Dealing with Failure as an Artist
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Spoiler alert: it’s a vulnerable one!
Please enjoy the video in 4K and thanks for watching, I really really appreciate your support
If you want to buy my paintings, here is the link lol: www.brookecorm...
UPDATE: I'm now selling limited edition prints of this series! www.brookecorm...
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It’s normal for scientists to experiment and “fail” regularly, however it’s not called failure, it’s known as “adding to the body of knowledge”. Therefore every experiment is a success. I’m a lecturer in Design and I teach “Fail Fast” methodology, this is a way of learning through intended failure, pushing until something breaks, then addressing that problem and moving on, it’s a repetitive process which eventually leads to the correct solution to the problem (ideally!). Your paintings are really excellent, in my humble opinion I think you should paint two different series, one on mushrooms and the other abstract landscapes. I see a touch of the genius of Ivon Hitchens in your work. Just keep painting, you’ll figure it all.
My superpower is that I never assume any of my paintings will sell. Sometimes my paintings sell 2-3 years afterwards. It’s always in person to someone who really connects with the piece.
that is so rad and important.
Brook,
YOU ARE AWESOME!! The "valley" paintings of artists sometimes become the most profound work of an artist. By doing these paintings you are automatically going to expand your audience. You're expanding your audience right now by posting such a vulnerable topic which only adds to the very authentic person you are; which is what I love about you! People need these stories because it creates connection. You will experience connection as well and you will be greatly encouraged by it. Don't lower your price but definitely have prints available for these paintings. Times are hard for so many and inflation is hitting us all so having art that appeals to every budget will definitely be the way to go for us tight-budgeters and we will be forever grateful. I have a goal and that is to save a few dollars a month so that I can purchase one of your originals and you know what?,... it will be worth it! In the meantime, I am more than happy to be patient and thoroughly enjoy journeying with you in your process as an artist. These pieces of art will speak to so many right when they need it; just as this video will.
Finally, remember your true identity. You are Brook Cormier who is an authentic, genuine, sassy, witty, caring, giving, wise, tea-drinking of a person;...a human being. Making art and creating things with your hands is NOT who you are. IT IS WHAT YOU DO. We don't just love what you make but, we love you more for who you are! If you tragically lost the ability to use your hands you would not stop being Brook. You would adapt and find another way to be creative or find another way to earn a living. Our connection to you would not be lost. If anything, it would be deepened.
I start to get a little excited when failure occurs....that lets me know that growth is about to happen! Keep walking up that hill. We are here walking along side you in the process!
Wow this comment brought tears to my eyes - thank you so much for saying this Cara, it really means so much to me. Knowing there are people like you who are cheering me on gives me so much motivation! I'm so grateful for your words, more than you can know! 💛
Cara made such good points and I totally agree! I LOVE your work. It is all amazing and your talent inspires me. I have to admit that I especially love you mushroom pieces including September (it reminds me of the forests here in Nova Scotia) but I especially love one that was probably from your first set of abstract mushroom pieces where it was mostly white. It was just so very beautiful and I hoped to own a print of it someday as prints are more realistic goals for me for now anyways. So don’t fret-so easy for me to say, I know-because perhaps your ‘regular’ audience showed up for your more realistic and equally beautiful paintings and just need time to adjust to a more multifaceted YOU. I love your brave heart. Keep going!! ❤️
Im never inclined towards abstract art, more of a realism lover myself. But these paintings are so beautiful and aesthetic. Can't believe no one bought them.
Well coming from a non-abstract lover, I really appreciate that haha 🙏
Well you did not buy and to be honest I would not buy myself either.
The lesson you're learning is that you built up one audience and now you're building up a new audience. You'll get there. Full disclosure: I'm talking to myself here too 😅
Haha thank you very much - best of luck to the both of us! ;)
I 1000% agree with this! My art business is broken up into 3-4 different parts. What works for one might have cross over with the others, but not always.
I think you absolutely made the right choice to explore this style. It's visually stunning, thought-provoking, and shows a strong artistic voice. Such a rich fantasy landscape
Just a month!? That's fine!! You have such high expectations! Keep producing and forget them for now. I think what might be happening is that there is not enough abstraction for the abstract lovers, and too much abstract painting for the mushroom lovers. Also, whilst mushrooms the have a strong core following, they're still a very nieche thing, so this was certainly an experiment. My impression is that the type of people who like large abstract works are more mainstream people who like conventional interior decorating beloved by rich people they see in magazines. They associate mushrooms with long haired hippies, and those who are not very familiar with mushrooms, might only associate them with poison.
Also, yellow & browns are risky colours to put together. For some people, it brings a 70s vibe. For others it reminds me of poo, vomit, or ugly achool uniforms. However, for me, the main mistake was working on an experimental, time-consuming collection and releasing it in one-go. A degree of risk taking is just part of delevopment though!
Do not be discouraged by the lack of interest in these artworks, I think it’s really clear you are onto something, the tension between looseness and detailed work is really interesting. I implore you to if anything, GO BIGGER!
