arlier in the week I asked how "you" measure success. I heard from Megan, Annie, Nina and Michael. I encourage you to visit their sites and see how they promote their business.

Here's how they measure success:


For me, success is being able to do what I love, what comes naturally to me, and seeing it bring joy and happiness to others. I will always create art, because I don't think I could do anything else. But if I can't share it with others and bring beauty and wonder into their world, I don't feel like I have completed my purpose. Art is meant to be seen, feel, enjoyed, experienced. I more people I am able to share my art with, the more successful I feel.

Megan Stringfellow
Site: www.stringfellowart.net
Blog: stringfellowart.blogspot.com



These days, I have a full time day job that I am not happy with, but am staying at for a while for financial reasons. One good thing about not liking my job is it is forcing me to get proactive in my pursuit of self employment. I also have a toddler at home and feel torn between wanting to be with her, and working on art jobs and building my portfolio. So, I need to measure my success in small increments, if I draw for at least 30 minutes a day during the week, and more on weekends, I am successful because I’ve done something to reach my goal of eventually being able to work for myself.

Annie Patterson
Site: www.anniepatterson.com
Blog: anniepatterson.blogspot.com



I measure success by how much I love what I am doing, but I also think some validation for the work that you are doing goes a long way in making you feel successful. And if you feel successful, well, that's it, you are successful! Validation can come in many forms, from comments on your blog to a bunch of jobs coming in. It can even be a nice note from another person working in your field, who's work you admire.

Nina Seven
Site: www.ninasevenillustrations.com



I believe there are different areas of "Success"...

I feel that I am successful in certain aspects of my life, like my marriage, keeping in touch with family and friends, giving myself some "me" time, etc..

As far as professionally, I feel that I'm successful with actually getting self-promo work completed, successful with continually drawing and creating new pieces. I'm not where I want to be at this point, but with my first 2 mailings (one in October 2006, and one in March 2007), I was able to get 2 jobs. That, in a sense, is successful.

I'm going to continue to work hard, love what I do, love my wife and family with all my heart and soul, and in time (hopefully soon :-) ), become a full time illustrator. Loving my family and making a living from the gift I was blessed with will make me, in my eyes, successful!

Michael Villegas
Site: www.mvillos.com
Blog: mvillos.blogspot.com