undiscoveredartist

The high end art market is doing well as evidenced by multi-millionaire artist Damien Hirst wildly exceeding expectations Tue Sep 16, 2008 with a record-breaking sale of 218 items for 111 million pounds ($198 million). Art galleries in the East End are doing far better than they did ten years ago.

But what about the undiscovered artist? How is this economy effecting their sales? I tried to find some substantial information on the Internet on how the present state of the economy is effecting the sales of relatively unknown artists and found nothing. Thus, it is only the high end art market that is rebounding according to some sources.

To find my facts, I spoke to local artists and craftspeople. The results of my study were predictable. They haven’t been making much money lately. Many cannot use their art or craft to sustain themselves, and have a job or jobs to make ends meet.

Their work is excellent, they are relatively well known. One local artist I know has gone into publishing art instruction books, but for all the money they spent to promote and get this quality project going, they have seen little return. Another family may close their gallery and retire. The usual tourist crowd was disappointing this year. Another well known photographer I know should have sold more books at his last show.

So, back to the undiscovered artists. How are they making it? When it comes to this artist, not so well. I feel my work is quality and the would-be buyers agree as well. They want to pay the price I want, but simply can’t due to the state of the economy. Other artists can’t make anything even rock bottom flea market prices.

I have seen some strange debasing behavior such as artists stepping on each other to get a sale. So how does the unknown artist make it in this type of situation? Artists are going to have to work hard to promote themselves. That may mean a need to go digital and bringing their work to the Internet. That is easier said than done. I am not the best of promoting myself, I hate to “toot my own horn” but that is what needs to happen.

Just a side note, I had to snicker when I see other artists’s description of themselves. One artist I know went as far as to say, “…just check my name on google.com and you will see what I am telling you is true.” Oh golly. Here goes: “So check me out on google.com. I am super, you will see I am the supreme being”. Maybe if you sometimes go overboard, you should hire someone else to do a press release.

Anyways, that being said, do promote yourself and often. If possible, network with some other artists and see what happens. Keep your focus on art and the experience, that is what I do. I do it for myself and I keep my day job until such a time comes that I am able to sustain myself.

Good luck to all of you would be famous artists, never stop believing in yourself and your work. If you start doubting yourself, you won’t succeed. In my case, I find a sibling or good friend who isn’t another artist and I get their opinion regularly. Their opinion is always positive most of the time. Although it seems like a crutch, who says that the average art buyer would’nt agree with them?

By all means get the opinions of other artists, but agree to disagree when you don’t see what they see. If you are proud of that work, don’t let anyone bring you down.

It seems like many times when things begin to go too well they go downhill fast. This isn’t the case yet, things are going rather well, I am getting some really good press with a local corporation. It looks like I am hooked in for all their graphic design work. However, the past design firm doesn’t want to let go. They have heard there’s a new kid in town and they are trying to make amends for their poor service.

Some of the staff are going with her on projects, which I think is insane. I don’t care how many degrees a person has. If you don’t have talent, that is it. This firm also gets paid twice as much as me and I am WAY better. I am not saying this out of conceit. I have been running this racket for about ten years, I have designed hundred of logos and I have paid my dues in battle scars from the most difficult customers you can imagine.

As is often the case with the undiscoverd artist, we see things in terms of “who you know” instead of the actual quality of the work. We see things through this lense, no matter what.  If it seems that someone is ahead, and the quality is not there (and you all know what I mean by quality) we begin to question the ethics of people.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be a fly on the wall during these times? We sure would learn a lot.

Anyone privy to information such as this, would be a very wealthy person or their whole view on life would change. You may not like what you see. For all we know, the art world could be driven by a bunch of narcissistic people that only see what they want to see because it is convenient to them.

This would be the pessimistic view. The optimist in me hopes and believes that people recognize a good thing when they see it. Time will tell, but if this graphic design firm steals my opportunity with crappy work, I probably will begin to doubt some of these beliefs.

This kind of things have happened to me in the past. Personal experience tells me that people choose the work that is insubstantial because they are pressured to make this choice. When it comes to doing work in a community for example, people may be worried about upsetting the old guard.