Yes! I agree, go bigger! I feel that your art might be for a bigger canvas, perhaps might be that your beautiful mushrooms should be joined with some beaitiful bugs, snails, ants? 🐞
I think these paintings are absolutely wonderful ❤ A totally different take on adding realism to the abstract. Saddens me that you felt that so many people didn't appreciate your work 😞 but I'm glad you were able to pick yourself up and carry on, and I'm so glad you made this video so that I could find your channel 🥰
(Now just praying my poor ass can buy one of your paintings 🙈🤞)
I am actually grateful to you for sharing this. People don't understand how courageous and brave it is to be vulnerable. And these are the problems every artist goes through but so little people share about it. You already have been a guide for me and watching you making or actually carving your own way through this world to do what you love is truly inspiring. Thanks a lot for putting efforts consistently into sharing things you are uncomfortable about. ❤❤
Thank you so much for saying this, it makes it 100% worth it when I know it's helping others! 🧡
I only recently found you…popped up on my Instagram because I happen to like mushrooms. It was this mushroom series that caught my eye actually. It’s a humbling experience to create something that doesn’t sell as fast as you thought it would. You are so talented that a blow to the ego hits hard, but it’s necessary to grow as an artist as well. It’s just the bumpy part of the road. (I’m not one to buy originals but I would totally buy if there were smallish prints available. These are delightful and make me smile)
A huge part of being an artist is facing failure.
Sometimes you fail for all the wrong reasons, too. Just because of the snobbery of your milieu. And then people in the next generation think you're brilliant. I hope that doesn't happen to me. I'm not a painter, but a writer. But, it's practically the same sort of thing.
Watching you paint and take that brave step to experiment and create more freely is incredibly inspiring. I don't normally paint abstract art but this series is amazing and it makes me want to try out more things. I'd love to buy No. 7 or No. 10 but I just cannot afford it. They resonate deeply with me and I'm sure they will with other people and someone will give them a new home.
It breaks my heart that you have these difficulties but I think it is truly brave to take steps like these and while it might not have paid off financially yet, I wish you all the best that it will at some point. Thank you so much for sharing this deeply personal story. Truly inspiring!
Your mushroom paintings are my favorites of yours! I was actually out for a walk with my kids recently and saw some interesting mushrooms growing out of a tree stump and I snapped a pic and thought of you.
I’ve been doing festivals a lot during the summer and one of the more crushing experiences was one in my hometown where I didn’t sell a single painting. It’s hard when you put so much work into your art and you love it and believe in its value but it just doesn’t sell. All that to say…Keep making art! Keep exploring! Keep creating! Make the art that you want to make 🩵
Perhaps not selling any in your hometown was really a complement depending on the vibe of your hometown. Hopefully, you don't live there anymore...
Not selling anything or only a few dollars worth of stuff at an event is so crushing! I've had that happen a couple times in the last year. It makes me appreciate the huge wins a bit more.
My aunty is an artist who did not have any professional success until she was over 50 years old. She had no direction or recognition of her gift for most of her life. But now she is becoming known, having some success, exhibitions in New York and France, and she has thousands of drawings to her name because she just always drew.
I tell you this because you have a wonderful visual gift, and you still have all the capacity to create. This current collection may not be understood yet by your audience. But the journey is yours, not ours. Keep painting. Bring up the next canvas, whatever it may be.
6:36 This one is absolutely gorgeous. You can notice the increase of confidence in your approach (the previous one in the video also). The maturity.
I love those paintings - this coming from someone who has been making and looking at art for more than 40 years - they are fresh and original and beautifully painted.
I feel like I nearly had a complete mental breakdown a few months back for similar reasons. Nothing was selling and yet I made a video on my paintings and their prices and I literally had over a thousand people who were saying how criminally underpriced my work was. It was so frustrating to hear people say that and yet nothing was selling. I felt like a complete failure and ended up throwing away two original paintings. I also relate to sitting on my site live and watching people abandoned their carts 🥲 It’s so much easier said than done but I’ve just had to come to peace with the fact that paintings most likely won’t sell immediately. I took some time away from commissions which were burning me out like crazy to focus on painting what I want to paint and my mental health.
I think your abstract work is so unique and beautiful and I TREASURE having one of your abstract originals. I know feeling like a failure is horrible but I think it’s so much more common among artists that any of us realize. Thanks for sharing, YOU ARE NOT ALONE ♥️♥️♥️
I love your "newer" work. I am a new subscriber because of your "new" paintings. Keep following your intuition and paint what you love.
I so appreciate the vulnerability you shared in this video. I feel this so much. I have been in the same position a few times. -- Here is a chest bump right back at ya. You've got this. Your paintings are beautiful, they will find their audience.
Thanks a lot Adam, I appreciate that 🙏
pleases keep doing this, you kept talking the price of this series but in my opinion they are priceless, you not playing it safe is when you truly let your art flourish trust me. love your art and can't wait to see more.
My brother came across your video and shared it with me.
I appreciate you putting the word out there, as these are real feelings and challenges most artists contend with.
