I recently committed my time to volunteer at a local art gallery. this is not a privately owned art gallery. This gallery I am volunteering my time in is a very well known non profit organization that has been in my city for about 80 or so years I have been told. So many people have been involved here promoting and working with the local artists of the community. So I need to spend some time talking about this experience here on this forum of mine. Hopefully some of you readers will be open and give me some feedback on this subject. I think as artists we all will deal or be confronted with some of the issues I am starting to experience. Hopefully we can come to some resolve and solutions I might be able to be a positive influence for these wonderful folks here.
As I get started here I start meeting these board members that make the decisions of where the monies that they recieve from the city are allocated to create an atmosphere that promotes the arts here in the part of town they are located. I hear from them the passion they feel. After 40 years of being involved in the arts I can still see the fire in their eyes....they eyes are the windows to their souls...hteir souls bleed fr the arts. They still want to make a difference. They still have love for their passion or passion for their love. However you look at it they are on FIRE!
With any organization it will have what I call the 10 percent rule. There is always a person or persons that like to make life interesting. For some reason they want to go against the grain. Going agains the grain is ok if you are making a stand for the positive...going against the grain to distrupt a positive flow is not very healthy for growth. How can progress be achieved if there is not some sort of cohesiveness. How can ideas be shared and agreed upon if the group collaborating do not communicate. Lesson learned. How do I convince these people they are going to be fighting an uphill battle if they are always going against each other. They are worried about control and who is right rather than trying to figure out how to reach the new unknown community they are now a part of.
This gallery was always located in a community where it was catering to middle to upper income earning filks. People that would tend to have disposable incomes. People use to going to art galleries and events. They were spoiled with regulars that like to show off and buy art as a fad. Now they have moved into a very urban area. They are in the middle of very ethnic diverse cultures. They are a very conservative contemporary gallery now trying to figure out....HOW? How are they going to reach these folks. They do not have a clue. No one on this board is hisanic, asian or black. they need to reach out to them and find these artists. They need to look within the community and research and look locally at the talent within to attract new clientel. These people that are in this community are hungry for art and getting involved. This is the only gallery here in this community and they need to take the bull by the horns. GREAT opportunity. They can be pioneers in this part of the city. Convincing them is MY challenge. What the hell is wrong with me?!
I am addicted to showing people what the passion of the artist is all about. Someone told me Art is dead. I read in many articles art is dead. People from other countries criticize america for not having a passion for the arts. I say look in the communities and there you will find people hungry. So there it is. I ranted. I talked. I vented. Whether it makes sense...this will be a topic to revisit again and again.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Why Are Artists Moody?
I apologize for not writing in my blog sooner. I did not feel like it. I had a lot going on in my head. I was filled with anxiety and did not know how to release it. Painting only made me crazier. Which brings me to the subject of topic. Why Are Artists Moody.
I guess I have been moody. I wake up sometimes wanting to paint and then immediately I fall into a funk. What a waste of time. I start enjoying my pitty party. I eat comfort food. I stare at the walls, the computer, a book, the back of my eyelids. What the heck is wrong with me. I already know. When artist contemplate what their next theme or project is they focus. they dig deep within themselves to feel it not think it. Sometimes in the process of feeling we sort out some issues in our lives. Then we re-live those areas where we never resolved. Sometimes in the creative process we get so involved in our story whcih we want to express on a medium we start to reminisce the bad memories and lose time. Time is so precious. We can paint for hours on end and not realize a four hour painting binge feels like 30 minutes. The same goes with anxiety. We can fall into a really bad funk and lose track of time. We can sit for hours on end thinking the same though over and over again. We need sometimes to be around other artists to remind us of these "mishaps"
These lapses in time can be very unhealthy. These lapses can drive us insane. So many artists stories have been told where they had a lifetime full of drama and pain and they manifested that experience into wonderful works. So many artists get caught up in depression because they relive these experiences. Artists need to be involved. they need to stay positive. they need to stay busy. Always working through these weird funky times. it doesnt matter if you are moody or not keep working. It is ok to smash an easel and canvas once in a while but keep on working. Keep creating. Keep mixing those colors and arranging that vibe in your soul. THe one thing we have over the regular joe is we are artists and we have a release. We have to use it. We have to remember that this release will save our lives over and over again. If we do not realize it we will surely fall into a really bad funk one day and die.
