Unlike a lot of professionals who need licenses or permits to do their job, being an artist is as simple as calling yourself one.

What makes a successful artist on the other hand is a mix of a few key elements we rounded up for you here. Keep this in mind and you should be well on your way to "making it" as an artist and proving most of your friends and family that indeed, this is an entirely viable career.

Keep in mind that while the following points might seem oriented at freelance artists, it in fact applies to everybody! We might even add this can apply to a lot of other things in life!

Here's what make sucessful artists:

1. Art is the core of their lives

These artists wake up and go to sleep thinking about art and carve out time in their day to make or market it. There is never an excuse good enough to not do it. If they hold a full-time job, it's secondary to art and mostly a means to an end, as their real job is being an artist.

2. They understand how business works in the art world

Successful artists understand the entrepreneurial aspects of making a living as an artist. When they encounter something new or unusual on the business side, they investigate and learn how to do it. If somebody else has, then there are no reasons they themselves can't. They know the value of relationships and network in person and through social media – after all, marketing is half the job.

3. Successful artists have a strong work ethic

They manage themselves, their creative energy and their resources. They balance the time it takes to produce art and to market it; they choose a work rhythm and stick to it. Whether these artists enjoy the business tasks or not, they know they must be done and they do them without complaints or bitterness.

4. Successful artists are resilient

They know that success doesn't happen overnight and requires hard work. These artists understand that things don't always work out the way they expect. When they make mistakes, they focus on solutions, not on regrets. They learn from experiences and experiment to improve on failures and successes.

5. They surround themselves with positive and supportive people

They limit their time and emotional involvement with negative people — especially those who disapprove of art as a career choice. Artists who surround themselves with supportive people produce better art. Quite simply, successful artists do not allow unsupportive people to obstruct their plans for success.

(Heavily Inspired from a post on finearttips.com)