PS: your sense of humor is alluring 😂
I’ve never commented on literally anything before but… Your series is amazing and so are you! Keep doing what makes your heart sing and your tribe will find you lovely 💞
What a fantastic therapy session! Thank you for sharing! It always feels like it's just me that failed and everyone else is doing great. Failure feels so miserable but when you finally win it will be 10 times more worth it. Hope you sell all your paintings regardless of the style you choose!
There absolutely beautiful!! I love them. Especially the one with the 3 long red musshrooms. Beautiful
I have been an artist for over 20 years, I struggle with the social media side of things, so I don’t sell much. I commend you for putting yourself out there. Your paintings are amazing and they will sell. Sometimes planning what will happen is a recipe for failure. Nothing is coincidence. And the reason will show itself to you. Keep shining, you’re very talented and love your paintings 🙌❤️🙏🏼
I started to really enjoy painting when I came to realise that being concerned with the finished thing - a painting or a sculture or a photograph - is not only distracting but most of all ruins what should be the pleasure of creating. And this is my point: enjoy the act of creating instead of thinking "is this good or bad? Am I a good artist? Why am I not becoming better?" Etc etc etc. i used to nurture such thoughts and as consequence I was a bad artist. Now i paint, i enjoy mixing my colors, the feeling of the brushes on the canvas, the smell of incense and my favorite music in the background. Enjoy the moment, and your art will benefit
Thank you so much for sharing your process and being real about your feelings. As a (mostly formerly) working artist I SO get it about your creativity pulling you one direction, and your established client base wanting you to "keep playing the hits" as it were. If I have the $ right now, I'd but #8 in a hot minute. All your work is outstanding. I hope perhaps the the video creates more interest in these lovely abstracts, and you feel encouraged to keep letting your creativity guide you.
I’m a fellow artist and I absolutely love this series!! I think they’re all really unique and beautiful. I haven’t seen pieces like this before.
DONT CHANGE! I'm right there with you! Changed my style 7 months ago and.... not one has sold. You're work is so beautiful- it reflects your passion for nature and mycophillia. It's unique and well crafted❤. Thanks for sharing. It sucks but everything that comes from strife is the most resilient in the end. Scar tissue is stronger that regular tissue
These paintings are beautiful, I love them! Like others have said, it's just a question of reaching the right audience, not everyone likes the same thing or will like everything you do and that's ok :) Keep making what makes you happy, the right people will come along x
I just have to say Brooke, I really love your new style. I just found your channel recently, and started with your older videos. While I found your realism art style beautiful, my jaw DROPPPED when I saw your abstract work on your website!
I truly believe that you can tell when someone loves their work. And that was the instant first impression I got when I saw this abstract mushroom series. I can see the passion you put into it. And while it may take a moment for you to develop the right audience for it, I ask you to please not give up. I’m sure there’s a way you can balance your new and old style while you transition audiences.
I would also like to point out that your new style is already attracting the right audience. Because I’m here right now and I LOVE this collection! Unfortunately, I am not in a place financially to be able to afford one of your original abstract paintings. I sincerely wish I could. But I am just now starting my artist career and we all know how that is 😅
But this series genuinely sparks so much joy for me and quite a few of your other followers, based on what I’ve read from other commenters. It will do the same for so much more ❤❤
I'm so in love with that new style of yours! If I had the money I would buy one immediately:) Don't give up on what excites you just because of other people. You had so many years to grow your audience for realism, just give the abstracts some time to find their audience, too. I'm sure there is a tone of people out there just waiting to find these!
I do art festivals every year. I'm still carrying around some 10 year old paintings waiting for their forever home. The good thing is that paintings never go bad. :) They will find their homes eventually. Just keep creating
I just had a project I'd been working on (writing a videogame for a studio) that just got killed after writing and outlining for nearly 6 months. Failure sucks and, as you said, can kinda make you question if you're doing the right thing (even more so when your income is tied to that..). The worst thing is that it can also make you question the success you're having or have had. Personally, my own channel is finally hitting its stride, but is still in the shadow of having months of work just getting cut on a random Monday. But failure is part of the process. Doors open, doors close, and we have to keep on keepin' on. Thanks for the video, sharing your thoughts, and showing us your art. I loved the Mushroom series by the way!
