How am I meant to express myself as a unique individual if I am only able to be seen through a standardized filter? The challenges a young artist faces, especially within an actively metamorphosing circumstance, can lead to an existential crisis. If you are to stand out, you view life through a spectacularly bold and illusionary lens, and you simply scream talent; it is quite likely that you will never make it within the art field? Why? Because the art world regulates gallery shows, agency scouts, and unexpected spotlights. For an artist to grow and make a living out of their art, they must have at least one of the above necessities. It is with great certainty that I say all those are derived from connections one has. Individuals with connections are usually more privileged or have more support from their surroundings, and are therefore assisted in carving a path to success. With that being said, how is a local artist with no connections, yet incomparable talent, meant to find their way within the art world?
Examples of artists who died before their art was recognized, simply because they were not born into the right environment or time, but are renowned worldwide in the present:
Claude Monet: founder of french impressionism, only received abuse from public and critics
Vincent Van Gogh: the intersection of madness and genius. Post impressionist with a self-inflicted unique perspective. Only sold one painting while he was alive.
Johannes Vermeer: paintings catered to the provincial middle class, was in debt his whole life.
Edouard Manet: rebelled his whole life, received zero recognition, bold use of nudity which went against the conservative french society he was raised in.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The journey of an artist is incomparable to other professions as there is no organization, no system to excel, no way to get promoted. You simply have to have enough passion to continue. You are your own boss and your own employee. With all this aside, there are periods of every artist's life where their work seems dull, and absolutely no one seems interested in them. At that point the artist is severely demoralized and understandably on the verge of quitting. Without a doubt, as a small artist you are a small business owner. No one tells you that you will need to know about management, finance, marketing, branding, and much more alongside actually making your art. However, the process of realizing this and devoting yourself to it allows the artist to become an inconceivably developed version of themselves.
Once you have become the all-in-one package of a business founder, head of marketing, head of creative and every other department, you begin to worry about the customer allocation. If you are not in a dynamic social circle, creative larger friend group, or connected to business owners, how are you meant to excel? A large aspect of it is luck; but beyond luck one needs to take initiative. Connections usually get priority, so what if you are the devoted and perfect applicant of a gallery, but lack the connection? According to a survey conducted by TheJobSauce in 2016, 70% of applicants hired to their jobs were through a prior connection they had to the company. (TheJobSauce)
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I know what you're saying. I’ve never been able to think of art as a “main gig” for myself because of those extreme obstacles to achieving success; which is crazy given that the world runs on art. Artist’s really only make the most income and recognition once they’ve passed away– tragic. In the art world it seems like you won’t grow unless you conform to what the masses demand from you and the trends, which defeats the whole point. All the new credentials for art have turned digital, which makes me worried about the future appreciation of fine art. It is something that was meant to be inclusive and free at its core but has turned into an elitist ring…
I totally relate to this! I think this post does a great job at putting words to this overwhelming feeling of having to perform the personal balancing act that is being a successful artist. As a filmmaker myself, it's often hard to have to be strict enough to be your own boss while still being the free spirit that often needs to come out in order to make pure, candid art. Something this post made me think about is whether or not more organization would make the creative process and being an artist easier or harder. While you'd have more structure, you're also at the disposal of capitalism and our corporate world.
What really stood out to me is the passion that this page and specifically this blog post has. That resonated with me, especially the line comparing the artistic process to a marathon not a sprint. It is surreal to think that the art forum is one of the only professional fields in which its products are so subjective. This can also be seen in the music field, many artists have songs that were released years before they trend. Overall i think that this article serves as a refreshing eye opener to those who overlook the true passion and talent needed to participate in the marathon that is the artistic creative process.
This article resonated with me a lot. Fine artists have a hell of a time especially. So often you see who is successful in the art world and they turn out to be the kid of someone influential. I truly believe the only way to fix this problem is to bring back the patron model for art. That's why I like sites like Patreon that allow creators to be essentially crowd funded from people who value their voice and vision, and then artists get to make their own choices about what to produce. I hope we see more of a shift in the coming years because the process you described is absolutely stifling to true artistic expression and passion.