Living the Life of an Artist

I have been journaling for years. Most of it is mundane or whiny every day stuff, but every so often, there is a shift in my mental status during the writing. It’s almost like I have to get the previous day’s thoughts off my mind before I can access a higher realm. Most days are the same with recording events of the day before. However, once in a while, my mind will jump to another level. It is like that proverbial light bulb going off, that “Aha!” moment.

Today I was writing about the Muse which I find is a fascinating subject. I began to wonder how my thoughts of her have changed, and is it the same Muse for all my artistic talents. Is there a different Muse for writing as compared to another who comes for photography or drawing? For me, there is definitely another presence, like a whispering in my ear, “Yes, you can do this.”

Sometimes when I have questions like this, I will get answers as I continue writing. I find the Muse is a tease. She arrives unannounced and if I don’t give her proper attention, she disappears. Yet, if I try to focus on her and not the art, she might fade in and out. She wants me to concentrate on something artistic, not her.

As I started thinking about what I noticed about her past visits, I had one of those jumps of consciousness.

As I mentioned, I’ve been journaling for years and as a writer, I’ve often wondered about writing memoirs. I could never figure out where to start. That jump of consciousness brought me to thinking about those “Sparks of Enlightenment” that I occasionally experience through my writing. What if I made my memoirs about those? What would it be like for me to go back through my journals and pick those out? Of course, there would be some story with it, too.

Could I do that? I mean, could I do that? Me? What would it be like if someone else read my journals and would they see those sparks? “Sparks of Enlightenment” would tell my story without the boring, mundane, whiny, day to day experiences. But would it be interesting to anyone else? These sparks have given me boosts. They’ve been my “pearls of wisdom.”

The muse fades back in, whispers in my ear, “We are married. I am the only one for you. Do this.” My analytical, have too many other things to do, brain kicks in crying, “I can’t take on another project!” She just smiles and disappears leaving me wondering. Can I? Should I? What about all my other projects that I want to do? I have appointments, errands to run, things to do…

Heartache… a poem

Or

A Poem for the Dying

I am broken

brain dissolved

to mush in my tears

heart so heavy

it falls

onto a rock hard gut

and shatters

Slivers spread through veins

creating tiny cuts

from which despair

bleeds into my soul

Emotions fuse

one solid block of pain

creating physical ill

I am nothing.

It is hopeless.

You might just as well

crush me

like the slimy bug

I am

Already flattened

I may never get up

Living the Life of an Artist

I am reading a biography on Pablo Picasso. Here I am, an artist, and I’ve never studied other artists. I’m making a bit of an attempt. All I ever knew about this man was that he did strange things on the canvas. The book is thick and I’m about a quarter of the way through. I question how someone can write a biography about an artist and not have any pictures with the mention of what he was doing and where he was when he painted or drew such and such. (Okay, yes, I know there are copyright laws and needing permissions, etc.) I vaguely had heard of his blue period and his rose period and the book mentions this, but without actual pictures, it’s hard to visualize. The words have little meaning.

I looked on the internet. Ah, here are pictures and even the ones I’ve seen mentioned. Picasso certainly went through interesting personal growth in his life and it definitely comes out in his work. His style changed dramatically over time, especially with the discovery of cubism. I can’t say I’m a fan. The art is very interesting and sometimes scary.

As so often, I get caught up in the pricing of art. It’s easier to understand if a piece has a lot of detail, but the drawings for which there are only a few simple lines, questions rise. Who would buy something like that for that exorbitant price? Does this just prove that people will buy anything associated with a name?

Hmmm, that phrase sticks in my mind:

PEOPLE WILL BUY A NAME!

Picasso proved this. He went against the grain and created some bizarre pieces. At first, many hated his work. He pushed himself to do more, to meet other artists and art enthusiasts and those willing to promote his work. He pounded the pavement to make sales. He became a known name. In a way, at the time, it didn’t matter what the painting sold for, just that it sold to put enough bread on the table and pay rent and allow him to get supplies.

Picasso also had a charisma that attracted people and even when he wasn’t very nice to them, they still followed him. For some, that is natural. Others have to work hard at attracting people.

But I am not writing about Picasso to write about Picasso, a master, a legend in the art world, I am writing because of my on-going quest to learn how to sell my art. The masters didn’t start out as rich and famous with collectors flocking to buy their work and some didn’t make much of a living their entire lives and their works were not worth anything until after the artists’ deaths.

I don’t want to wait until I die before people begin buying my art. Of course, I’m certainly not in the same realm as those past masters. I just want to make a simple living sharing my work with others. So, how do I do this?

“People will buy a name” is sticking in my mind. I’ve been told by others that it’s important to get “out there” and get a following. Once more this is hammered home to me.