This is the case in web design as well. The company may go with Mrs. Smith because she is Mr. Smith’s wife. She has her cute little copy of FrontPage and all it’s tacky themes, and even though she does a pi%$ poor job at designing web pages, Mrs. Smith is a sweet person, so they keep her on the payroll. Unfortunately their web presence is diminished and they have poor sales. Oh well, at least Mr. and Mrs. Smith are content.

This field is competitive. Expect to be disliked, especially if you have fresh skills and a fresh outlook. All I can say is work with these people the best you can and prove that you can do better. Give them value. Give them quality. If they don’t choose you, feel sorry for them.

I got lucky today! I found a printer that I can work with well, and that is a real rare find. I have worked with other printers and when my work goes to press there are issues. The last time, I had to create everything in vector, blah blah blah — and now I didn’t need it that way for seperations or screenprint process — this was just a business card. Yes, I know what you seasoned designers are saying. Vector is the way it should be.

I am not saying I don’t know how to do it. But it just seems to me that some printers just love to throw up blockades. The way I see it, the print industry has come a long way. I have sent stuff off to VistaPrint, 300 dpi .tiff or .pdf and no problem. The materials came out great.

The printer I have now was pleased with my work, it was CMYK, 300 DPI, .pdf so he could see it on his Mac. I have used both pc and mac, but right now I am using pc. All I have to do next time is add a bit more bleed area. That I can do as well.

I am so glad when technology advances. Especially print technology. I will no longer be chowing down on my fingernails next time my work goes to print. I remember when I did my internship everything began in Illustrator. Now it can begin in PS. I know it is called “Photo” shop for a reason. It’s for photos. But so much of my design work has some special effects that some designers frown on. Hey, they even told me at Baker College that gradients are out, ha!!! We’ll see about that, I think it depends on how it’s done. I just make sure that every pattern I overlay, every graphic I use is high resolution So far, so good.

I am very pleased that I learned how to create documents in Quark, Illustrator, Freehand and PageMaker. I know it is the correct way to learn. I must admit though I had to laugh when I hear that PageMaker is “outdated”. Now I feel outdated! I recall when it was Aldus PageMaker!

I do love my Photoshop!

Sometimes it feels like we are just floating around in this world, little particles in the atmosphere that nobody really pays much attention to. There are millions of us, so how can we stand out or make any difference to anyone? This is true especially if you are an artist. I can’t tell you how many times I looked at the work of other artists who were making large amounts of money selling their work and said, “Geez, I could do better!”

Sometimes I think it is just being in the right place at the right time and not screwing up your opportunity. I have done that myself thanks to inexperience, bad management and lack of a sense of purpose. The key is, that when your fifteen minutes of fame arrives, do all you can not to squander it or you may end up like me, knowing you could do better and missing your chance.

I think in my case, it was a series of misfortunes blended with the fact that I didn’t come from a wealthy family, or even a well connected one. Both of my parents worked hard, and somehow we never made it even to middle class.

I think that this is an American story. It would even be a Cinderella story if only I could see things through to getting the publicity I needed. Well, as fate would have it, things have turned in my favor. I have been doing graphic design again and things have been going well. The last design I made was actually heralded as the best they had seen to represent their company in a long time.

Considering how long they have been in business that is no small compliment. So I am pretty satisfied now. A new opportunity has arrived, and I must do my best to make the most of it.

The thing I hate is, I have felt this way before. I never get my hopes up too much, because when I do that is when the rug gets pulled out from under me. That is why I feel like, well, I am going to do my best and take it one day at a time, one victory at a time. Because, if we are just particles floating around in a sea, there really isn’t much to do about it, but once in awhile, we can really rise to the surface and shine.

After years of being an artist and designer, I now question how it is we should approach judging another’s work. There are so many different styles out there, and so many different viewpoints as well. Do I consider the individual before I judge? Do I simply take the work at face value?

I only know a couple things when I view an artwork. It is usually if I like the colors and the subject.

