Never Wish, Always Persist: The First Best Steps Every Artist Needs to Take Right Now
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Stop wishing your art career would happen and start persisting with the first best steps. Discover practical, battle-tested advice for artists on building momentum, overcoming blocks, and turning daily action into real progress—no fluff, just results.
Wishing is not Real
It's one of those days being hit in the face with a hard brick made of cow feces , you just did not see it coming, reality wrapped in tough love. Wishing is easy. Dreaming big is fun. But sitting there wishing your art blows up, wishing you had better skills, wishing the world noticed? Nah. That stuff keeps you stuck in a dark room contemplating being an online troll hater. The real magic? Persisting with those small, smart first steps. Second after second, minute after minute, and one sadistic day after another . Knowing the inspiration will come, you just gotta keep the hope alive!!!
I spent months plotting how I would paint, what I would paint and how I would get obsessive wanabes chasing me down the street wanting my autograph. Did not exactly work out that way. Wishing my stuff looked professional. Wishing galleries called me.
Fantasizing that KAWS would want me to be his artistic director for some random live event in Brazil. Ah the weather, the food, the girls and the life, one can dream. Then I gave the proverbial middle finger to that idea. And started showing up for the tiniest doable actions. Guess what? Things actually moved.
Rain in the Desert
Wishing for overnight success is like waiting for rain in the desert. It might happen. Probably won't. Persisting toward those first best steps? That's how you actually drink water and stay alive.
Stop dreaming. Start doing the next right thing. The smallest, smartest move forward. As an artist, that's your superpower.
Stick with me. We're gonna break down why wishing sucks your energy, how persistence wins every time, and the exact first best steps I wish someone told me earlier.
Why Wishing Holds Artists Back (And Feels So Darn Good)
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Wishing is sneaky.
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It gives you that dopamine hit without any sweat.
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It tricks your brain into thinking you're progressing.
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Real progress comes from action, not fantasy.
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Wishing lets you stay safe.
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No rejection.
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No failure. But also no growth!!!
Do the one thing first like sketching for 15 minutes. Then 30. Then an hour. Boom. Momentum.
Artists get trapped here, because society sells the myth. Overnight success stories. Viral TikToks. But behind every "overnight" is years of unseen persistence. Now Persistence it initially feels uncomfortable, even hurts at some point, but it builds.
When you catch yourself wishing or scrolling through another mindless TikTok reel, ask yourself this question, "Will this get me closer to my financial goal or not? If the answer is no, drop it like it has the Bubonic plague and you can’t be seen within 100 miles of the thing.
The Power of Persistence: Why It Beats Talent Every Single Time
Look, talent helps. Sure. But persistent practice enhances talent. You keep showing up and improvement is inevitable.
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Biggest triumph is finishing a challenge.
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Your skill becomes sharper.
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Increase in confidence.
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Individual style is emerging.
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Grinding leads to acceptance.
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Not sexy but real.
Practical tip: track your streak. Use a calendar. Mark an X each day you create. Don't break the chain, and release the pain, see what I did there!!!!
And hey, persistence isn't blind grinding. It's smart persistence. Toward the first best steps. Not just random effort, that leads nowhere.
Identifying Your First Best Steps: The Artist's Daily Roadmap
Just draw every day, whatever you see, like, dislike or what makes you stop, look and observe.
Other examples:
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If you're learning digital art: open your software and do one tutorial section.
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If selling art: photograph one piece properly and post it somewhere.
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If building style: copy a master for 15 minutes (study, don't trace forever).
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If blocked: free-write why you're uninspired for 8 minutes.
Make it real stupid small. So small you can't say no. I used to set "playing piano for 2 hours" as a goal. Never quite reached it, so set it for 1hour goals instead, and found out I would play even more without me watching the time and just went with the flow.
Take breaks, there is no harm no foul in treating yourself. Your mind and body needs a rest just to recharge, and come back to the work with new eyes and a different perspective.
Don’t become distracted by shiny objects. New medium. New style. New social platform. Scattered energy leads to uncompleted work and depleted focus. Pick one or two first best steps. Stick to it and adjust later.
How to Keep Persisting When Life (and Art) Kicks You Down
Persistence is not linear. Some days you crush. Other times you just want to be left alone to eat 1kg of chocolate ice cream and watch Cary Grant movies.
I had a phase where nothing sold. Galleries ghosted. Social crickets. Then I remembered: never wish, always persist.
Tools that saved me:
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Routine. Same time every day. Morning for me. Brain fresh.
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Accountability. Told a friend my goal.
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Celebrate tiny wins. Finished a sketch? Silent Dance party for one.
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Rest without guilt. Burnout kills persistence faster than anything.
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Learn from errors, don’t throw it away reissue it into a new piece, you save the environment.
Don't copy. Don't scam. Build real value with your own style. And you will always flourish when you least expect it.
Suggestions
“Never wish, always persist toward the first best steps" as an artist. It's simple. Brutal. Beautiful.
Show up. Mess up. Fix. Repeat.
Customize this to your life. Your medium. Your goals. Maybe your first best step is picking up the pencil today. Do it, do it NOW!!!
If this resonated with you , drop your own persistence story in the comments—or shoot me a DM on X.
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You got this. Now go take that first best step. I'll be here rooting you up like crazy.
-Awizkoa Ltd 🤪