Living the Life of an Artist

Coming off a weekend of NH Open Doors where I was set up at the Gallery at Well Sweep in Hillsborough, my mind is full of ideas and plans to further develop my skills as a successful artist and business woman. Defining oneself seems to be part of the on-going journey of life. Every time I come up with titles and start getting comfortable saying, “This is who I am,” other thoughts creep in telling me not quite. Artists not only have to come up with titles for what they do, but we also need to come up with ways to highlight our work for selling purposes. We are artists and sales people and the mentality that goes with needing to be both often feels totally at odds with one another.

The most successful artists are the ones who are great sales people. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good the art is, it’s about the art of salesmanship. To these people, the wheeling and dealing is part of their art. Then there are those of us who find putting ourselves out in front of people and selling foreign to our psyches. For us, this doesn’t come natural. I love to talk about my art, but to feel like I am pushing myself on a potential customer doesn’t feel right.

I AM AN ARTIST! I want others to love what I do and want to buy. I spend hours thinking and planning and reading tips on how to approach people, how to sell, what to say, etc. One tip that sticks the most right now is “Art does not sell itself.” So, what can I do to set myself apart from others? What will make my work appealing and different? What words will make people notice me? (Even making that last question makes me feel a little funny. I want people to notice my work. However, people have to notice me first through ads and websites and word of mouth.)

Today I am musing over my photography. I am labeled a photographer, yet I don’t feel like I’m just a photographer because I don’t do weddings and those kinds of services. I was calling myself a Fine Art Photographer because my work is more in the artistic realms. Wait a minute! That makes me a PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTIST. Hmmm, maybe I could experiment with that badge for awhile…

We often have discussions on the differences between being a craftsperson, artisan, and artist. Some of my work can fit in the category of Fine Art, like the charcoal landscape drawings and large photo prints. Some of my work leans more towards crafts, such as the cards. All is important to me as an artist and so much of the business of being this artist is learning what will sell where and to whom. It’s an on-going dilemma even for people who have been doing this for years.

It’s even harder for those of us who work in multiple mediums.

Living the Life of an Artist: Using People’s Images in Art

The subject of asking permission came up with regards to using people’s pictures as artwork. There was quite a discussion on a blog that I read. In my own work, I do not deal with people unless I am taking photographs for the newspaper and then I ask permission of subjects and parents if they are children. To me, it’s a question of ethics and just feels wrong to take pictures of someone without getting their permission, especially if you are looking to sell those pictures.

This morning, as I was journaling, I began seeing famous paintings and pictures of people in my mind. Did the artist or photographer have permission for every one? Of course, when someone, a model, sits for a picture, then permission is then given, but what of all those images snapped of people on the street or in less than pleasant situations; images that get printed in newspapers and magazines? Does journalism follow different rules from artists? How much depends on the situation?

Reading Jason’s blog left me feeling that this subject is mostly a question of ethics. Yes, in this country, there could be legal ramifications if permission isn’t granted, but there seems to be much gray area. My initial reactions are that it is wrong to even TAKE someone’s picture without their permission.

Because of these issues, I don’t do much with people shots from an artist standpoint. I have many pictures of the grandchildren and others that are amazing photos and yet, the thought of matting these with intent to sell seems wrong. I would not want pictures hanging on my wall of people I do not know, so why would I expect others to purchase photos that I have?

Pictures done by artists and photographers come to my mind along with the question of when is it exploiting someone’s picture and what is art. Nudity in art books is considered art, whereas in magazines, it is pornography.  The models in magazines are giving permission for their images to be used, but the intent is very different from those who pose for painters or the sake of art. This was really brought to my attention when I worked at Barnes & Noble. I used to laugh to myself to see magazines wrapped up in cellophane and yet anyone could go to the art section and open big picture books to view nude women. ART. The eye of the artist.

Oh, my, the light bulb went off! It is ethics, but it is also how the artist SEES!!! The artist isn’t seeing the outside identity of the person being photographed or painted. Something is seen beyond that. The “model” is just a vehicle to capture an image, a memory, an expression. THAT’s the art! Not so much the person, but what the person is conveying in the moment. It is something that comes from within the artist and the vehicle for its release is in the model or image.

Yes, sometimes the artist is taking the photo or painting the picture of a particular person to do a commissioned portrait. Many times, however, the public will never know the real identity of that person. Names are not often used. Blue Boy, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Woman in Red, American Gothic, etc. Artists see things on a different level. They are capturing an image, a feeling of what the pose, the scene, the expression is portraying to them. They use a visual (model or photograph) to ignite the spark of creativity.

This made me think about a few of my pictures of people that I have thought about using, those that can be considered art. Of course, if I put those pictures out for sale, it wouldn’t be because of WHO that person is, but because of the expression, of what the total picture says, of the ARTistry of the photo. It’s the way that image is captured that takes it from a plain photograph to a work of art. A photographer may take a hundred photos and only get two or three that can be really seen as art.

This self inflection of how I view people in art has taken me to a new realm. No, I am not going to be a people photographer, but if, every so often, I get a special picture, then perhaps it will be okay to use it, to take it into the world of art. It will definitely be with permission, though.