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Where Are You on Your Artistic Journey?
Understanding the Spectrum:
Emerging, Mid-Career, and Established Artists
At Serious Play, we don’t rank artists by age, we look at where you are in your creative and professional development. Whether you’re just beginning to share your work or have been showing for decades, understanding your career stage can help you find the right kind of support, momentum, and market opportunities.
Below, I’ve outlined three common career phases: Emerging, Mid-Career, and Established. Each stage comes with its own set of challenges and needs. The goal here is clarity, not labels—so you can take stock of where you are and decide where you’d like to go.
Emerging Artist
You’re actively building your artistic voice, experimenting with different media and your audience. You may be exhibiting locally, participating in open studios, or exploring your first juried show. You’re figuring out how to price your work, talk about it clearly, and make your first consistent sales—or you’re trying to move beyond selling to friends and family.
Example:
You’ve participated in one or two group shows, you have a growing portfolio, and you’re beginning to promote yourself.
Mid-Career Artist
You’ve got some traction, maybe you’ve been featured in solo or regional shows, or you have a solid base of collectors and clients. But you may feel stuck, unsure how to elevate your prices, gain the next level of gallery representation, and generate more sales. This is where strategy becomes essential. This can be the most difficult career stage and one that takes the most effort and perseverance.
Example:
You’ve sold work at juried shows, participated in regional exhibitions, and perhaps are navigating gallery relationships—yet you know your next chapter requires more sophisticated branding, storytelling, and even additional mentorship.
Established Artist
You’ve had sustained commercial success. You may have multiple gallery representations, institutional collectors, and strong consistent sales—however the work of staying visible and relevant never ends. Now you may be thinking about legacy, reinvention, or mentoring others while continuing to make and place your strongest work.
Example:
You have national recognition, your works are in private or museum collections, yet you’re still refining your focus, exploring new themes, and you are also exhausted wondering what’s next. There is also a nagging feeling that you may be repeating yourself and not taking enough risks.
So, Where Are You?
At Serious Play, we meet you where you are. Whether you’re building your foundation, preparing for a breakthrough, or seeking a more profound evolution of your career—we’re here to help you move forward. Know that the answers are within reach and also know that you are so close to your musings that there is uncertainty.
Take a moment. Be honest about where you are. Then reach out. We’ll help you shape what’s next or even refine where you already are and want to stay. The time spent with Ivan will help you have perspective as you “take the next road less traveled.”