Improving Your Taste: Why Getting Better at Drawing or Painting Isn’t Enough

Photo caption: Art students in Georgia don’t need just to learn how to get better at drawing or painting. To be successful, they must also develop their good taste. Photo courtesy of MAI.

When people want to learn how to become a better artist, they often sign up for classes at an online art school, get an art mentor and get to practicing their brush strokes. While all of these activities can inspire greatness, there is a critical element that beginner artists often overlook: taste.

The truth is developing your taste as an artist is just as important as developing your drawing or painting skills. In fact, it’s such a critical component to artistic development, that we dedicate a whole unit to this concept in our Mastery Program, our professional-level art certificate program. 

And we dedicated a whole podcast to it: How to Level Up Your Taste. It’s that important.

Fortunately, one of the most critical steps in this process - exposure - is also one of the simplest steps to implement.

Here’s what you need to know.

How to Become a Professional Artist: Fighting for Culture

An artist is another name for a culture warrior

Culture warriors are leaders who shed light on the best of what the future holds. Culture warriors are visionaries who bring together the most beautiful aspects of life. Culture warriors are champions who gather priceless truths and generously share them with the world. You are a culture warrior; a true artist. 

But how can you fight for culture if you’re not out experiencing it? Learning from it? Exposing yourself to it?

How to Get Better as an Artist: The Value of Taste

Considering all of these noble responsibilities, one of the most important qualities you can cultivate as an artist is taste. Taste allows you to know what choices to make to elevate society. It is something that will always be improving as life experiences unfold.  

Taste refers to the aesthetic qualities of what you are naturally drawn to. It can be applied to anything, and as an artist, evaluating everything from this perspective is an important practice. 

It also informs the decisions you make as you learn how to draw and paint and eventually, as you become a professional artist. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that learning how to develop your taste is learning how to become a fine artist.

Being mindful of taste will refine your work and eventually, help you refine your skills as an artist, and in turn, refine the hearts of your viewers. Below are some examples of what a culture warrior like yourself can do to improve your taste. 

How Exposure Elevates Taste & Helps You Paint and Draw Better

Exposure and taste go hand in hand. New experiences and images serve an immense purpose for providing inspiration and innovative ideas. 

A good thing to remember is your taste levels go as far as your boundaries. Constantly expanding what you see, what you eat, where you go, etc. will nurture your already unique vision. 

Here are a couple of easy ways to grow your vision and experiences:

  1. Make good use of the Internet. Visit museums online. Follow artists you admire, particularly artists who have established a following in the fine art market.
    Learn which artists are considered tasteful, and which aren’t, and why. 
  2. Be willing to adjust your routine. Spend in your community doing things that expose you to new experiences. For example, instead of going out to eat at your usual places, you can save up to go to one really special, quality restaurant. Or, go furniture shopping in the nicest store in town and sit on the most expensive furniture they have. You could even go test drive a really expensive, luxury car just to see what it feels like.
    Doing something like this sparks a domino effect in your taste when it comes to how you see the world and understanding the people who you would like to buy your art. 
  3. Use social media as a tool. Search Pinterest for high-end interiors, fashion, exotic places in the world, and architecture. When you discover things you have never been exposed to before, save them on a board. This is such an easy and convenient option, and by creating organized boards, you can look back on everything that spoke to you, and see how your taste has evolved over time. 

Video caption: Watch the Whole Podcast: How to Level Up Your Taste

Becoming a Professional Artist: Final Thoughts on Exposure 

Culture warriors must know the importance of taste; a quality that helps to bring society into a brighter future. You owe it to your art to push the envelope so your audience can truly be transformed and inspired to usher in a better future. 

It’s also very motivating once you allow yourself to see what’s out there, and it helps you really get a specific picture of your dreams. You will be shocked at how driven you will become as you expose yourself to new things. You’ll find that you get better at drawing and painting, that you’ve become a better artist overall, and eventually, that you’re ready to become a professional artist.

If you’d like to learn more about how to get better at drawing and painting, think about signing up for a trial membership for Milan Art Institute’s Art Club. Our social learning platform includes new content every month that will teach you how to level up as an artist.

For More About How to Draw Better, Check Out These Posts: 

Quick Drawing Tips & Techniques: What Is Subtractive Drawing

How To Draw a Self Portrait

Learn How to Draw Better: The Essentials

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