These days an artist can be forgiven for not being able focus on what is truly important. There are hundreds of methods put forward as solutions to an artist’s immediate need to kick off a career. Websites, social media, art lessons in different formats, tons of blogs by marketing experts, galleries whether analog or digital and of course, for some, a formal degree or diploma for added respectability.
While some of these do have value to the artist they all miss the point. Take the internet for example. You are reading this online and that is nice. I appreciate it. If the article works then you decide to finish reading it, but if not it is a quick click to escape. The same applies to the artist’s gallery of photos. If you are well experienced in buying art online then you may be able to spot a good painting online and compare it to something already on your wall. Work out the measurements and decide that it is a good deal. You may then negotiate a bit before buying. All good. For most though buying online seems very risky. There are exceptions where some artists have persisted and sell fairly regularly, but seldom making a real breakthrough. The vast array of online experts giving advice to artists promise to have the perfect ten-point plan to financial success. It makes you wonder how pre-internet artists actually survived. Maybe they did not survive and there is a mysterious artist's burial ground like that of the elephants. Who knows? Once again though all of these promises of success if-you-do-it-this-way are suggestions at best. Most of these writers are not artists or they gave it up for something that paid them back. Avoid them and look for artists that have walked the walk for real advice instead. If you can find an artist to mentor you then you have something very special indeed! Social media is touted as the magic bullet to success too. Yes there are anecdotes of a few artists who have made sales this way. In truth social media is not so much about sales as about interacting now and then with other like minded people. Sadly the idea persists that if you have thousands of followers you will have financial success too. The truth is that people are not stupid. Nobody throws money away on a whim. If you know of someone like that please send them my website address. It is crazy to think that the most obscure follower on the other side of the world will be your next painting purchaser. This means that the vast amount of time wasted online is simply that – a waste. Have some online presence of course, but think quality not quantity. So what is the most important lesson for an artist? I intend to stick my neck out a bit and give my view on what really counts. Here goes: the largest proportion of the day must be spent on making excellent art and finishing the project in a professional manner. This means proper framing if you paint or a proper base for a sculpture and so on. Get the paperwork straight too so that there is a good record of your work. Once the creative work is done the next part is getting the art in front of people. This may mean a gallery, a weekend market, art fair, expo, interior designers rooms, restaurants, offices and whatever creative way you can devise to get the physical object out there. Preferably follow all these options for multiple exposure. This route is critical. Online is not enough. Paint litres of paint, miles of canvas and scuplt tons of material then get the art in front of a collector. This is the truth. To fulfill our destiny and give meaning to our lives we need to see the truth. For most of us, certainly myself, life is a constant struggle against conditioned thinking. What is desirable behaviour, a worthwhile career, what we say and do on a daily basis is very often about following the accepted norms. The saying goes that only a dead fish goes with the flow.
My resolve is to give meaning to my life. This is my challenge to myself. I know that to do this I need to face many beliefs that seem carved in stone. I will also have to make a difference to the lives of others in whatever small way I can. If these challenges can be met with good grace and a truthful heart then perhaps I will have succeeded. May all blindfolds be discarded for good! What blindfold do you want to remove? There must be tons of publications on making the most of our potential not to mention gigs of the digital version online every minute. How to do anything imaginable and then some. Sometimes we even put these ideas into action. Art is no different. Now that art is a significant part of the economy it is catered for in the market in the minutest detail. Add to this the advice for aspiring professional artists and we have an abundance of information to work with. Great – our potential is immense. I am hugely motivated by this, but there is one matter that brings us all back to reality like a wet slap in the chops. Our health. I have just come off a bout of some winter malady that was particularly intent on knocking me down. One day I am full of energy painting away. The next I cannot even lift a brush. It is humbling to realise (again) that we are nothing without our health. No matter how talented, bright, famous or determined we may be our health will have the last say. This episode was a timely reminder for me that pride in our health should not lead to negligence either. By this I mean not taking care of our health and not getting checked up once a year. Especially if, like me, the middle age years have arrived. No shame in admitting it. We can only do our best work if mind and body are in good shape. While enforced rest can be frustrating it is also a good way to catch up on good reading. I came across Sir Ken Robinson on TED Talks. His presentations on improving our educational system to free up children’s creativity are relevant the world over. He also has an excellent book called Finding Your Element. I read this book recently and it was a refreshing take on finding the work that we were meant to do. Robinson’s book is full of well grounded arguments, examples and anecdotes from ordinary folk, and some famous ones, that will help you identify your element. The next step will be to put that knowledge into action. This is also covered in a sensible way. Let’s be honest these days many people are so fearful of losing employment that they will compromise their true nature to get a pay cheque. Very Sad. Robinson shows us that there are ways to start moving away from that situation without risking everything at once. When the time to jump arrives though we need to be ready. Finding Your Element will resonate with any artist. It gave me a reassuring nod of confidence too. Teachers, parents and teenagers alike will enjoy this accessible book as well. You can watch Sir Ken's latest TED Talk below. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Do your local newspapers put up billboards on streetlight poles where you live? You know those headlines that are meant to entice you to buy the paper? Mine do. These headlines are almost always filled with appalling content. Sometimes it is so bad that children cannot read them without being afraid to get out the car. What are the newspapers thinking? Certainly nothing good can come of filling our minds with bad news. Trash in trash out as the saying goes.
