjust getting your name out there.

12. You’re just creating

There is a difference between simply creating something new, and creating something newthat builds on your previous work or experiences. What made Picasso fascinating was notsimply a single painting of his. His whole body of work was interesting to so many becauseof the progression he’d show in what he was creating.

Ernest Hemingway drew a huge amount out of his personal experiences during wartimeand from his time in Africa. These were things that added great depth to his writing, eventhough he apparently wrote a lot of poor stuff before getting highly skilled over time. Thinkabout how this applies to you.

“Don’t expect to be brilliant in a short space of time.”

13. You don’t present it well

Take care over the presentation surrounding all of your work. This means a well designedwebsite and a portfolio that demonstrates real care and pride has gone into it. Goodpresentation is half the battle.

14. You haven’t given it enough time and practice

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Don’t expect to be brilliant in a short space of time. There’s no side-stepping aroundimprovement through putting in the hours and minutes, and practice in honing a style and askill. It takes time. Know this, and enjoy the journey.

15. You don’t understand ‘cool’

I’ve talked about the importance of grasping the concept of ‘cool’ and incorporating it intoyour art and the presentation of your art. I talked about cool as the fascinating quality thatencapsulates an up to date awareness of what really interests people, and being original,honest and authentic as you go about delivering it.

This awareness is not something anyone is simply born with. Put in the research; learnabout what your people like; and you can generate cool work.

Different audiences are matched to different forms of cool, which is why it pays to knowwhat type of person reacts well to your work and tailor what you do towards them, insteadof trying to reach everyone.

When a few people react to your work with an: ‘oh, that’s so cool!’ response, you knowyou’ve cracked it.

“When you achieve skill in something, you switchfrom observer to owner.”

16. It lacks emotion

This means your art either fails to transmit any of your own emotion conveyed through thework, or it fails to kindle any emotional response in the person experiencing your art. Bothare important.

17. It lacks skill

This ties in with practicing over time, but deserves to be mentioned on its own. Skill issomething that, by its very nature, requires ongoing, repetitive practice. After some time, youget to a certain level at which the way you work could be considered skillful. Prior to this,you are an observer and a student.

When you achieve skill in something, you switch from observer to owner, and yourcreations take on a whole new form.

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18. The work itself lacks care

Ok, so there is such a thing as creative licence, and this plays a role in dimming the linebetween interesting and experimental work and poor skill, but if you are genuinely notputting everything you have into taking care over your creations, this will cheapen them.

The result? Work that isn’t made to its full potential, and unhappy customers and/ordisinterested viewers.

“Understand your user too. Understand them reallywell.”

19. You aren’t generating exposure

You’ve heard it before. If you don’t put in the effort to get eyeballs in front of your work (andthe right kinds of eyeballs at that), no matter how masterful the work is, you won’t get veryfar in terms of gaining a positive response from people, let alone any response.

This applies to all your best work, because if you promote one piece well, but no oneknows your other work, and have therefore not grown in approval of you (including throughsocial proof), that piece may not generate the response it deserves.

People are funny creatures, and react with some distrust towards things they are unfamiliarwith. People respond better to things they trust; and this leads to good previous exposureof your art.

20. You are too interested in yourself

An ego-driven creative process can be great, if you make good use of emotional energy andexpress it through the work. But be careful about how self-interest can harm the experienceother people have of what you do.

Perhaps you are making things that are of interest to you, but will it interest others?Understand your user too. Understand them really well.

21. You lack passion for your work

The passion, obsession or interest you have for what you do is undoubtedly felt by othersthrough what you create. If you have none, it will show, so Fnd something to get passionate,

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ideally obsessed, about. It makes actually getting work done easier too.

22. You don’t do much else interesting

The art you make is almost, if not as important, as the stuff you do that forms the contextaround it. Do fun, unusual, weird, exciting things with your life outside of the work you do,and make people aware of it too. It will make a difference as to how people perceive you,and also your art.

“Remain focused on making more with less.”

23. You are seeking approval

There is a Fne line between creating with an understanding of what makes people tick, andcreating with the speciFc intention of impressing people. When you are seeking approval,you are only focused on outcome, and you are trying to do something speciFc based on apreconceived idea of what you think people like, instead of letting the work ^ow naturallyfrom you.

The danger lies in diverting your attention away from the process of creating. The perfectbalance lies in knowing why you’re creating (to spread joy? To make people think? Toinspire? To inform?) whilst maintaining a solid presence with the work.

Granted, Fnding this balance is one of the more complicated aspects of creating good andmeaningful work, where feedback over time can be the best guide.

Approval will come after you quit trying, and simply do.

24. You spread yourself too thinly

The best art springs out of a determination to remain focused on making more with less.Taking on too much will inevitably result in less concerted effort placed on more stuff, andyour work will suffer as a result.

Get really good at one thing. Excel at one thing, before moving on to the next if you must. Allelse is distraction.

25. You aren’t aware of the world around you

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Maintaining a healthy interest in the world around us and the knowledge accrued throughdoing so will add a depth to your art and the service you provide for the better. I wrote inanother post that eradicating ignorance is one of the biggest hurdles to progress of anykind. It will likely bene;t your creativity too.

26. You take it too seriously

This is easier said than done if you care a great deal for your craft. However, often the thingyou need most in improving the quality of your work is to shift your mindset. Make aconscious decision to enjoy your process, your business, your customers.

Calming down and seeing the joy in what you do will have a profound effect on youroutput.

I could probably write much more on this topic, but I’ll stop here for now. These pointsdemonstrate that creating likeable, loved art is not restricted to the gifted few, but availableto anyone who makes conscientious steps in making it happen.

An awareness of what works and what impedes your progress can make all the differencein how others respond to your creative contribution to the world.

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As always, I’m interested in seeing your feedback and your thoughts, which you can add tothe comments area below. Do sign up to the tips newsletter and share this post via socialmedia too. I will be very grateful.

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Why No One Likes Your Art - 26 Reasons

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