Very well said! Sorry to hear about your videogame project, but sounds like you have the right attitude to keep going, and that's all that matters 🙌
@@b.cormier Exactly! ❤
As you have so vulnerably shared Brooke, failures happen to all artists and other creative beings some of the time and it is hard and heartbreaking and can be temporarily paralyzing. My best guess from what you have shared is that it is not any one thing but a collection of factors that have impacted your sales of this new work. However, the only thing that would have been truly devastating would have been if you had not taking the risks to paint where your energy was taking you and to under price the value you saw in the work. My only advice is what I give myself when a project or series fails and that is to keep going - pull out a canvas or wood panel and pick up the brushes and start another series in the direction you want to take your work. This demonstrates to yourself AND your art collectors that you believe in the process and you trust that you and your audience will catch up to the work in due course. Not all work initially finds its forever home. It simple has to wait its turn or sometimes eventually is painted over or put in the burn pile. What never fails us is our painting practice as long as we keep painting and are true to ourselves. To remain resilient is to keep taking risks as an artist and not all those risks will lead to a paycheque right away. On a more personal note I have a rather unusual way of managing the paycheque pressure as an artist. To ensure I can take as much risk as I dare, I keep one year of operating money in the bank. This way when something fails I tell myself I have a year to sort it out. Or if I want to try something that is a stretch outside what I usually do then I say to myself, I have a year before I need to decide for sure if this is a lost approach for either me or my art collector base. This might not be possible right at this juncture for you Brooke but it is something worth working towards even if it means stepping back to paint what you know you have a market for a little while. Many artists keep what they call their bread and butter work going while still stretching the heck out of their potential to do more. I am not sure if any of this will be of use or value to you so take what resonates and toss the rest! Thanks for stepping up and sharing the tough stuff along with your successes.
Your right !
We all go through this and most of us quite a bit .
I think we often need to find the audience for our work but this takes motivation and work and sometimes the fact is we don’t probably have enough motivation and emotional space to do the hard work ( not painting but hanging out with your audience)
I always say I am not building a fortune but clients ! It takes patience and time !
Your paintings are beautiful. Do not doubt yourself. You are already successful just because you are doing what you love.
Thank you for being so vulnerable. I keep seeing artist share how they sell sell and sell, but hearing the times where they struggle really would benefit us artists who look up to them. I definately look up to you! Still hope you go to an art fair someday so I can come meet you!
I actually really love these! Hope you keep exploring this series and do more abstracts :-)
Thank you! I appreciate it :)
Sounds so familiar, the difference is that i've almost never sold anything that i had created just as a creation, i only sold the ones that were already ordered before. Luckily, i still have a status of a beginner, so i can still delude myself that one day it will change. You inspire me to keep going
I have been through this so many times I can't count. I've also had paintings sell that were on my studio walls for 12 years before they sold! Ahhhh, the life of an artist! Personally, I LOVE your abstract mushroom paintings! They are gorgeous. I had the same issue in the first 10 years of my career. I went from realist portraits to abstract graphic flowers. The "public" isn't as open to abstract work, they don't understand it. Stay true to what your heart tells you to paint! I eventually found my audience for the abstracts and sold the heck out of them!
Great video,
It’s refreshing to hear such honesty. I read the artist way years ago. Great book!
Love your paintings and I appreciate you sharing your experience. I just started painting in the last couple months after doing some sketches a few years ago, and even as a beginner, I can relate to your feelings, because I am a creative and hope to excel at this, as well as continuing to enjoy the benefits of art whether I sell or not
Well these are exquisite paintings, I love the mood, the brushwork, the details. Mushroom from 5:00 is just *chefs kiss*. I am sure they will sell eventually.
As abstract art goes, this set of paintings is awesome and resonates a lot with me. If I had money, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. You have a new follower, thank you for sharing your process - don't give up! :)
Thanks for posting this. It is hard to leave a show Sunday afternoon and have no money to show for the effort.
Oh Brooke . . . I’ve been going through the same thing. I’ve been painting for over 40 years and my style has always been tight realism. I now have serious vision issues where focusing on detail is exhausting. I can still do it, but it now takes forever and the pleasure is gone. I’m so fired up with abstract now and incorporating it into looser realism, and that’s what I’m doing. I know my followers are probably not into it, but I’m game on working to find new fans. I’ve decided life is too short to keep painting things begrudgingly only to please others. That’s not what art is for me. I’ve been working on some pieces now that excite me so much, I run down to the studio in the mornings to see the previous day’s work. That’s how I know I’m doing the right thing. Follow your heart, your passion, and what excites you. You’re going to find collectors.
Brooke, your feelings come across. We are with you. You are a normal person. You plan something. You have expectations and they are not met. You feel shit. And you had the courage to “bare all” about it in a RUclips video.
You said you were proud. You SHOULD BE proud at your wonderful new abstract styles and process. I especially love the “watery & splashy” parts, like at 4 mins and 30 secs in. It thrills me and I would love to learn more about how you do that / what you are trying to achieve when you take that kind of risk.
Please keep finding YOUR artistic style. Sales or no sales. I too favour abstract over representational work these days . . . allowing abstract to just happen fires me up much more than just creating something that another person might recognise.
I honestly really am excited by what I see in your abstracts. I cannot buy one. I have had zero income since the pandemic. Fortunately my wife has work coming in, so we can pay the rent and buy food.
This is just me. I really like your abstract art work. I am not so keen on the mushrooms. I think that that is because thy are too recognisable, representational. Don’t get me wrong, I too love mushrooms, in particular I love growing my very own oyster mushrooms! Mushrooms are seriously cool. But I wonder if you could separate this work into two separate new lines of Brooke Cormier art - 1) BC mushroom art and 2) BC abstract art . . .
