Make up your mind!

I had an experience yesterday that illustrates so much in life. I had lunch at a restaurant called the Firkin and Crown, the English Pub name and decor were front and center but then things turned.

The place was filled with TV screens like a big sports bar, there was loud hard rock playing from the speakers and then the menu came. It had everything from pot pies and bangers and mash to quesadillas, hummus, hamburgers and stir fry! This was a place that really couldn't make up its mind what it was, who it's customer was or what to do with its self.

I have had this same experience with artists. They present to a gallery or jury for a show and present everything they have done in every medium and every style. This is a sure way to not achieve success. You have to pick something and stick with it, to do otherwise is just confusing your audience. You need consistency.

Let me be clear that artists should always experiment and reach for new ideas, use new mediums and try new things. But the path to success (selling your art) is to present consistency
in your art. Do research before you present to the gallery, show or exhibit, know what they expect. If a gallery sells only watercolors they aren't interested in your oil paintings. If they sell only contemporary work your landscapes and still life subjects probably aren't going to be a good fit. You have to make up your mind! Stick with it, find your niche and work it!

In life your path may have many choices and you can try to juggle all those choices hoping to be a great success but never have time, energy or focus to achieve a successful goal because you are split in too many directions. Make up your mind! Pick a path and follow it! Work it!

We won't be going back to the restaurant because we were just uncomfortable. Too much confusion and not a place we fit. We will stick to the English pub that serves pub food and plays Irish music, it a longer drive but we like it there.