Goals are for Skeptics Too!
Jul 15, 2010 Art General
Remember those goal setting sessions you had to do in high school?
I used to hate those things. I thought it was a stupid, pointless exercise. The act of putting pen to paper and formally stating short and long term goals seemed utterly redundant to me. Obviously, those who were going to accomplish their goals would and those who weren’t wouldn’t, regardless of who wrote down what.
As a high achieving, goal oriented person anyways, I was skeptical of something so organized and deliberate. Surely it was enough to know what you wanted and just go ahead and do it.
That frame of mind worked when I was a teenager and life was simple. Now that my aspirations involve more than getting a “B” in math and getting a summer job, I have learned the value of goal-setting.
When I started this blog over a year ago, it was one part of an ongoing attempt to take my art career to the next level. I started keeping a “journal,” a notebook where I would jot down art ideas, write articles, and yes, goals.
A year later, I make a point of flipping through my notebook periodically to refresh my memory. Some goals I have accomplished. Some I’m still working on, even after a year. Others I haven’t touched yet, and others still aren’t even relevant anymore.
The important thing is that there is a record of my ideas. For us creatives, inspiration can come in an overwhelming flood. Writing down the things you want to accomplish gives you a constant reminder so that those spectacular ideas don’t slip your mind when you get distracted.
Setting goals to paper also serves another purpose: it turns that abstract idea into a concrete, tangible thing. It’s like a butterfly fluttering around in your mind that you capture and pin down so that you can look at it closely. Maybe not the best analogy, but you get the point!
The simple act of acknowledging your goals can get other ideas rolling. Once you know what you want to do, you can start examining the steps you need to take to make it happen. Even the most intimidating goal can be broken down into smaller tasks, letting you tackle one thing at a time. Getting a gallery show is an intimidating goal, but once you break it down, it’s a lot easier to manage.
Goal-setting doesn’t need to be a rigid and structured process. It’s up to you!
Keeping track of ideas in a notebook is simple, informal, and has transformed this skeptic into a believer of the benefits of goal setting!
Tags: art tips, artists, goals, motivation
Combating Perfectionism in Art
Jun 16, 2010 Art General
The folks over at theArtistsWhoTHRIVE Blog posted a great article a little while ago: Perfectionism Kills Creativity. If you receive my newsletter, you will have already seen it. If not, I suggest you read it!
This short but informative article suggests that quantity is more important than quality in an art practice, a sentiment I happen to agree with.
When it comes to art, quality follows quantity. That is, by producing lots of work, experimenting, trying new things and allowing yourself to make mistakes, you will inevitably improve your skills. If you’re bogged down with details, obsessed with perfectionism, you limit your own creativity.
Your job as an artist is not to produce good art, it’s to produce lots of art. By producing lots of art, you will thereby produce good art!
Okay, it’s a bit much to wrap your mind around, but once you do, it’s very liberating! Let me give you an example:
I am a huge perfectionist, a characteristic that is evident in my portrait work. Throughout the first three years of art school, I really struggled with my need to create perfect images. I was criticized for it and questioned my own creativity. It wasn’t until my fourth year that I was able to set aside my perfectionism and start producing a larger volume of work. That’s when my creativity really flourished and the ideas started flowing like crazy!
So how do we leave perfectionism behind and embrace our true creative natures? Well, it wasn’t easy for me and it probably won’t be easy for you!
For most people, perfectionism isn’t a switch in the brain that can just be turned off. You will likely need to implement strategies that help you subvert your natural tendencies. For me, this was a systematic destruction of my own creations. Because I knew that I would be destroying my work eventually, it didn’t matter anymore if it wasn’t perfect. This allowed me to make mistakes and work more quickly without trying to plan the end result.
So, what are some ways you can stop being a perfectionist? Here are a few ideas that I came up with.
Practical Ways to Subvert Perfectionism in Art
1. Paint with an extra large brush. Don’t allow yourself a small brush to paint details. Force yourself to contend with a too-large tool and simplify shapes.
2. Don’t use an eraser. Whatever you do, whatever mistakes you make, no erasers! Either live with the mistake, or find a way to fix it by continuing to draw.
3. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. Not in a vague and abstract sense, but in a concrete sense. State to yourself that you will make (and not correct) three mistakes in your next piece.
4. Make up rules that get in the way of your usual process. For example, you could decide that after completing the first parts of a painting, you will outline everything in bright orange. This gives you another element to contend with and will keep you from getting caught up in details too early.