I absolutely LOVE these paintings!! I wish I could buy one (several) - I can't because of my budget, not because I think the price is too high for original art... and I also love the courage of this video in getting a bit of hope and perspective from what is a super hard feeling (freelance writer, so I have definitely been there often!) I'm so glad you showed up in my feed!
Been feeling that feeling for years. You made me feel lighter today after watching your video knowing im not alone. We Painters have this stages of struggle
I think your paintings are absolutely gorgeous! I’m also trying something new to what I usually do because I felt so stuck. It’s not taken so well but it’s helped me so much get out of the funk. Guuuurl you totally should be proud of your work! 🎉 ❤
I‘m a 40yo woman, faced so many failures in my life. Finally doing what I love… it needs patience, courage and a lot of depressed days… Keep going, you’re a beautiful soul and your art is amazing ❤
Dear Brooke, I just saw your video and I'm going to say what you should had heard from the beginning: you are enough, amazing and doing your best. So keep going, shake the sadness, hug a loved one and keep doing you. All the best ❤.
Recently I felt something similar. I've been living in another country for a year, with a different language, and finally I passed a competition and was able to organize an exhibition in a small town. I worked on it for 4 months, exhibited 12 works with the possibility of buying, but alas. No one contacted me, no one was interested in my paintings and not a single painting was sold. After the exhibition I didn't paint for a month and was very depressed, on May 5 I took my work back and didn't sit at my easel again. I'm setting myself up to work, but so far it's hard and I've been sick 2 times this month.😊
I really appreciate you doing such a vulnerable and honest video. It’s refreshing - I enjoy your usual sassy self but it also feels like a persona and a bit overdone/contorted at times… There’s so much good going on with these paintings - the color palette for once 👌. They also seem a bit raw and like first attempts - a bit disjointed and not unified in composition, the balance and proportions seem a bit off in some of them, there are big chunks of color just “frozen” and hanging… They do not seem like “experienced” polished pieces, and expecting to sell them as such might have led to your disappointment. However, you are very skilled and definitely keep exploring and developing your style. Making art that sells and offering your “process” pieces as well can lead to a good mixture of profit and growth without undue financial pressure … Keep up the good work, thank you for your sharing and great content!
Thanks for sharing this, needed to hear this.
It’s good to know that we as creatives are not alone.
I just self published my first children’s book and while I’ve been getting great reviews, sales of the book have been less than stellar.
But the only thing I know how to do is just keep going and I started my second book. ✌🏻
to be this frank you need to be really brave, I totaly admire that. I think that you are a great painter, there will be better times for you, for sure !
Hey Brooke - you’re so great and I wish I had the funds to support your new series. Your art is so beautiful and moving and I really, really love the new direction you’re taking. I’ve been through a similar creative journey and it’s so hard to pivot, but you’re on the right path ❤ wishing you all the best from Port Moody.
I think it is a lot about the fact that people who fallow you are use to certain tipe of your art. They are here mostly for realism. So when you show abstract, there is no interest becouse abstract painting lovers are simply not here. Please, do not stop experimenting. It os the only way to grow. All the best!
I LOVE your work - just looking at your paintings makes me feel, happy.
I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment on a RUclips video before… But I just had to say that I LOVE your series of abstracted paintings with the amazing lil mushrooms! If I had the money I would buy every single one! (Seriously, I’m begging you to announce that you’ll be dropping prints)
Also, while I’m still here writing what is likely to be my first ever (and last ever) RUclips comment, I just wanted to say that I find your entire body of work so incredible! You’re so talented, and your work really inspires me.
I went to art school and majored in painting and drawing, and seeing people like you who have found success as a full time artist is so motivating. Thank you for sharing your journey!
I don’t see failure here, I see authenticity, vulnerability, and growth. You deserve to love your own creative process / finished pieces !!!
This was so sweet to read - thank you so much! Speaking as someone who also never comments on yt videos, I reallly appreciate this haha 💛
Also, I'm about to release limited edition prints of the series and am having a preorder sale right now on my website www.brookecormier.com if you're interested! Either way, I really appreciate the support and your encouraging words - all the best to you on your own artistic journey!
I think you are a very talented artist. A terrific RUclipsr btw. Thank you for sharing.
Well done for being brave. Sometimes two steps backwards leads to 10 forwards ❤
The paintings are simply incredible, I hope you sell them all, Brooke
As Artists we are often concerned with things like quality of mark, composition , the relationship between colours, form texture etc often we try things to "see what happens" and thereby learn and grow, this applies whether the work is representational or not. Not managing to sell the work while it might be disheartening certainly does not make us failures though with everyday pressures it can seem like it. The important thing is to continue to make work learn, discover and grow. Great Video and enjoyed looking at your work
The lesson is to move on to something new till you find something that brings you joy AND sells. It can be done
Many great Artists from the past, now appreciated and collected, sold little or none of their work during their lives. Vincent Van Gogh could not even afford to buy materials at times and had to depend on his brother for support. Creating all forms of Visual Art and Music for an audience of one, or many, is something essential for all humans who value cohesive, vibrant and engaged societies. I had not seen your work before, however , I liked those shown in the video. Difficult to combine abstract and realism successfully. I think you nailed it!