I guess I have been moody. I wake up sometimes wanting to paint and then immediately I fall into a funk. What a waste of time. I start enjoying my pitty party. I eat comfort food. I stare at the walls, the computer, a book, the back of my eyelids. What the heck is wrong with me. I already know. When artist contemplate what their next theme or project is they focus. they dig deep within themselves to feel it not think it. Sometimes in the process of feeling we sort out some issues in our lives. Then we re-live those areas where we never resolved. Sometimes in the creative process we get so involved in our story whcih we want to express on a medium we start to reminisce the bad memories and lose time. Time is so precious. We can paint for hours on end and not realize a four hour painting binge feels like 30 minutes. The same goes with anxiety. We can fall into a really bad funk and lose track of time. We can sit for hours on end thinking the same though over and over again. We need sometimes to be around other artists to remind us of these "mishaps"
These lapses in time can be very unhealthy. These lapses can drive us insane. So many artists stories have been told where they had a lifetime full of drama and pain and they manifested that experience into wonderful works. So many artists get caught up in depression because they relive these experiences. Artists need to be involved. they need to stay positive. they need to stay busy. Always working through these weird funky times. it doesnt matter if you are moody or not keep working. It is ok to smash an easel and canvas once in a while but keep on working. Keep creating. Keep mixing those colors and arranging that vibe in your soul. THe one thing we have over the regular joe is we are artists and we have a release. We have to use it. We have to remember that this release will save our lives over and over again. If we do not realize it we will surely fall into a really bad funk one day and die.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
How To Pay Your Dues As An Artist.
This is a very interesting topic I think for anyone in the art world. Any level of art experience and education can appreciate what we are about to explore here. There are so many views here and knowing the bullshit from reality is something that needs to be cleared up.
I am a self taught artist. I consider myself and artist to the core. I use my medium to express my soul and convey it to the world. How the world perceives my canvas is not my problem. Once my work is out and about I am free. The audience always has an opinion. The public never agrees. We all are unique in our situation and have different views. Our experiences shape our views. Our lives and the choices we make everyday steer the rudder. So with that is the critique we receive from artists, art aficionados, collectors, curators, gallery owners and again the general public. They all have a reason they are who they are and why they make the decisions they make. As artists we thrive and learn from the critique. We welcome it, good or bad. We receive it "with all due respect". It is a wonderful thing. We have a choice to absorb and digest or throw it away. We can be enlightened or be insulted. We can cherish it, carry it and treasure it or be disgusted and lash back. One thing is for certain, if it is a consistent theme and remark in that critique, then at some point it should be at the very least considered. If this is a random here and there it is a common "what ever floats your boat". At this point we can all agree we cannot please every one in our creations. I can live with that.
What I cannot live with is when an artist tells a peer of theirs that they're not that, "a peer". Why?...Because they did not pay their dues as an artist. WOW! Ok. How do you pay your dues as an artist? Let's start with the educational route. 10k a year(being nice)X 4 = 40k. Yes there will be a great deal of learning from fellow genius classmates and professors. A lot of practical class application. Art history and appreciation. Learning how to prepare a portfolio and market yourself to this tight knit industry based on relationships. That is all very fine for 40k. or more? For some including Masters programs. So these artists paid their dues somewhat. This is a wonderful way to learn if the resources are available to the student.
Mentored and apprenticed artists are very strong. Most of these individuals are naturally gifted people that were hand selected by a higher calling to be the industry leaders. They were born to inspire us. These people were created to light a fire up our butts to be involved. They were given this natural ability/gift so they can spend the rest of their time teaching instead of learning. Sadly. Very rarely do we see them appear. We all know one. There are two extremes that dominate and a small minority actually finds someone to show them the ropes and the love for the arts. They are either too shy, withdrawn and antisocial, or very arrogant and too good to share.
