Do you want to paint pictures or make art?

“What is most personal is most universal.”

― Carl R. Rogers

I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately. I'm wrapping up my most recent course (Find Your Voice 2022). The students on this course have been with me for 18 weeks now, so it's not easy to wave goodbye - but I also love this time of year.

I love watching these artists walk out into the world with more confidence and clarity. I am thrilled to see that so many of them are now making unique and personal art - even people who came into the course with little or no painting experience.

They have learned the most important lesson when it comes to art - that it must be personal.

See, I think there is a big difference between painting pictures and making art.

Painting pictures is a craft - anyone can can learn the necessary skills to paint a nice picture. And there is nothing wrong with doing that if it gives you pleasure. Making pictures can be relaxing and rewarding.

But art is different. Art is something we've never seen before in quite that way. Art makes us reflect, or rethink, or feel something. Art touches us on an emotional or intellectual level (or both). An artist is exploring herself and in doing so, she touches other people. Because - above all - art is incredibly personal. It comes from the personality and life experiences and upbringing of one unique individual, who shows us the world as they see it.

Art can be abstract or representational. It can be made in paint or stone or clay. It can be large or small. It can be about anything. But it must be personal and therefore unique.

You'll know the difference for yourself if you walk into any local group exhibition. There will be lots of paintings that feel familiar - perfectly competent, sometimes quite lovely - but nothing you haven't seen in other shows or shops. If you're lucky, however, there are one or two that offer something more. Those paintings stand out because they are different. The draw you in - they create an emotional response within you. You wonder how the effects were achieved or you marvel at how they came up with such a unique idea.

Now if someone handled you a thousand pounds and told you to choose from any piece in that show, which would you choose?

Right! You'd go for the one that stood out as something interesting and different. And why was it so different? Because the artist had found his or her unique voice.

I often hear artists saying "I'd love to explore my own interests, but I have to make these more commercial pieces because I need to sell." On the surface this sounds reasonable - in reality it makes no sense at all!

Think about the quote I started with... "What is most personal is most universal."

The more your work is uniquely you, the more it will resonate with others who feel as you do.

By the way, it will also turn off a lot of people. They will look at what you've made and it will mean nothing to them. That's OK; they're not your people. Your art isn't for everyone.

In fact, when your art is unique, it might attract as much criticism as praise. Think about contemporary artists like Sarah Lucas or Tracey Emin. For every fan, there are hundreds of people who find their work ridiculous. But that ridicule doesn't lead Sarah or Tracey to rethink what they're doing. It doesn't make them tone things down to fit in. Instead, they continue to make their own unique work and they let you decide if you love it or hate it. In the process, they've both become hugely successful and respected artists.

When someone asks "how do I sell more art?" they are usually expecting me to talk about websites and social media and galleries, but I encourage them to take a step back and think about their current work. How good is it? How personal is it? Are there other artists whose work looks very similar? Is this artwork that we can ONLY get from you, or can we choose from any number of artists?

The best business plan of all is to make sure that your work is instantly recognisable as yours because this means I have to come to you. I can't shop around. I can't put off the decision. You only make a limited number of paintings and if I like this one, I'll need to grab it now. That means you can charge more for art than for a picture. You can interest good galleries in art but not usually pictures. And you can build a social media following for art much more easily than for pictures.

Think of any of the artists you really admire, and you will recognise this in them.

Of course, making work like this isn't easy. You need to mine your own psyche and life experiences to understand who you really are and what matters to you. You need to get to know your materials and find a process that works for you. And you need to understand the principles of composition and colour and tone and mark-making. But learning all this is a fabulous journey and one that can lead to a lifetime of satisfaction as well as financial reward.

So this is why I love this time of year, as I wave my students off to continue their exciting personal journeys. They have begun to discover who they are. They have learned about all those principles. Now they will work alone at home or in their studios as they master their materials and develop their own personal processes. Each day will bring new discoveries and their work will develop at a pace.

And the most exciting thing is that if we're trying to make art, we never get there. In fact there is no "there." We just keep learning and growing and hopefully our work gets better and better.

Learning to paint pictures allows us to make things.

Learning to make art allows us to lead a rich and fulfilling life.

Bit of a no-brainer really!