5. Go big. Technical drawers (like myself) tend to work on smaller pieces and stay tightly focused on the subject. We use small tools and small actions to draw. Break away from this mindset by using a large piece of paper and drawing with big, expressive gestures.
6. Paint or draw without looking at your work. Do this in the beginning to get a looser feeling, then challenge yourself to make it work.
7. Try it “en plein air.” Take your easel outside and work from nature. This forces you to work faster and looser, and to simplify many of the details that are visible.
8. Give yourself a time limit. Gesture drawings are great for this. Challenge yourself to capture the essense of a subject in thirty seconds, one minute, or five minutes.
By using these and other strategies, you can begin to let go of any perfectionism that may be holding you back. When you don’t stress over every little detail in every little piece, you free up a lot of time to make more art.
Perfectionism on the Web
Perfectionism seems to be a hot topic among artists right now. Check out Itaya’s blog and Kirsty Hall’s blog for more thoughts and discussion on the topic of perfectionism.
Share!
What are your thoughts of and experiences with perfectionism? What are some strategies that you use to keep from stressing over details?
Tags: art, artists, Creativity, perfectionism
An Artist’s Doubt
Jun 4, 2010 Art General
At the Art Biz Blog the other day, Alyson asked a great question: Is self doubt a friend or foe?
This question really struck a chord with me, as it’s something I feel quite strongly about. In my opinion, an artist’s self doubt is a friend.
Doubt in ourselves and doubt in our work is what prompts us to ask ourselves questions.
“What am I doing?”
“Why am I doing it?”
“What is the point?”
Asking yourself these questions, and then actively finding the answers, helps you grow as an artist. These kinds of doubts are definitely challenging, and sometimes upsetting, but ultimately, they are a positive thing.
By answering the questions caused by self doubt, you re-confirm your artistic goals and aspirations. You gain a stronger sense of conviction in your art practice. You can examine old, out-dated ideas, and discard them if necessary. You enhance your understanding of your own work.
Self doubt is what keeps us moving forward, keeps us progressing, helps us grow.
When artists lacks self doubt, they don’t question themselves. They accept their own status quo and afford themselves too much leniancy when it comes to their practice. Without some doubt, we stop moving forward.
That being said, the artist needs to be strong enough to face his doubt. If you stop at the questioning stage and never find the answers, your doubt can cripple you.
Obviously, this is a bit of a loaded question and people will have many responses, as Alysons’ post shows.
The bottom line? Don’t be afraid of your doubt. Accept it as a challenge and meet it head on. You may even learn something about yourself!
What do you think of self doubt?
The Power of Presentation in Art
May 12, 2010 Promotion and Exhibition
So, you’re an artist and the rules don’t apply to you.
It’s true, in some cases. Throughout history, the artist’s role has often been that of the ruler-breaker, the challenger of the status quo.
But there’s a time and a place for rule breaking, and presentation is not one of them.
If you want gallerists, curators, and potential clients to take you seriously, you need to take yourself seriously. Part of that is presenting your art and yourself in a professional way.
Presenting Your Art
No matter what kind of work you do, make sure it’s presented in a clean professional manner, especially if it’s being submitted to a commercial venue.
When I do my experimental abstract constructions, I can’t worry about the presentation. Thinking about how the piece will look when it’s finished hinders my ability to work freely and to take risks.
After the piece is done, though, I do everything I can to make it presentable. When Room to Breathe (the painting featured above) was accepted into a commercial exhibit, I made sure to sand away any stray bits of paint and make the raw wood smooth. Even though the back is a mess of cross-pieces and supports, I painted it all black and labeled it nicely. Then I varnished the whole painting.
If you paint on canvas, make sure the edges are neat and painted. If you frame your work, get good quality frames that compliment the art. That doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money, it just means being aware of your presentation.
Presenting Yourself
Don’t think that being an artist gets you out of having to look nice and presentable. Unless you’re doing a studio visit and people expect to see you working, don’t make appearances in your paint-splattered clothes!
Whether you’re attending an opening or hosting a curator, you should dress appropriately for any professional event. You never know when you might meet the person who will present you with a new opportunity. The way you dress affects the way people see you, as harsh as that might be. You want to inspire confidence in other people who may one day need to rely on you. Look like the person who will deliver work on time, who will come through with necessary paperwork, who will show up for interviews.