Thank you for beeing so honest! You will make your way. Failure is a companion in everybodys life 🙂
Dear Brooke, your choice of colors is so refreshing!
Art is the artists way of releasing what is inside... And sometimes for lack of our comprehension of what that really is... It's released in an intuitive way unnanderstarted, still it's the plainest way of our allowing and honouring ourselves. Please paint whatever feels the need to be released. This is therapy. Whether anyone understands, approves of it or not!
Painting what you love is what keeps your heart joyous. Save those works and whenever you feel the time is right, put them out again with another enthusiasm or view. Dearest Brooke your work is wonderful! Rest if you need but don't give up! You ARE already a success! 👌🏼🌻🌻🌻✨
Wow! I NEEDED this video today. I was a part time artist and just lost my main source of income mid April - on my birthday. The job market has been super slow and my finances are dwindling. Not to mention the art commissions I had have fallen through. This morning I found myself splayed legged sobbing like a toddler. lol. Woe is me. 😂 This video was the kick in the pants that I needed. Instead of receding into a blanket chrysalis I need to keep on painting. It brings me joy. The rest will come.
Bravo being brave to experiment and also to share your not so successful story. It's refreshing! I am an emerging artist and am still working on selling regularly. Last week I sold two paintings. One brand new, and the other I painted about 6 years ago. That pretty much describes my experience.
I have noticed that people seem way more careful about buying art than this time last year. I sell at fairs and festivals so I talk to people and I get an impression that people feel far more uncertain about the future. We essentially sell luxury goods even if we artists feel art as a necessity. People don’t buy luxury goods when they are uncertain about the future.
Also sometimes you need to wait. My art fair season so far has been terrible up until a twenty minute span on Sunday when I sold two large pieces in twenty minutes. That brought me back into the black money wise for the season.
One last thing, when you are known for a style collectors and fans can be turned off by something new. It sucks. I am not remembering the artists name at the moment, but he got known for making large web-like installations made of pipe cleaners. He even had a show at the Whitney. Then he changed his style and nowadays he is basically only in the occasional group shop at b-tier galleries. So there is real risk to changing styles.
But there is also risk to not changing. As an artist you are either moving forward or backwards. Not trying new things will move you backwards. How many artists just faded away because they just did the same thing over and over. So even if it is a risk we need to try new things.
Your pieces are gorgeous!! If I had the funds I would totally buy one!! They are definitely worth the money! My favorite one you held up at the end was already sold by the time I watched this!!!
for me, all artists are geniuses, and it doesn’t matter what exactly you draw, one way or another you put a part of yourself into it and the main thing is that you enjoy the process. and everything else is secondary.
As long as you do something, you can't be a failure. and we obviously cannot influence the results or the opinions of other people. I think your drawings are amazing and given your skill there will always be someone who will appreciate it and wanna buy it. thanks for sharing your thoughts **CHEST BUMP with low pitched voice**
Brooke, I love all of your work and your videos. I receive great inspiration from you. I have an art practice as well, and I truly believe that for a lot of people, the economy is so poor right now, it hurts. Essential things are costing more and more that most cannot afford luxury items like art. Please continue to learn, grow, and challenge yourself (while you pay your bills). Try not to get too discouraged because your work is so exceptional.
I struggle with this a lot. My art isn't my full-time job, but I struggle with the what sells vs what I like to make side of things as well. And I think that's a very natural struggle that most of us go through. I wish that the world would employ artists full-time just to create. To not have to worry about selling, but just that we as a society saw the value that artists bring to the world and supported them fully to allow them to chase their wildest ideas. That would be a lovely world to live in.
This was the first video I've seen of yours and it was great! The pacing of the video was fantastic. I loved how you continued talking about the issue at hand while also showing us the works being created. That really kept my attention on the videos. And watching you paint was fascinating. The brush strokes were super interesting to watch the various techniques you used to apply the paint to the canvas. So from that perspective, I loved that art (the video) that you put out into the world. I thought the paintings were great too!
As a realist artist originally its taken me years to develop an abstract style. Most people like realism or at least something they can identify with - like an abstract landscape..this is what I had the most success with while finding my abstract voice. I suggest continuing your realism work that you know supports you and on the side exploring and developing abstract. Pinterest is a good resource to see what style of abstract you yourself enjoy. I only paint paintings now that I would hang in my own home. Its possible that since you mixed realism with abstract in this body of work you're not appealing fully to either audience. Hopefully you get something out of this feedback. Your realism is very beautiful and show a skill that a lot of artists strive to achieve
Love your paintings and thos cute mushrooms, however I haven't got much money as a student rn to buy any of them haha, but I wish you all the best. Feeling like a failure happens sometimes, but be assured you're not. It's all part of life's journey, after all nobody would queue for a flat roller-coaster, right? I send you a virtual hug, and keep on painting that one day (I hope) I won't be broke anymore! 👀
I just wrapped up a showing last night. I pumped it for over a month to my social media following ... all of my posts got shared out multiple times. Nothing on the walls was valued at over $120 because they were all prints excluding one original. Maybe 15 people showed up? And I lost about $600 which was just about what I'd spent putting it all together. Feeling pretty bummed out about it. For me , I can't afford to take 3 months to create a series and have the bills paid and its the last day of the month so I'm freaking out pretty badly. I was fairly confident that people would rally around me and it was a ghost town. :( .... pretty discouraging.
