Doubts

 

So far the decision to be a professional artist has been followed by constant doubts. I will feel so excited when something goes well and think that everything will fall in line. Followed by setbacks like my computers dieing and loosing hours of work I have done on my business. Or just the slowness of sales that makes me wonder if there will ever be enough to contribute to the family financially.

I wonder if I have enough to say in my paintings? Do I paint things that anyone would be interested in owning? Starting out a new art business feels so precarious. I need to paint a lot so that I can develop my talents and so that people can get an idea of what I can do. I also need to figure out how to let people know about me. Marketing is such a huge endeavor. I feel like it is such a huge world that I do not yet understand, I am not even sure I speak the right language.

I do not know what I should focus my painting energy on. Should I be painting the paintings I am currently most inspired by or should I be working on paintings that might appeal to certain audiences? Should I be spending my time on visiting potential galleries, and entering shows or do I need to keep on painting an d improving before I am ready?

Will I ever actually be a professional artist?