After being mentally assaulted in this way I tend to seek refuge in my studio. Relief comes after a few minutes of painting or some other creative activity. This brings me to the main thrust of this article. What is the best way to escape our worries and anxieties? Yes anger too. The answer involves escaping from time itself. Einstein reminded us that time is an illusion. Honestly time is nothing more than our attempt to make sure we get to work without getting into trouble. We believe it exists so there it is. If that sounds odd then you may be surprised to note that our real self is not found in our mind. Our mind is the voice of our outer self. The ego that we tend to identify each other by. The mind fills out heads with things to worry about. In order for the mind to do this it needs time. It is the past (baggage) and the future (anxiety) that is the focus of all our mind’s thoughts. What if we escaped the past and future and focused on the present. The now. According to Ekhart Tolle in his excellent book The Power of Now, all we have is now. This fact of course is confirmed by many other faiths and thinkers. Unfortunately we have given up on the now as we try to anticipate the future and stew over past events. The result is pain and misery the world over. So to get into the Now we need to focus on the moment. Meditation is difficult for me. I choose art as my escape from the mind’s chatter. Most of us have experienced the joy of the moment in activities like sport or even dangerous activities that demand our full attention. Whenver we are in a state of blissful focus we cancel out the mind’s time based messages. We have the present moment. With this knowledge we can start to indentify the bad habits that send us in the wrong direction. We have a choice about what happens at this moment. A good place to start is to avoid triggers like those terrible newspaper adverts. Enjoy the moment,because it is all we truly have. Faith in art seems wasteful sometimes. Why be moved, inspired or even encouraged to create art when it seems so ephemeral? By all accounts in the media the world is a mess. Something drastic is needed to solve the problems. I am not so sure though. The world is more like someone who drops down on the pavement. Many people crowd around, but nobody helps. Collective apathy is a psychological phenomenon. It is only when one person steps forward and takes charge that the rest get jolted out of mental paralysis.
Art needs action to happen. It demands creative thought and action to make a difference. It is what the world needs. One person (as in each of us) to step forward and take action in our lives to make a difference collectively. Amazing things happen when a person gets moving. That is why nothing great comes from a committee. Recently I watched the movie Life of Pi. Yes I know it came out last year, but I like to wait for the DVD since my local cinema does not have a coach. More importantly I read Yann Martel's book a few years ago. Twice. I loved the book. Clearly this meant that the movie would butcher it. The cover of the DVD hailed the movie as "the next Avatar." Rubbish then. Still I gave it a go. I was wrong though. I loved it. Ang Lee and his alchemists turned base materials into a golden tapestry of light and magic. Art in the true sense of the word. I even watched the extra features where they showed the making of the movie. The technical guys were full of joy about their creation. The interview with Ang Lee sealed it for me. What a genuinely beautiful soul radiates from the man. I have never met him, but I am convinced that he is a humble and loving person living his true calling. He is fuelled by his God given energy and passion. This type of fuel does not run out. If a creation such as that does not inspire us to embrace our creative passion in whatever we do then we need to take a close look at ourselves. I am convinced that most people are not on the correct path if there is no passion for the task. Would Life of Pi ever have been typed if Yann Martel was just going through the motions? Would the movie have been extraordinary if the director did not feel it in his soul? What the world needs is not grand gestures, but simply for each person to connect to our passion. Then put that passion into action. Don't believe me? Then hire the movie and see for yourself. All fear based and limiting thoughts must be challenged or they will master you. Simple as that. What is a comfort zone anyway? Roughly speaking you are in a comfort zone when you no longer have any desire to try something different. Your boundaries are self-created and you are safe within them. Everything else seems risky. Just a moment! Is comfort not what we all want? What we toil for all our lives? Well I have no problem with comfort. If my bed was not comfortable I would be grumpy the next day. You would not want to wear a hair-shirt just because it is uncomfortable I hope. No the real issue here is safety and fear. The eternal struggle within us all.