I call an artists soul their passion. We all have this. We all want. We all dream. Passion is how we get to. The path we take is how we respect each other as artists and the arts. There are fine lines drawn here. We have to recognize them. We all know what they are as artists. Laws have been passed recently to protect the integrity of our work.
A self taught artist is a humble person in most cases. Realizing they have a love for the arts. Buys some supplies at some point in their life. Starts creating masterpieces. Masterpieces in the sense that they delve into their works like it is the last thing they will do on earth. These artists, and they are artists by definition, become addicted to creating and expressing their soul, their life experiences, their tragedies and triumphs. They want the world to see their world inside out through their eyes. they are so filled with excitement. No agenda. No expectations. no dream of fame just dreams of appreciation and thanks. they experiment fearlessly. They were never shown the rulebook so they are not afraid. Colors are just a tool to speak through so traditions and cultures do not apply. Abstract, contemporary, modernism.. etc....are words from the furniture store. They create with emotion and love. If it feels good in the end it stays. If their wives and husbands hate it?, maybe he can give it to the neighbor and make them smile. This is where we lose our focus. Right here. We are doing it to inspire the world to love through the appreciation of art. We want to see the joy in peoples faces when they look at our works. I actually like to see people disgusted sometimes. I get a kick out of it. Our focus is about "Creating to Inspire". Inspire what? Love, Change, Appreciation, Education, Unity, Energy, and so on....the list is endless. So if our world is exclusive this will not happen. If we have restrictions on who has the right of passage? then who is fit to be the judge? Show me that person.
I am a self taught artist. I consider myself and artist to the core. I use my medium to express my soul and convey it to the world. How the world perceives my canvas is not my problem. Once my work is out and about I am free. The audience always has an opinion. The public never agrees. We all are unique in our situation and have different views. Our experiences shape our views. Our lives and the choices we make everyday steer the rudder. So with that is the critique we receive from artists, art aficionados, collectors, curators, gallery owners and again the general public. They all have a reason they are who they are and why they make the decisions they make. As artists we thrive and learn from the critique. We welcome it, good or bad. We receive it "with all due respect". It is a wonderful thing. We have a choice to absorb and digest or throw it away. We can be enlightened or be insulted. We can cherish it, carry it and treasure it or be disgusted and lash back. One thing is for certain, if it is a consistent theme and remark in that critique, then at some point it should be at the very least considered. If this is a random here and there it is a common "what ever floats your boat". At this point we can all agree we cannot please every one in our creations. I can live with that.
What I cannot live with is when an artist tells a peer of theirs that they're not that, "a peer". Why?...Because they did not pay their dues as an artist. WOW! Ok. How do you pay your dues as an artist? Let's start with the educational route. 10k a year(being nice)X 4 = 40k. Yes there will be a great deal of learning from fellow genius classmates and professors. A lot of practical class application. Art history and appreciation. Learning how to prepare a portfolio and market yourself to this tight knit industry based on relationships. That is all very fine for 40k. or more? For some including Masters programs. So these artists paid their dues somewhat. This is a wonderful way to learn if the resources are available to the student.
Mentored and apprenticed artists are very strong. Most of these individuals are naturally gifted people that were hand selected by a higher calling to be the industry leaders. They were born to inspire us. These people were created to light a fire up our butts to be involved. They were given this natural ability/gift so they can spend the rest of their time teaching instead of learning. Sadly. Very rarely do we see them appear. We all know one. There are two extremes that dominate and a small minority actually finds someone to show them the ropes and the love for the arts. They are either too shy, withdrawn and antisocial, or very arrogant and too good to share.
I call an artists soul their passion. We all have this. We all want. We all dream. Passion is how we get to. The path we take is how we respect each other as artists and the arts. There are fine lines drawn here. We have to recognize them. We all know what they are as artists. Laws have been passed recently to protect the integrity of our work.