Presenting Your Proposal
You also need to think about the presentation of any kind of proposal or documents that you send to a gallery. This is what will speak for you when you’re not there to speak for yourself!
Make sure your proposal presents the right kind of image. Have all typed materials in the font and size, and format each page the same way. That will make your information look organized. If you need to fill out an application form, print neatly.
Remember…
The art world is a competitive one. Don’t give people an easy excuse to dismiss you! When interviewing for a job, they say to dress for the position you want, not the one you have. Take this philosophy into your art career and never underestimate the power of a good presentation.
Tags: artists, exhibitions, galleries
What’s Your Day Job?
Apr 25, 2010 Art General
And does it help or hinder your art practice?
For many artists, a day job is a necessary evil. A means to paying bills and buying our supplies. For some of us, a day job is only a memory.
Quitting the day job and taking up art full time seems to be a common goal, or at least a fantasy, of many artists. The consensus is also that quitting is a huge leap of faith. At some point we have to make that decision: jump or don’t. Give up a steady income, choose a life of uncertainty and pursue the dream. Or, stay on the safe track, do what you can and make the best of it.
As my other half is getting closer to finishing school, I start wondering about the possibility of giving up my own day job.
The Story of My Day Job
When I finished art school, I had no clue about what was available job-wise. I had some half-arsed ideas about graphic design, illustration, working at a gallery or something related to my field. I started applying to every gallery and museum in my very limited geographical area. That didn’t work. No one was hiring, unless it was a part-time, temporary, student position.
I expanded my search to graphic design companies, print shops and anywhere else that looked like they might deal in creativity. I soon found, however, that my education in visual artscouldn’t compete with an education in graphic design. I knew enough Photoshop to get by, but little else.
I ended up working as a customer service rep at a small print shop, the idea being that I could slowly take on some of the graphic design work, building skills and portfolio at once.
I hated it.
I could probably go on for days about why, but I’ll give you the basics. First of all, it wasn’t a nice working environment and my co-workers weren’t helpful or welcoming. Secondly, my job description consisted mostly of running hundreds or thousands of photocopies. Thirdly, business slowed down a lot after the first few months and I found myself in the production area doing mindless, horrible jobs like spiral binding books for eight hours straight. I’m not exaggerating.
At the beginning, though, the main designer went on holiday and I got a taste of graphic design. What an eye-opener! I would spend the day staring at a computer screen, importing clip art and pasting in company information. There was barely a smidgen of creativity involved. It was all very clean and formulaic: plug this in here, that in there, and you’re done!
Obviously, a designer working at a bigger firm will have more creative license and more interesting projects than an endless series of business cards, but this experience made me realize that design was not for me. I also realized that graphic design is just glorified retail. It’s all about selling something: selling your design services, up-selling products, and designing materials that will sell your clients’ products.
This was when I decided that I wanted to be an artist.
I wanted messy, I wanted hands-on, I wanted creativity, and I wanted freedom!
Of course, I’d still need a job, but I no longer wanted a creative job. I wanted a job that would allow me the time and freedom to pursue art on the side.
I thought long and hard about being a teacher, but I wasn’t completely sure about it. It would be another two or three years of education and after just finishing four years, I wasn’t ready for that.
I settled on being an education assistant, or teaching assistant. I work in the public school system, helping special-needs kids. I get breaks at Christmas and in the spring, I am finished every day at 3:30, and best of all, I get summers off.
The job itself is interesting work. It’s challenging and can be very rewarding, but it’s not something that I take home with me. I don’t do any prep or marking. More importantly, I’m not selling anything or dealing with customers.
Since being involved in the education system, I am more grateful than ever that I didn’t become a teacher. I love the idea of being an artist that teaches, but I do not want to be a teacher. The politics and the bureaucracy are not for me. Teaching really is a thankless job, and the responsibilities seem to increase while the support decreases.
And that’s the story of my day job. It seems kind of a random choice, and when people find out that I’m an artist, they often ask me, “why are you here?” It really is the best of both worlds for me: it’s a job that I can tolerate (even enjoy on some days), it pays the bills and it gives me plenty of time for art.
What’s your day job? How did you end up there? Does it help or hinder your art practice?
And for those of you who have given up your day job: What made you decide? How did you do it? Any regrets?
Please share your experiences, I’d love to hear your story!
Tags: artists, Creativity, motivation
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