I am hearing from artists concerned about the current focus on social and political art, often by artists of color. Since their own work doesn’t fit the trend, they feel that it isn’t fair. 

There is a strange assumption here, as well as some historical amnesia. The art world isn’t fair now, and never was. It reflects and responds to contemporary issues, especially during volatile times. For example, art about the pandemic is now making its way into galleries and museums.

If you think the art world used to be fair, remember that women artists were ignored or marginalized for decades, seen as less important than their male colleagues. Similarly, many excellent artists of color received no attention until recent political events made their work suddenly relevant. 

A similar shift happened in the 1970s in academia. As a result of the women’s rights movement, white males with Ph.D.s from Ivy League universities suddenly began to lose jobs to equally well-qualified women. These men were outraged and claimed that it wasn’t “fair.” Their shock was real, since it was the first time they had experienced what it felt like to be marginalized.  

When you start to feel such resentments, dig deeper into the lives of artists who are currently receiving so much attention. They have always been there. While Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michele Obama catapulted her to fame in 2018, she had been making remarkable portraits of Black Americans for two decades. She paid her dues, showing her work at the Baltimore City Hall and alternative art spaces, waiting tables to support herself until she was 38. Sherald is now represented by Hauser & Wirth.

So, if you are feeling invisible now, don’t give up. Let these wonderful artists encourage you and give you hope.

~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​

Artists have difficulty evaluating their own work. They often ask, is my work good enough for a gallery?  Is it good enough for a museum?  How do I know?

This question cannot be answered in the abstract, since a specific gallery or museum would have to look at your work and consider it from their own point of view. But asking, "is my art good enough?" may help you see the relationship between your intentions and the art you are creating. 

Think about what you say when people ask you to describe your work. Do you talk about the ideas that inspired it, the emotions behind it, the aesthetic problems or social issues you address?  You may not be articulate, but  you do have a sense of what your work is all about.  

Then evaluate your bodies of work to see how well the art reveals your intentions. Would a viewer be able to see or sense what you’re trying to say, without the need for words?


In a portrait, for example, how well does the spirit of your subject shine through? In a realistic landscape, does it seem as though we could enter the painting and walk along that path? Does your abstract sculpture reflect or challenge our notions of what the human body looks like? In a study of color and light, do we see the world through a different lens? Does your work comment on, deepen or change our perceptions of ordinary reality? 

Your work is "good enough" when it expresses your intentions, and reveals them to others without the need for explanations. Your work is ready when it speaks clearly in  your own voice, and says what you want to say. 

~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​

What does it mean for an artist to present “a coherent body of work?”  The phrase usually comes up in a traditional gallery setting, where people expect an artist’s work to fill a room, and be clearly recognizable as the work of one person.  

How do you know if your work is coherent?  The whole idea might seem like a narrow straightjacket, where you are condemned to keep on doing what you’ve been doing, forever.  In fact, coherence is a larger and more generative concept.  It means that the parts of your work fit together in a natural way,  unified by a consistent vision, style, or subject matter.

If you’re an emerging artist, don’t think of coherence as a goal.  Trust in your own creativity, and let yourself experiment and grow.  Play with new ideas and new materials.   

After you have a substantial body of work, step back and try to see it as a whole, from a distance.  Your work might be about a larger subject, like the natural world or personal identity or immigration.  Your work’s coherence might be provided though a consistent technique:  how you use color and composition, or the play of light and shadow.  Coherence may come in the form of a political or social theme, or an aesthetic idea, or even the use of an unusual material.

When looking at your art, ask yourself:   how did my new work grow out of the old?  Is it a departure or a reaction to what went before?  Even if you reject some older works as failures, consider the possibility that they were early versions of current successes. 

As you look for your own fingerprints you will begin to see how your work has grown, and how it all fits together.  

~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​

When artists are stuck, I often ask: “what do you need?” This question can be answered quickly (“more time!” “more money!”) but if you let yourself go deeper you may be surprised to discover that you need to find another way to nurture your creative spirit. You need to create negative space.

Many artists seek inspiration by looking at art online. They spend hours following other artists on Instagram. They take advice from people (like me) and attend virtual art  fairs or virtual gallery and museum shows. But when you are struggling to find your own voice,  this kind of research can backfire. You imagine that everyone else is more confident or successful than you are. Everyone else is creating art that is socially or politically relevant, so you think your art doesn’t matter. Gradually you begin to lose touch with your own best instincts.

So when you’re struggling to create, build in negative space. Allow empty or blank areas between your busy daily life and your art practice. Make a real transition, instead of thinking you can flip a switch. Give yourself not just time but also the mental and emotional space to work. Shut off the noise from the internet and the TV. Stop filling up your art time with other artists and “art activities” and seek your own silence. 

Allow yourself to touch your materials and tools, without a plan in mind. Be patient and present in your own art space. Look at your work, certainly, but let yourself slowly discover what is inside you. Sometimes you must first get comfortable with a blank canvas or an empty wall. Get comfortable with doing nothing for awhile.

Negative space is the seemingly empty space between things. It allows your next inspiration to come. 

~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards 

It has never been more important to understand how your audience searches for your art. Many years ago I discovered that creative people were searching for “life coaching“ because they didn’t know that there were career coaches for artists. When I changed my website to include “career & life coaching” for artists, my business expanded quickly.  

Try this test. Think about your ideal customer (who doesn’t know your name), and search as they would for your kind of art. Use search terms that describe your category, such as “Wyoming landscape art” or “botanical prints.” Look at the first few pages of the google listings to see where your website appears.

Don’t be surprised if you are invisible. This usually means that you need to have better SEO (search engine optimization) built into your website. First, create links to organizations you belong to. For example, if you are a portrait artist, include a link to the Portrait Society of America;  if you are a landscape painter, link to Oil Painters of America. If you sell on Etsy, be sure to provide a link to your Etsy site. These links to larger organizations will make you more visible. 

You’ll also want to include appropriate key words and phrases into the language you use to describe yourself and your work. If you are trying to sell those botanical prints, you might say that you have “affordable botanical prints for sale.”  That’s what someone might search for. If you need help discovering how people are searching for art now, you can use one of the free keyword research tools, such as SEMRush.

These are just first steps. Talk to your technical support person about how to build search terms into the overall structure of your site.

~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards 

As a Career & Life Coach for Artists, I’m often asked: What is coaching for creative people all about? How does it work? How can coaching help? What skills do artists need to bring to  the coaching relationship?  

Sometimes artists begin the coaching process with clear goals, but often need help figuring out where they want to go and how to get there. Be honest with your coach in describing your hopes and dreams and doubts. Be patient with yourself as you discover your path.

During the coaching process artists learn new skills and develop new habits. Sometimes this means learning “left brain skills” like planning, organizing, and managing time. Artists who want to get better at marketing need old fashioned skills like talking and writing about their work, but also need to create an effective “digital presence” in the virtual art world. Established artists often have to think bigger in order to reach the next level in their careers.  

Coaching is a structure of accountability. During each session you’ll identify a series of small steps to take before you meet again. Coaching works because you have a partner, an experienced professional who supports you and cares about your progress.  It might take a few weeks or months, but you’ll begin to find new ways of thinking about your art practice and career.  

Coaching helps you understand that you’re not alone. You’ll find out that you’re not the only artist who is technologically challenged, or hesitant to ask for help from their network, or confused about how to navigate the opportunities available now.  

A good coach listens more than they talk. They ask good questions. They help you think. The process is working when you begin to discover what you always knew. 

~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​