What makes a good artist?

It seems as if an artist has to be a jack of all trades and a master of them all!

First of all the artist has to be a good artist. Being a good artist is so subjective but there are some common threads no matter what the art. There has to be vi son, technical discipline, ability to paint, draw, sculpt, see and do. There has to be time in the studio to create. There has to be a voice and a direction to be a great artist. There have to be items which put together show nicely and are fluid.

Not only is the actual doing and creating is important but the ability to sell the work needs to be a part of it as well. In today's world the portfolio of an artist is important for galleries but the slides are more important for shows. Picking what shows and what galleries can take up a lot of time but the right shows and the right galleries can make all of the difference in the world.

Then there is the mastering of the Internet; web-sites, e-commerce stores, blogs and connection to the Internet is important. Finding good links onto your sites and then making sure your site is as professional as possible with the best digital photographs of work is so important. The descriptions, prices and substance just as important as the work itself. The ability to sell work with the best photo and description like magazines.

Then there are the office items; bills, finance, applications, bibliography, bios, brochures, business cards, post cards, taxes, numbers to crunch and paper to push. This time is huge and eats up quite nicely into the studio time.

How about the actual shows; booth, lighting, display, hanging of work, and the man power to move all of the work. Then the trailer to store and drive it to the location also needs to take place.

I just read about a book on publicity for your work. That is a whole can of worms and new ideas and new press releases to write. This is important. It is all important it is just how to prioritize

It takes a lot to be an artist. It takes focus. What do you think?