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Do This! |
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| Current Issue: June 20, 2005 | |||
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IN
THIS ISSUE
What's Going On:
Announcements /Classes |
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WHAT'S GOING ON : : Class: CHOOSING
THE RIGHT CAREER PATH : :
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DO THIS:
MOVE ON
You have to start somewhere. Your career might begin in childhood when a parent praises a class assignment and hangs it on the refrigerator. You move on to making frame-able work for family and friends and it gets seen in private homes. Everyone encourages you, so you put your art at the local coffee shop. And you keep putting it there--over and over again. Why not? It's comfortable.
Moving beyond your comfort zone is a big step, but necessary if you want more from your art. After the coffee shop, you might show at bookstores, libraries, banks, and then enter juried exhibits. What I have found is that many artists get hung up right about here. Acceptance into juried exhibitions seems to be the be-all, end-all. But it's not. There is much life after juried exhibits, and you need to know when it's time to move on. Juried exhibitions are great for building your confidence and testing the waters. They're not usually great for sales or exposure. (Yes, I know, there are exceptions.) You need solo exhibitions for building a more satisfying career. Even an open studio--when done right--can be more beneficial to your career than the juried exhibition. Always be thinking about your next step. Is it gallery representation? A better arts festival? A two-person exhibition at a non-profit space? Getting your work in a museum collection? Whatever it is, know when it's time to move on. Only you can make it happen. |
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| KNOW THIS | It takes a long time and deliberate steps to build a career. | ||
| THINK ABOUT THIS | There comes a point in time when you need to move on. | ||
| DO THIS |
Move on. If you're stuck doing the same-old
shows, figure out your next action. If it's a big one that seems
overwhelming, take baby steps to get there.
Venue and sales opportunities are part of your artist's marketing plan. Visit http://www.artbizconnection.com to start an art-marketing salon in your area. |
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ARTISTS
RESPOND
On the topic of confidence .
. . Marianne Konvalinka wrote: "I started painting at 40, taking lessons with a friend. One thing that's helped confidence is seeing how all of the things I did before I found painting- gardening, needlepoint, sewing, photography all fit in with and inform my art. If you understand composition or color theory from growing a garden, it translates to your art. It's also good to take classes or find a group that you can paint with. An honest exchange of ideas does wonders. I know that I'll hear when something doesn't quite work just as I'll hear when something does. "Doing local shows such as emerging artist showcases at a Saturday market or a non juried event in a park is a great way to see reaction to your art and gauge its impact on people. You will also quickly learn that what you love is not always what sells, and visa versa. The whole point of creating, for me, is to share a view of the world and to move people. It's scary, but putting your art out there and watching people react is the best way to grow. It's so rewarding to see someone connect with something that I created- talk about a confidence builder!" See Marianne's work at www.gypsygalleryart.com or www.greatwideopenart.com
Todd Misk wrote: "The segment on confidence was something that I absolutely needed to read today. Being an artist seems to be an isolated life - you make art alone usually and then have to peddle it in a rather saturated market where you are told more often than not that your work is not the work they are currently looking for or they have an artist to do xy and z (the art subject matter that you create.) "To maintain confidence is a constant process." See Todd's paintings at http://www.toddmisk.com Angela Treat Lyon wrote: "Many people talk about confidence but fail to realize that one must get over negative beliefs and self-talk before being able to fully embrace real confidence. It's pretty simple to do if you have the right tools, but can be hard without. "I teach people how to get over fear and gain confidence by using a simple technique called EFT, the Emotional Freedom Techniques. Send folks to http://www.EFTBooks.com where they can get a free downloadable copy of chapters from my book, Change Your Mind!--it contains enough info that they can learn how to do it themselves. It's fast, easy, quite often, mind-blowingly effective." See Angela's art at http://www.Lyon-Art.com If you use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, you can forward this page to a friend by going up to your menu and, under "File," select "Send" or "Send Page." Or just copy and paste this URL into a message: http://www.artbizcoach.com/dothis |
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Note: See the menu in the upper left of this page to view popular topics from past issues. |
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Copyright © 2005 Alyson B. Stanfield. All rights reserved. I encourage you to forward all or part of this newsletter as long as you include the above copyright information and this link: http://www.artbizcoach.com . Internet Explorer users can forward this page by selecting "File," then "Send" then "Page by E-mail." The Do This! newsletter is sent only to subscribers. You can subscribe using the instructions in the column at left. Instructions for unsubscribing and changing your email address are at the bottom of each issue delivered to your inbox. |
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ALYSON
B. STANFIELD STANFIELD ART ASSOCIATES,
INC. |