Many artists have tried to explain what it means, to them, to be an artist and many have declined to justify what or how they do what they do. Even the greatest of musicians, authors, architects and other artists are sometimes dumbfounded when asked where they get their inspiration from or what inspires them. I know I am. My guiding light at those moments is Picasso who said 'Inspiration will find you working'. These few words always remind me to keep working, to put pencil to paper or brush to canvas again and again when I have felt least like it.
The determination to keep trying, every single day, is one of the qualities that defines anyone who wants to succeed at whatever endeavour they have chosen. Artists are doggedly hard working creatives.
It has been said that the job of an artist is to reveal the world to others, to hold up a mirror to society to give others new perspective on life, the natural world, our cultures, our actions and their consequences. Whether we enjoy Monet's hay stacks in all their different lights and seasons, whether we ponder Picasso's 'Guernica' to understand some of the horrors of war or feel disgust at Tracey Emin's 'Unmade Bed' surrounded by the detritus of a disengaged teenager we gain new perspectives.
2. To be an artist is to perceive without prejudice, to observe without any preconceptions and to see things as they really are whether it is light, form, colour, politics or deeper meaning.
For 9 years I was a full time lecturer in further and higher education at an art college. I was highly organised and knew what I would be doing almost ever hour of every day for 290 days of each year and would be planning those hours and minutes for a further 45 days of each year. During the evenings and the remaining 30 days, I would be researching, collecting, drawing, painting and selling my own work to stay sane. I was then presented with an opportunity to give it all up and devote myself to my art and I grabbed it with all my heart and mind and never worried about the consequences. I went to Vietnam for one year and stayed for 13.
The most surprising challenge for me, was making that change from a completely timetabled educator to someone who cannot know what might happen next and is not always sure what day or time it is. In making this shift from 'left brain' to 'right brain' thinking, I was learning why others think that artists are crazy or that we don't know how to function effectively in the industrialised / commercial world.
I made a shift from knowing everything about my job to knowing nothing about the work I was embarking on; from thinking and judging to perceiving and sensing; from being experienced and knowledgeable to feeling like a beginner again. At times, this was difficult. I went from being surrounded by co-workers, students and a management team to being alone. AND, in order to make this shift, I sold nearly everything I owned and moved from one continent to another.
3. To be an artist is to live in the present and to take risks. An artist must trust their own instincts and be excited to see where that takes them.
When I look at the enormous range of visual arts that are available to buy these days, it is not hard to identify some styles, colour combinations and subjects that have become popular, acceptable, easy and affordable. Semi abstract landscapes, semi abstract still life subjects, coastal scenes and depictions of trees come immediately to mind. The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is a fair barometer of the trends in British contemporary art and all of those genres were evident and in abundance there. Original works that say something new in a new way, that are sometimes difficult to understand , are less common and have to be celebrated I think. We are surrounded by so much visual stimulation, these days, but we still need to see new perspectives on our lives in order to understand our place in the human world.
4. To be an artist is to express something original in an original way and to bring fresh perspectives.
To make a living, artists have to sell their work. Just as any other professional, some artists are very well connected or proficient at marketing their work and others are daunted or shy. Some accountants have thriving practices and others cannot not face taking that risk and feel more secure if they can find employment with someone else. It all depends on personality.
Because they make and sell things, I would say that artists are natural entrepreneurs. Since the beginning of time, artists have been creating beautiful things for kings and princes and have left a legacy of fabulous art and artefacts for future generations to marvel at. Michelangelo, it turns out, was not a starving artist but a millionaire. Contemporary artists work in fashion, film, architecture, textiles, interior design, TV, product design and every other industry that touches our daily lives yet, still, parents discourage children from studying the arts for fear that they will starve.
Because of social media platforms and web sites, it is now easier to connect with potential markets that ever before. The internet is awash with art entrepreneurs offering online courses and selling their work. The art market has changed from exclusive and expensive galleries in our capital cities to large art markets such as The Affordable Art Fairs, Frieze, Open Studio events, Regional and National art fairs and the buying and selling of affordable contemporary art in the world's auction houses.
5. To be an artist in today's marketplace, an artist has to understand the value of their own work and be able to market it effectively. Gone are the days when anyone (other than graduates) are 'discovered' by wealthy patrons.
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