A creative crisis

When all effort seems to be in vain

Creating art is not only a creative process, but often also a struggle. A struggle for visibility, recognition and ultimately also to expand the financial framework. I find myself in a phase where I seriously wonder whether all my efforts will achieve anything at all. Whether my art will ever get the space I so desperately want.

I put a lot of my available energy into creative work – not just into painting itself, but into everything that goes with it. I take part in exhibitions, maintain my website and social media channels, take professional photos of my work, write articles, create videos and try to get my art out into the world. I’ve even managed to get the press to report on me. And yet there is no response. No buyers, hardly any collectors, hardly any feedback.

Everything I do is on my own initiative. I have no manager, no marketing team, no supporters. No one to pave the way for me. Learning by doing – “the hard way”. And in all this activity, the big question remains:

Is that even enough? Am I good enough to be seen?

It’s frustrating when it seems like all the work I’ve done over the years is coming to nothing or that I’m just spinning my wheels. It’s like fighting against an invisible wall that prevents you from making any real progress. And that inevitably leads to doubts: first and foremost, I don’t do what I do purely for the sake of selling. Art is and remains a part of me; it once helped me to get back on my feet during a very dark time. It should not be misunderstood: Art should not be and should not become a mere commodity.

I express something with every work, feelings, emotions, tensions, questions of life. But in the long term, it still needs encouragement from outside – reviews, galleries, exhibitions and, last but not least, a pat on the back and recognition in the form of art buyers and collectors. If no work can be sold for a long time, questions inevitably arise in my mind. I often ask myself what the real reason is.

Is my art not appealing enough?
Do I not have that “certain something” that touches people?
Or is it simply because I am drowning in the vast sea of the art scene?
Is it the art market that concentrates on established names and barely notices new talent?
Or do I simply lack the network, the right contacts to get my art to where it can be seen?

There are many places for questions. I am particularly concerned about the question of established artists. How can you establish yourself if you are not even noticed?

I’m sure many artists reach this point at some point. It’s a lonely path, especially when you do everything on your own. There are no clear instructions or sure-fire recipes for “success”. Sometimes it feels like a game of chance – you give it your all, but whether it really works out in the end remains uncertain.

Nevertheless, the passion for art remains. Maybe that’s exactly what keeps me going. Because deep down, I know that I don’t want to and can’t stop. It’s more than just a hope for success – it’s a part of me. The only question is how long I will have the strength to keep going or to keep motivating myself.

What often saves me, however, are these little moments. An unexpected message from someone who has been touched by my art. An exhibition that comes to fruition after all. A new contact that takes me further. It is these rays of hope that show me that my art is not invisible, but reaches somewhere, even if it sometimes doesn’t seem that way.

Perhaps that is the true essence of being an artist: to keep going, even when the road is rocky. To persevere because you can’t help it. Not letting uncertainty get you down, but accepting it as part of the journey. Because in the end, it’s not just success that counts, but also the courage to go your own way.