Oh, Brooke. ❤ Thank you for being you. xxx
I am so surprised they didn't sell! I'm not usually a huge fan of abstract but I love the whole collection. As a hopefully artist myself I don't have the budget to buy original paintings yet lol but I wished so badly to get one when you first put them up for sale!
I looove your new abstract series!! I feel like it has such a unique character and the colors are amazing. Hope these treasures find their new homes very soon!!
Love all your paintings. Looks fantastic and love your little mushrooms added on to them, they are so cute. You’re right just don’t give up and keep going. The right buyers will come around will buy your paintings when time is right. I saw your web store all your paintings and prints are beautiful. Your store is fantastic set up so keep doing of what your doing and good things will come around. I’m Rooting for you. Cheers 😎😎😎🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️
Hey Brooke - Been contemplating responding to your video. Here is what I really find interesting about your feelings and your experiences so far.
You made some paintings, put your heart and soul into trying something new, and then when they didn't sell, despite your most earnest marketing efforts, you felt like you really failed.
I feel like your previous success is part of the problem. Your paintings have always had a certain level of demand, and that elevated expectation has made the lack of sales for your mushrooms/abstract series even harder to swallow.
I would like to offer a slightly different take: Imagine the mushroom/abstract series was your first attempt at selling paintings. You have no prior expectation of demand or sales. Just your beautiful art, you are putting out there for the world to see. They don't sell. How does this make you feel? Well, disappointment would certainly be warranted. BUT - you might also just as easily perceive this as a stepping stone in the process: there is something about the paintings the public just isn't digging as much as you do. Let's try something else, or maybe, gather some anonymous critiques to try to figure out what that something is.
Now, its time to try again, but maybe with something different. Larger canvas? More emphasis on the mushrooms? More emphasis on the abstraction? Make a painting for yourself, maybe, that is absolutely epic in size - 6ft by 6ft, one that would hang on our own wall. Post it for sale. If it sells, great. If not, keep it, no loss because you wanted it anyway. But at least you have tested another aspect of the potential changes needed (size).
Good luck with everything.
Also, you are a great artist.
Hi Brooke - I'm here to tell you that I feel your pain. I had gone from super realism to a more abstract thing, too, and was finding myself really saddened by the lack of sales in this new thing I loved. I have a show tomorrow that includes a ridiculous variety of styles (process mode?), and I'm hopeful that the style I love the most is liked by others. Keep your chin up. As you know, a lot of people don't like change much. As your art changes, your audience might change.
The good thing is, you have a bunch of subscribers who support you. You just need to find the audience and customer base that enjoy and desire your new work. I still haven't settled on a particular "style" - maybe do a little youtube series about trying out new styles to work in. :)
If I was rich, I'd snap up No. 8. It's my favorite! I hope they find their Forever Homes. They're super cool. I'm an artist, too, and I'm always in shock when an original actually sells. I know they're decent, but usually my other physical pieces of art for another part of my business (the Etsy I've had for over a decade) take 3 months to finally get people's attention. And that mental state has carried over into the much newer painting/art print side of what I do. I'd love to do "release day"s, but that's never ever worked for me.
Hi Brooke,
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and insights! I've learned that the best approach is to focus on the joy of painting and let go of the outcome. When we concentrate too much on selling and allow fear to dictate our actions, it often backfires. We can't control whether the paintings sell or not. You've done your marketing and everything you could; now, it's time to trust that the right people will come. I understand that this is not easy when you are in desperate need of money.
I also believe your paintings would be a fantastic fit for cafes or herbal shops. I'm in a similar situation right now as I've transitioned from realistic pet portraits to painting my own ideas, primarily fantasy themes using gouache and oils. I haven't posted anything online yet because I'm worried it might appear less professional due to the "childish" themes. However, it makes my heart happy, and I know it's the right path for me.
Keep following your passion, and trust that your unique style will resonate with those who truly appreciate it.
Your art is so cool , futuristic...
I was imagining in neon colors .🎉
I love art and your videos. Your videos are the best of your art to me. Hearing your insight and watching you paint actually brings me great joy. You paint amazingly. The mushroom pieces are beautiful, just not my style. What drew me to them was the story you told about why you painted them. And that now you have this crazy cool interest to mushrooms now that connects you to your sister? right? That made me love them. Wish you could connect the story to the painting somehow.