A self taught artist is a humble person in most cases. Realizing they have a love for the arts. Buys some supplies at some point in their life. Starts creating masterpieces. Masterpieces in the sense that they delve into their works like it is the last thing they will do on earth. These artists, and they are artists by definition, become addicted to creating and expressing their soul, their life experiences, their tragedies and triumphs. They want the world to see their world inside out through their eyes. they are so filled with excitement. No agenda. No expectations. no dream of fame just dreams of appreciation and thanks. they experiment fearlessly. They were never shown the rulebook so they are not afraid. Colors are just a tool to speak through so traditions and cultures do not apply. Abstract, contemporary, modernism.. etc....are words from the furniture store. They create with emotion and love. If it feels good in the end it stays. If their wives and husbands hate it?, maybe he can give it to the neighbor and make them smile. This is where we lose our focus. Right here. We are doing it to inspire the world to love through the appreciation of art. We want to see the joy in peoples faces when they look at our works. I actually like to see people disgusted sometimes. I get a kick out of it. Our focus is about "Creating to Inspire". Inspire what? Love, Change, Appreciation, Education, Unity, Energy, and so on....the list is endless. So if our world is exclusive this will not happen. If we have restrictions on who has the right of passage? then who is fit to be the judge? Show me that person.
Monday, January 18, 2010
How Not To Let Your Life Interfere With Your Art.
The title is easier said than done. How do we do this? I don't know. Everyday I fight with this question. I take it a day at a time. We can have so many things wrong in our lives, events and tragedies to get in the way of our creative process. We can have lapses in time where we do not realize that it has been a week since we have picked up our tools that we create with. We always have our lives that seem to get in the way of our true love. We have to always remember we never....never.....curse the events that take us away. We instead cherish the moments we have to create. We relish the seconds we have been given to sit in front of our wonderful easle, drawing pad, creative table and absorb all of the time whether it is short or lengthy. We have to make the best of it and not be so bold and arrogant to think we have tomorrow or the next day to create again. Not to say that we have to rush a piece. I am saying we enjoy and make the best of the time we have. We have to leave the memory of creativity fresh in our soul. We have to let our heart relive this feeling and emotion each and every time duplicating that moment.
Let us consider the recent events in history. Let us ponder on all the lives that are lost in one second. We can see here very serious moments in time. These people were all going about their daily lives as normal as you and I here writing and reading. We can be as innocent and non-instigating and yet peril will find us if it is our time. We can be on an overpass in the metropolis of our great city wherever you are and an earthquake can shake you to the ground. You can be denying that this is just a self help life is too short speach and stop reading this. It is a life is too short speech. There is a difference here. We are artists. We leave our legacy when it is our time. We speak to a deaf world. A blind world. A heartless world. We open the hearts of the souls that are lost. We enlighten children and their parents. We inspire. We are not only creators of art we are creators of inspiration. So for us to waste time thinking of how what and why we are going to create.....is a waste of time. So if our lives interfere with our art....let it be so ...if you did not savor the moment the last time you had your creative session?...shame on you.
Let us consider the recent events in history. Let us ponder on all the lives that are lost in one second. We can see here very serious moments in time. These people were all going about their daily lives as normal as you and I here writing and reading. We can be as innocent and non-instigating and yet peril will find us if it is our time. We can be on an overpass in the metropolis of our great city wherever you are and an earthquake can shake you to the ground. You can be denying that this is just a self help life is too short speach and stop reading this. It is a life is too short speech. There is a difference here. We are artists. We leave our legacy when it is our time. We speak to a deaf world. A blind world. A heartless world. We open the hearts of the souls that are lost. We enlighten children and their parents. We inspire. We are not only creators of art we are creators of inspiration. So for us to waste time thinking of how what and why we are going to create.....is a waste of time. So if our lives interfere with our art....let it be so ...if you did not savor the moment the last time you had your creative session?...shame on you.
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