This article is by Keith Bond, Regular contributing writer for FineArtViews.  You should submit an article and share your views as a guest author by clicking here.

Every day, you are faced with choices. There are choices pertaining to your art; choices regarding personal or family issues. There’s work. Even play. Life is full of responsibilities needing to be addressed. Even the choice of what to eat for breakfast faces you every day. 

You know, I am sure, that there are right and wrong choices about many things we face. But with some things, it isn’t so black and white. Sometimes the choice is between good, better, and best. Yes, there are multiple shades of white. Any interior decorator will tell you that.

When it comes to your art, are you making good decisions? Or are you making the best decisions? Or do you even know? 

There are many, many scenarios where you might be faced with such a dilemma. A few examples might be:

-        You need to begin a work of art for an upcoming show, but you also need to catch up on your bookwork. What takes priority?

-       Or you’ve been invited to submit art to a local gala, but your gallery is anxious to get some fresh new work. How do you prioritize who gets your work? 

-       Perhaps you have enough new work for both the gala and your gallery. The gala may open up new doors. But your gallery has been consistent and has been good to you. Who gets the best work?

-       Should you spend the last week of your kids’ summer vacation on a family holiday? Or do you stay home and catch up on the work you have gotten behind on? (I am facing this one as we speak. I have chosen to take a family vacation. We are leaving town as soon as I finish writing this article.) 

-       When faced with a deadline, do you create a “safe” piece; one you know you can do fairly well? Or do you stretch yourself? Do you push your limits to attempt the one you are excited about, even though you don’t know if it will really turn out?

-       Do you spend just a little extra money to order “Thank You” cards with your artwork on it? Or do you purchase generic cards to save a few dollars?

-       Do you clean the studio? Or do you go plein air painting?

-       You are in the fortunate situation where two separate galleries would like to add you as an artist. Both have pros and cons. Both are good galleries. You cannot commit to both right now. How do you choose?

-       A gallery with a proven track record wants to show your work. It is a gallery that you feel would increase your sales and reputation – one that would take you to the next level. But they ask you to quit selling from your website. You have done fairly well on your own. What do you do?

You get the point. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of choices that you might face. I cannot tell you what to choose. You must make the decisions. It can be hard to know sometimes. Once in a while it is obvious. Often it isn’t. 

Do you try to evaluate your options, learn as much as you can, and then try to make the best choices? Or do you simply pick one at random and go for it? Or do you react with no action at all? 

Certainly some choices are weightier than others. What color to use is perhaps less important than which publisher do you sign with. Or is it? Important choices to me might be less important to you. 

I am not offering you any answers here. Rather, I am simply raising the issue. How do you choose when you are faced with a good, better, best scenario? I know that I often occupy my time doing things that are good, but at the expense of doing things that are best. Usually because I didn’t realize that the “best” was an option.

Best Wishes,

Keith