How did you do it?

[Jeff Fuchs]

Becoming a full time portrait artist is just a matter of declaring yourself to be one and spending all your non-painting time telling everyone that you are one.

A few days ago, my wife and I were in a restaurant, and a couple sat at the next table with three beautiful blonde girls, no older than ten. The couple looked affluent enough to afford a portrait.

I told my wife that, when I'm ready to go pro, I need to make a point of complimenting people on how beautiful their children are, and how much I'd love to paint them (as I hand them my card, with a color photo of my work). Shameless commercialism? Sure. Likely to work? Who knows. But they'll never say yes if I don't ask.