I really think I would be the worst judge in the world, because I think that just about everything I look at has unique aspects as somebody’s expression or interpretation of life. It must be very difficult to judge another’s work.

I have been through many many critiques and I can tell you, sometimes some of the things people say about another’s work is baseless. Other times, it is quite useful. Usually you end up with some critical person who can burst your bubble faster than anyone else. I usually let this kind of criticism pass through me with little effect. Then I hit the ignore button.

I believe we should look at the artistic capacity of the person and use that as a scale.  If my aunt paints something for example, I decide it is attractive and well done for someone who has never painted anything before.

It is just like this online class I am in with my brother. It’s a literature class. I know his capacity, and I know he is really trying hard. I don’t think it is fair when other people strong and experienced in a certain area don’t have anything positive to say. Of course, if you have something to teach and the experience to back it up then you should. But leave the person with something positive to grow on!

There goes that ignore button again.

Robert Simmons Simply Simmons

I have been using Robert Simmons “Simply Simmons” for over a year now. They are smaller, standard sized brushes that the label says are “Perfect For All paints”. Early on, I used them in acrylic. A little later I began using them with oils. I now use them full time with oils and have noticed a few things. If you use The Master’s Brush Cleaner with them, they perform wonderfully. I actually purchased them in sets of three or four and paid only $3.50 per set. I purchased them at Hobby Lobby when they were half off.

The brushes I bought a year ago did so well, that I bought some more today. I purchased the Mop-Up set including a 3/4″ mop, a 1/2″ mop, and a 1/2″ flat wash. I also bought the Grass and Green set including a bristle fan, 3/8″ flat comb, and 1/2″ comb. Again, I got them marked down 50%. I am now worried that Hobby Lobby may be discontinuing them, and I sure hope that they don’t do that, I adore these brushes. Every time I go there, they are on sale and they seem to have less and less of them.

As far as price and value, they are the ultimate. The black and white enamel on the brushes (if used with the Master’s Brush Cleaner) has not cracked like my other brushes. I have used them with turpentine, linseed oil, and painting mediums with no problem. They hold up great! In fact, now that I have purchased the new sets today, I am donating my other brushes to my aunt, another up and coming artist.

When it comes to the bristles on the brushes, they are very smooth for the price. The mops are luxurious, and the fan bristles soft. When it comes to brushes, I believe that a soft brush will create a soft mark on the canvas. Harsh brushes leave harsh marks. I am all about soft on the canvas. I think that when you wish to paint a soft cloud, why would you go about it with a hard brush? I was such a stickler in this area, that if I couldn’t find a soft brush I went for the Q-tips!

I will continue to update this post to let you know if my older Simmons brushes fail. As for now, with proper care they are doing great!

My Worst Enemy, Myself.

Sometimes I have to wonder, who or what is holding me back from creating more? Is it me? I think it is. I believe I am my own worst critic. Because I am the one who continues not to paint, not to show my work and not to put it out there. What am I so worried about? Different people have different perspectives. It is clear that I am judging myself and harshly. I feel like everything I create is going to be subject to revision, revision, revision. I can never stop until I reach perfection. But that is not exactly true…

Here are some perspectives I have acquired after puzzling over this for some time.

The first perspective says to me that I shouldn’t judge what I create because my only job; my only worry is just to make it and get it out in the world. Others can make judgments about it, but I can’t hold back my work by judging it beforehand.

The second perspective says that because there is only one of me, my expression is so unique that it doesn’t matter what people think, I have to put it out there. If I don’t, then it will never ever exist in any form and it will be lost forever.

The third perspective says that I need to try my best. If my work doesn’t appeal to any one but me, I am just another artist that tried and failed but at least I tried.

A fourth perspective dictates that there is a place where only the artist’s opinion is important. Anything else is of uncertain benefit. If I keep focused in this way, I can soldier on, creating my own trail with little regard to who thinks what about it.

I am a little partial to the fourth perspective; however there is a downside to this. Once you build that barrier of security, someone unavoidably sees your work, gives you their critique and you are left to build that wall of conviction all over again; brick by brick.