Why does a comfort zone do us more harm than good? Look if all humans were happy with comfort zones then what would have motivated prehistoric humans to get out of their caves. Once fire was discovered I imagine the cave was rather snug. Nasty animals could be scared away, people were warm and the steaks tasted better cooked. I like to imagine that at some point a trouble maker thought how nice it would be to sit in the cave and watch a box in the corner that had pictures of other people doing things. Maybe extreme bison hunting? So the television was invented. Someone pushed through a comfort zone and amazing things followed. Seriously though the safety of a comfort zone is often an illusion. A mental sate. Some people get shaken out of this inertia when their safe job gets downsized. Others need a tragedy to get them thinking about new directions. Now I am suggesting that materialism should motivate us to get out of the safety cage of life. What is true though is that without breaking these self-imposed limits now and then we start to die slowly but surely. First in motivation then we laugh less and the spirit begins to wither. One day we notice that more than half our lives have passed and there is still much to do, but is it too late? In short – no it is never too late! The time for action is today. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is a mystery, but we have today. By God I am not going to waste another precious day! Who cares what people think? Will this offend someone? What will my family think if I decide to write a book, paint professionally or get rid of my grey clothes and start a new look? Whatever it may be life demands that we take risks. It demands that we feel alive and do something the defies inertia. Do no harm to others of course and be kind to yourself, but get moving. This is not a call to retail therapy. This is to feed the soul. The child within that knows no limits. The struggle with comfort zones is a constant one for artists. The writer who cannot follow a bestseller with another big hit may be facing an invisible wall of self-doubt. The painter who knows that his work is tight, but is fearful of making a fool of himself if he loosens up. All fear based and limiting thoughts must be challenged or they will master you. Simple as that. So despite all out modern conveniences let us not strive to be limited by comfort. Let us strive to be excited by life. Who knows what is possible if we challenge ourselves. Starting now! What will the future hold for us? Even for those of us who try to live for today this question does come up in our minds from time to time. If you have children or facing a change in circumstances that raises issues of making a living then this question may be on your mind more often. How we live our lives or want to live is a constant issue. Humans tend to be unsatisfied most of the time. Improving our lot is a hardwired trait after all. In previous articles I have written about the need for artistic thinking to face the demands of modern life. This is not limited to work in a studio, but in the wider society too. In Seth Godin's book, The Icarus Deception, the author argues that we need to free ourselves from industrial thinking to realise our potential. Artists are problem solvers always seeking a solution. From freedom of thought comes lateral thinking and eventually answers and direction. We do not wear blinkers, but we can focus when needed to complete the work. So how will this help us in the future? In the brilliant TED talk by economist Andrew McAfee we hear about his vision of future employment. McAfee takes present developments in robotics and other forms of automation and shows us that the near future will be filled with automation on all levels. There will be a tremendous impact on specialised labour. Much more of the labour market will be taken over by automation. Of course we are aware of assembly lines, but we are talking about even more skilled labour making way for robots and other sophisticated machines. As he says any repetitive work or drudgery will be taken over by a machine. What this means to trades and labour especially may appear to be a catastrophe for job security. Alternatively there will be a new opportunity for creative thinking and investment in your own greatest asset - YOU. No more trading your time for a wage and leaving your true self on hold for the weekend. To remain in the game we all need to give expression to our inner creative thinking and act on this. To make a future for ourselves and out children we need to take responsibility for our education and not simply hand it over to a government institution that is overburdened. We need to be flexible and act quicker, look ahead and work on our overall abilities. Yes we will still need a surgeon to know about heart transplants, but his assistant may be a robot. A lawyer will need to know about a contract, but will it be typed by a machine? These trained people will however need to know about technology, marketing and the needs of society too. For the vast majority of people a multiple level strategy will be required to meet the opportunities that face us. It starts with each of us looking at ourselves and asking what it is we honestly love to do. Then taking this further to see how we can contribute to the world doing what we were truly meant to do. It is a challenge, but one that is truly democratic. We can all take part. What do we mean these days when we talk about connecting? Firstly we don't talk that much anyway - more like type, but that is the point. One of the great hings I love about art is that it has not changed that much in hundreds of years. It still comes down to putting paint on a panel or canvas. Making a personal statement. There it is - take it or leave it! So perfectly analog and still so relevant today.