I would look at it from a business strategy side. You’ve spent a ton of time building a target audience for X product, with a successful formula and now you’ve switched gears and produced Y product for an X audience, which doesn’t go with that formula. Think of Nike all of a sudden trying to sell high heels. I doubt they’ll get much traction even as a powerhouse. This doesn’t mean that Nike made terrible high heels or that they don’t know what they’re doing but it does mean that a new business strategy takes time to build, plan and execute. The paintings are lovely. I would go as far as creating a separate insta account for your abstract work and start slowly building a target audience for it, could be your project on the side and see where it takes you! The paintings are lovely, thanks for sharing your experience!
Absolutely love your abstracts! They are just infused with 'you' and they have so much life and joy. They offer a glimpse into the artist much more than your realist style could, though they are beautiful as well. Failure is a stepping stone. I say, stay the course with your new style experimentation. I"'ve been wanting to dive more fully into abstract as well and this, though a failure video, is actually encouraging me to be brave!
How to deal with failure - such an important topic, and yr right, so under explored. Platitudes such as don't give up are no comfort. I spent about 13 years of evenings after work writing a novel. Even small publishers have rejected it and maybe a dozen people have read it. Yeah, I feel like a failure and think I will until society acknowledges its quality in some way. Sadly it's the artist's life...when Einstein on the Beach was opening on Broadway Philip Glass was still driving taxis.
the key to art as i see it, i am not an artist, but the same way people can use a i to create what they think just goes to show that there is an opportunity for artist to start creating what others want, simple as that , your art style that people like but with their vision, Give it a name and you are set to try. Sometimes artist need to realize that creating art based on someone's vision can actually elevate an artist. they give you the idea of what's in their head , record as they speak and then translate that with your brush n paint and make it come to life. Your work as an artist is that you dont have to try because thats what you do, you create art , your work is a reflection of how you see art with colors etc, then combine that with cilents ideas and you create the outcome. one of one art. or with the cilent create a set limited to 10, the possibilities artist have is endless. look al around you every business or clothing or things we use is covered in art. create what people want. time for artist to step up and create one of one art pieces and of course charge fair. For we all know art is only expensive when you leave the earth. so while you are here move to the next level, create for others with your signature style . your show pieces is what represents your name, when you got spare time create new pieces keep it evolving, so its like 2 jobs, selling your work and selling what others imagine with your signature (you art style) i think creating peoples ideas will bring you more joy that ever before it will bring out wha tan artist truely is. so give the program a name and get peoples ideas on your canvas of course downpayment first to start the art piece.
Love your paintings! 😍 Thank you for giving me inspiration!❤
"Failure is not defeat". This saying, which I heard recently, reminded me of what my art instructor said many years ago about art that is submited to a gallery or art show - and not accepted. He said "non aceptance is not rejection."
Hang in there! You’re work is amazing and attitude is entertaining🤓
A "Yeah I'm super bummed I didn't sell any of my paintings" advert about available artwork to 70k so far views 😉
🙌Yeah, MARKETING! 🙌 I'm not having a go, just poking fun, this is a totally valid point discussed. And super interesting as someone who is a 'RUclipsr' artist that there is this marketing opportunity within content you can put out like this, as I'm sure sales have resulted from this video. I respect the hustle, but it's interesting from an art theory perspective ;-)
Hi Brooke, great video courageous, forthright and true for all of us. I hope you’re feeling better, as someone of a certain vintage, the economy rises and falls, things go in and out of fashion and art is on the streamer fringes of this roller coaster. You’ve done so well, just keep going. I think you should consider film making, you make fantastic videos! If you haven’t already, read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act. I love their voices, so often listen because it’s soothing/meditative, but it’s also grounding and encouraging. Be you. This is brilliant. Brava!
Maybe less people understand these art pieces, but honestly they are so good. They flow from your heart, your passions and inner world. This is high quality art because it makes the viewer stop for a moment and ponder its meaning.
This week I was reading about Van Gogh and how his works were only recognized after his death (not to discourage you or anything 😅). It sucks to not be valued, but at the same time the world of art wouldn’t be the same without him.
So please keep creating these pieces and I hope that the right people will discover and buy them
Thank u for sharing , all u see is people being “successful” or selling art. For an artist that doesn’t sell often despite trying. I consider you a success that I could only dream to achieve. So it’s refreshing and encouraging
The experience you're having is exactly what I went through some 20-years ago when I decided to go full-time with my art. I painted some 20 paintings, in an oil, tonalist landscape genre and medium, created a website with my paintings, booked every summer art show I could, and did several, and got in to 2 respectable art galleries, and waited for the money to pour in. 3-months later, I started to really panic as I only sold 1 painting for $100, with rent and bills stacking up. I hung in there for another 3 months, all while continuing to paint more, and getting more broke with no more sales. The galleries said they loved my work, so did customers, but most galleries make their money off less expensive jewelry, ceramic and glass pieces. I finally through in the towel after selling only 1 more painting for: $300, and haven't put my work in any gallery since. I make ~$200k/year in marketing and business development, but would love to paint full time, just don't want to starve again and feel like a failure every day. Most successful artists I've met over the years have a partner who makes enough money to pay the bills as they would be homeless on their art income, and that's the successful ones, and that's the hard truth.