These are just some things I believe that artists should keep in mind before they start holding back their creativity. That is why I am going to the art store tomorrow to purchase a new canvas and officially end this painter’s block. Wish me luck!

How I Meet People

I am a little different from everyone else. I signed up for a PenPal, and didn’t send a picture of myself; I sent an image of one of my paintings. It is merely introducing myself, but I feel what better way to tell someone something about me than through my art? Yes, I know, don’t we all need a glamour photo to dazzle everyone in our eye candy world?

I feel there is no better way to know me than through my art. I think it tell multitudes about me more than a photo ever could. If you saw a glamour shot of me, you would see a pleasantly attractive thirty-something lady; strawberry blonde hair, green eyes and freckles. Big deal, there are a million better looking women out there with a far better figure than me. Yet, if you see my paintings you will know I am an original.

My paintings are my showpiece, not unlike the vivid colors a woman wears to get attention. I guess I don’t understand women with loads of make-up, fancy hairstyles, fancy clothes prancing about like peacocks. You know what I mean, they update their photo on MySpace a million times with a new flattering glamour shot every day. Does this prove that they have something true, something original? I am not so sure and we all know looks fade over time.

To me, my work is my glamour and the source of my beauty. That and my mind. I used to be a twenty-something woman who couldn’t leave the house without make-up even to go to the store. Now I wear it once a year. I pity those that still do it. I feel so blessed that I have something more to offer. I can give the world beauty, and it is not a simple little package as just my body and my face. I wish everyone could feel this free. Having great looks is over-rated, having great art is not.

My brother feels that people only see your appearance and don’t care about anything that you do. I sure hope not. I haven’t done my hair in an actual hairstyle beyond a ponytail all summer, and my hands are stained with paint. I am getting grey at 37. So based on that, will nobody will be interested in anything I do? Say it ain’t so!

Here is another installment of my cartoon, Gettin’ Fame’d which highlights the thoughts that go through my mind when I think about promoting my work and all the hurdles I have to jump through.

 I consider art buying behavior to be somewhat of a mystery. I can think of the grossest painting, and be shocked that there are a hundred people coveting it. Then I can think of the most beautiful image a person can create, and it will sit there unappreciated.

 It makes you wonder, have we all become Paris Hilton when it comes to collecting art? Maybe we are just divas who specifically look for what will match. That begs the question, should the environment match the art or should the art match the environment? What do you think?

 I also know people who only want one sort of painting. I was once told on one of my paintings that if I would have just chosen another color the art would sell. Now, how would I know this? When I create, I just go with it. I am not thinking it has to match your drapes when I make it.

I know that when it comes to decorating, and it may seem kind of silly, but I like to find a muse and center the rest around that one object. That is just the way that I am.

I have included a second installment of Gettin’ Fame’d which represents my thoughts on the graphic design world. I have been a freelance graphic and web designer for the past eight years. I had many expectations when I embarked on my education and my career and was saddened to find in many ways; that I felt like a glorified office assistant.

 Now, I was warned that there would be deadlines. I am beginning to believe that perhaps it wasn’t sinking in. My first job was working for a local newspaper in ad creation. I found that there was no creativity, and I was often force fed cheap graphics and plain text and told that it was their way or the highway.

 So I chose the highway. I loved my new freedom. I could work when I wanted to right? NOT! I found that I had swapped one obnoxious boss for several obnoxious customers. I am not saying it wall all sheer h@ll, but it definitely was not fun to look in your email box and find lots of little messages there.

 And then there were the phone calls. I was even threatened with litigation a few times, just because I had not delivered to ridiculous expectations. I began to wonder, why was I giving away my design work to be resold for so little? People were making money on me, I found myself customizing templates and mass creating templates for a meager salary. And what was my reward? Carpal tunnel.

Now I do not wish to make everyone bitter, but even now when I hear some bright eyed student say they are enamored with the field of graphic design, I still sweat in remembrance. Now I have shifted gears. I am still a graphic designer, but I am a graphic designer for myself. If the pay is not the way it should be, I don’t bother. My suggestion to you is, don’t be enthralled with the prospect of fast money to the point you short change yourself. You may turn into me…