So my appeal today is that we connect like artists to the source within us. The creative source that we are born with, that we rejoiced in as children. The same that we so often disconnect from as adults. It is still within. Take a moment to put the digital distractions down and get creative - draw, paint, sculpt, build, sketch, cook - whatever - it is possible. Have fun! Practically all great artists accept the influence of others. But... the artist with vision... by integrating what he has learned with his own experiences... molds something distinctly personal. (Romare Bearden) What is it about being original anyway? Is there such a thing? I am not talking about reproductions compared to the original work. I mean originality in concept and execution of that concept. Something truly unique. Is it necessary in this digital world? Many artists agonise over this issue. There is an insatiable need for some to stand out and be counted as the new original artist of our time. This can play out as outlandish behaviour or shocking work or some gimmick to snag attention even for a short while. The trouble is that this approach is high maintenance. By its very nature it tends to fizzle out as the energy needed to keep up with the show becomes a distraction. Very few have achieved a balance between show and show-up. Salvador Dali managed it before TV and tabloids. Andy Warhol perhaps? Damien Hirst still provokes, but does anyone care? Many other artists take the view that there is nothing original anymore. All art is derived from what went on before. Perhaps someone in complete isolation could come up with something truly new. But for practicality where there is teaching and learning there is influence on the student. By its very nature this involves repetition of method if not also ideas. Is this wrong? The idea of stealing like an artist suggests that since no one was paying attention in the first place there is nothing wrong with repeating an idea. Provided the artist brings her own interpretation to the work. Perhaps this is the key. Modern schools of art try to teach the idea that each artist much have a unique concept. As a result we see some unusual work. Often installations that took tremendous effort. For that alone the artists deserve credit. Does it resonate with a viewer? Perhaps but then that is not the artists problem. The artist must create honestly and express her own truth. Who is to say what is truly original. But I do believe that originality cannot be taught. Copying can be rejected, but originality remains elusive and special. Must art go in a new direction to be considered truly original? The impressionists were original until they they follwwed and copied until technique stifled originality. Cezanne broke away and developed something different, but had to endure a lifetime of rejection. Perhaps art that is considered ugly at first but accepted later is truly original? This is taking the matter too far as new directions are not necessary for originality. Personally I can say that the impulse to create something comes from within and will take place no matter what other artists are doing. The opinions of others are also secondary or not even present when the creative drive is at work. It is also an urge to create that gives birth to ideas and concepts not the other way round. Without the impulse to create the ideas do not exist. You need to give the green light to creative ideas for them to start appearing. The type of art is also not important since there is just as much potential for originality in representational work as there is in conceptual abstract work. It is interpretation and communication through the artist’s efforts that makes art original. That allows all artists the opportunity to create original work. Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. (Henry Ward Beecher) We all know the fable about the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise won the race with steady progress while the cheeky rabbit learned a hard lesson. Despite this message many of us want to be the hare. It seems patient and steady progress is not sexy enough. Quick and brash makes the cash! Not that you and I ever think that way of course. That would be a sorry state to live in. But what if I said we could have the best of both worlds? A bit of tortoise and bit of hare if you know what I mean.
In the artist’s world you can fake it for a while, but quality of work and persistence through tough times will take care of the long term success stories. For the artist who feels like the tortoise with the finish line nowhere in sight the journey can get frustrating indeed. Is there anything sadder than an artist under the financial cosh? Filled with self-doubt? Sure there is. Those that give up are the truly sad ones. So how can an artist enjoy the best of both worlds? We do not have to sell out to commerce, but we can share a good living. We can use our skills in creativity to make us smart entrepreneurs too. We can study our art and try new methods. The result is almost always a quick growth in skill and results both in quality of work and in business. This I do confirm from personal experience as well as observing it in other artists. I have spoken about making rapid progress in technical skills. I can assure you that rapid progress in business is possible too if you devote time to it. Once momentum takes over you can take your foot off the accelerator a bit, but you may be enjoying the ride and find it gets easier. The tortoise becomes the hare and all is good with the world. Until the hare stops for a snooze one day. In art the equivalent would be getting stuck in a rut producing similar paintings, because they sold well. Until demand drops off and the artist does not take steps to keep it fresh. This is when we get left behind and one day disillusion may set in. Avoid this it all costs. Feed the soul with new learning. Learn from other artists. Steal like an artist. Look at what makes you energised and pursue that like it is your last day. Take moments to reflect. Meditate on your life as an artist from time to time. This is a moment of energising and renewal. One day it’s the tortoise and the next it is the hare. Get the balance right and enjoy the ride. It’s the only one we have. |
AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
FREE
|