Did foundation in graphics then fell dormant through 32 years of a career in an automotive co’ took up photography in 2005 which led to my digital art and design work.
So many things. I knew I could draw and my dream to pursue a career in art was thwarted by the need to get a proper job to put bread on the table for my family.
I don’t do this at all well. 32 years in a commercial highly toxic industrial environment left me cold when it comes to the commercial side of promoting and marketing my work. That aside, the constant chatter of ‘I’m not good enough’ & ‘what’s the point’ combine to sabotage any effort to sell my work. I am working on it!
The joy of seeing the end product and the idea that I created it.
A mix of obsession and the idea of recreating the joy. At the very least, I can plaster my walls with my output. Of course, there is an element of the rewards that a sale brings which is an added benefit but it's not the MO.
Keep doing but don’t stop being.
Experimentation is my byword. I have so much time and multiple outlets that I can choose, though photography is often weather-related and requires more of a shove to get my attention away from a computer screen. But once I fill an SD card, I end up back in front of a screen LOL.
What is failure? In a past life, it was a spur to do better, though in truth, the lack of me time to overcome my limitations when in a family unit is restrictive. Now I realise that the mind is a tricky customer and it takes an awareness of that to process the constant negative chatter of ‘what’s the point’ to the usual imposter syndrome narrative. I have two little books, one on creativity and the other on success, that sit in prominent places in my home. Each is approximately 100 pages of axioms relating to each subject. They help. Like creativity starts when my critical mind stops… and so on.
That art is truth. Bollocks. Art is a journey into ourselves. Yes, it’s our truth, but no one else’s truth (unless, of course, there is a way that this translates into the visible output). It is about dispelling demons, curbing the ego and just doing, finding the dishes and swirls instead of the straight rigid lines. It’s about finding the peace, dispelling the mind talk and dealing with others with love. I used to despise people who told me what I should do. Once I converted that idea to ‘they are only trying to help’, I was free. And of course, when we talk of love, making art and going down the rabbit hole can only be done if we learn to love ourselves.
I don’t, as I have yet to transcend my cynicism around how someone can take 50% of my sales price for really doing sweet FA.
Most have appeared in preceding answers. Read about Sean Scully; he has sorted it. He drip-feeds his work to the world, dictates the price, and keeps it all. We are not all SS’s, but the first thing we certainly need to address is that it is not failure to prostitute ourselves to earn an income from something other than our art. It’s a means to an end and it may protect “our truth” from corruption. I would also say take money out of the creative equation. Do art for love, do art to feed your passion and with luck your work will reflect that love and passion and the rest will be history.
Yes, in a way, my entry into the world of 1X.com, the curated photography platform, has been a source of inspiration and challenge and many of my connections still remain. I do though draw a line at photography clubs but can give something back through joining in with others organising annual art fairs, etc. Pro bono is a good idea from time to time too.
No, but would be willing to receive them!
Keep learning, but where is their choice. I really do believe the part that 80% of us have to really work at it, 20% it comes naturally. Get through the idea you know it all. I am 70 and still learning to use Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator and will connect with AI occasionally. I have a mission to have my scarf designs screen printed and that has yet to be realised….watch this space.
Every day is a school day.
Been said don’t run with your head, run with your instinct. The ego is in your head, it is a great creator, a great creator of lies.
Not that I know. All around me is my playground with an infinite choice of subjects.
I think not. Nothing like that is a necessity, it’s a nice to have. It can open doors, end of year exhibitions attract buyers and galleries can’t be a bad thing. Also, you interact with others and you learn that it’s you paddling your own canoe, but with a peer group you realise that sometimes you can’t do it alone. I briefly spent time in a commercial art studio and realised that my year in college was barren when it came to the real world. But that was in the 70’s, things will have changed a great deal since then.
I sold a paper print for $2000. It was the fulcrum to help me realise I wasn’t a bum.
Don’t let your creative arrogance impede on your ability to connect with your audience. They will be your source of income.
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