Enjoy the process of discovery, invention, spontaneity and growth. Allow your unique style to blossom naturally.

Developing Your Artistic Style

When I am asked to examine an artist's work, I look for the signs that reveal how the artist has found his or her own voice and has shaped feelings and ideas into unique forms. I always hope to find that extraordinary spark of innovation that always makes my heart beat faster.

Having an identifiable style helps an artist attract a following. A style that is recognizable as your own "signature" or "brand of creativity" will lead an artist directly to the right professional partnerships and markets.

Think of the communication power that having your unique style delivers. When galleries select artists they look for those who have amassed a progressive "body of work." Collectors take seriously those artists who have developed his/her "a special look." This style can be explained as a consistent feeling that your potential customer feels from you and your work. It's not only seen it's experienced. Take for example the work of Thomas Kinkade, the "Painter of Light." When we view his work, we are not only viewing a scene, we are feeling tranquility and inspiration.

Critics share their interpretations of artists' styles when they write about art. For example in reviews on artnet.com Donald Kuspit said, "Cheryl Goldsleger's paintings and drawings resurrect the designs of utopian women architects." Jerry Saltz described Sarah Sze's work as, "…magical, maniacal ways of looking at structure and space." How do viewers describe your work?

In the two decades that I have been a curator, critic and artists' career consultant I've been called upon to help artists develop their own artistic style. I have also written and lectured extensively on the subject of how to sell your art. Here are four cardinal rules I have found to work well when followed.

1. Follow your passion, not the market
If you try to outguess the market you'll always be behind it. Try instead to follow your passion and you will become the trendsetter. The process begins by being clear about who you are, what inspires you, what you want to express through your art, and what your mission is as an artist. Know your strengths and build upon them. Embrace the subjects, colors, textures, ideas, experiences, shapes and events that resonate most strongly to you. Follow your muse, bring your inspiration to fruition and take that to the bank with pride! Frida Kahlo said, "I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." When we asked Kim Foster, leading Chelsea New York gallery owner what qualities she is drawn to when selecting artists she replied: "Intelligent, passionate, narrative art. I have to feel their passion for the art that they are producing."

2. Let your work mature with magic
Enjoy the process of discovery, invention, spontaneity and growth. Experiment with different media, subject matter and styles. Be patient. Avoid prematurely committing to a style if it doesn't excite you. You may borrow; all artists have borrowed from those before them, but avoid copying other artists. You don't want to be described as having art that is "derivative." Chuck Close expressed it well when he said that he felt "trapped" in other artists' painting styles, as an abstract expressionist, until he formulated "new ways to make marks that make art." Develop a thirst for getting out of your comfort zone. Throw the paint onto the canvas, break the mold, and embrace accidents as adventures to new directions. As a seasoned artist you will experience passages in your life and your art will reflect those transitions. Expect periods of change and yield to the rites of passage, mystery, and inspiration. Hans Hoffman said, "If creation is not magic, the outcome cannot be magic."

3. Learn, observe and assimilate
Make it a practice to learn about the past and be connected to the present. Study art history, read technical books and artists' biographies. John Sloan said, "Assimilate all you can from tradition and then say things in your own way." Stay informed about new techniques, media and trends. Remain receptive to the mainstream as well as cutting edge practices. Henry Ford said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty." Invite differences of opinion. Look at a lot of art in museums and galleries with an open mind. Take time to travel. Read leading art magazines in print and/or online. You cannot live in a vacuum: Avoid excessive isolation and refusal of worldly knowledge. Listen to constructive feedback about your art and career from empathetic, intelligent and informed professionals. Robert Henri said, "An artist must educate himself ...his life is one long investigation of things and his own reaction to them."

4. Focus and surpass your expectations
As a professional artist it is important to establish a body of work with a distinctive and cohesive style. That can only be achieved when you are focused and disciplined. When you are on the path to your own artistic vision be persistent. When an obstacle occurs don't give in to the temptation of abandoning your direction and changing directions. Instead view this challenge as an opportunity to deepen your creativity and strengthen your individual style. Keep your focus on self-improvement, not competition. Make it a goal to become the best you, you can be. Odilon Redon said, "The good work proceeds with tenacity, intention, without interruption, with an equal measure of passion and reason and it must surpass that goal the artist has set for himself." Georgia O'Keefe said, "Success doesn't come with painting one picture. It is building step by step, against all great odds."

In summary, don't force yourself to latch on to a style or feel you have to remain in the same style throughout your career. Build from a foundation of skills, passion and self-confidence and give yourself the unlimited freedom of uncensored creativity. Giorgio de Chirico said, "We must hold enormous faith in ourselves; it is essential that the revelation we receive, the conception of an image which embraces a certain thing, which has no sense of itself… should speak so strongly in us, evoke such agony or joy, that we feel compelled to paint… "

Master your craft and then transcend it. At some point stop thinking about what others have taught you. Let go of your crutches and fly solo. When you let your unique voice soar you lift the world with you.

Renée Phillips is an artist career consultant. Learn more.

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