ART QUOTES

It's Tax Day, which means (at least here in America) that it isn't the happiest of days. So cheer up fellow artists or art lovers! Here is a collection of 20 inspiring and wonderful quotes which I've collected over the years that I keep in my sketchbook and flip to whenever I need a little push. It's a random grouping of quotes that will either get you pumped up and ready to work or view art a little differently than you did before.

"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." -Cesar A. Cruz

"Date yourself. Take yourself out to eat. Don't share your popcorn at the movies with anyone. Stroll around an art museum alone. Fall in love with canvases. Fall in love with yourself." -unknown

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -Harry S. Truman

"All progress occurs because people dare to be different." -Harry Millner

"Art is not what you see but what you make others see." -Edgar Degas

"The best things in life aren't things." -Art Buchwald

"Art is the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos." -Saul Bellow

"When the individuality of the artist begins to express itself, what the artist gains in the way of liberty he loses in the way of order." -Pablo Picasso

"I began to feel that the artist is not exempt from life. There is no way out from seeing art as a reflection or meditation or a comment on life. I became interested in the process, including the artist's life. I became interested in how art reflected life issues, or existential issues with which we are all involved." -Donald Kuspit

"I paint the sort of paintings I can, not the ones I necessarily want." -Lucian Freud

"I always felt that my work hadn't much to do with art" "I ignored the fact that, after all, art derives from art." -Lucian Freud

"As far as I am concerned the paint is the person. I want paint to work for me as flesh does." -Lucian Freud

"Art school has taught me that my greatest tool is myself"

"Stop thinking about artwork as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences. That solves a lot of problems: we don't have to argue whether photographs are art; or whether performances are art or whether Carl Ander's bricks or Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally' are art, because we say, 'Art is something that happens, a process, not a quality and all sorts of things can make it happen'... [w]hat makes a work of art 'good' for you is not something that is already 'inside' it, but somethings that happens inside you - so the value of the work lies in the degree to which it can help you have the kind of experience that you call art." -Brian Eno

"The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life." -William Faulkner

"Art and love are the same thing: it's the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you." -Chuck Klosterman

"Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings." -Agnes Martin

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." -Pablo Picasso

"Creativity takes courage." -Henri Matisse

"If I do nothing, if I study nothing, if i cease searching, then, woe is me, I am lost...keep going, keep going come what may." -Vincent van Gogh 

  I believe that all of these quotes can be applied to any situation and can be viewed a million different ways. That is the amazing things about art, it's always up for interpretation (I mean seriously how many of those began with "Art is..."). Comment below or tweet at me with your favorite art quotes @ArtOtter

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: KARA WALKER

We've mentioned Kara Walker a bit before when we did a post about Cutting Paper as an art form. But now is the chance to really dive into what her artwork is really about.

The major themes that fill Walker's work with meaning are conversations of race, gender, sexuality, and fantasy. She hits upon the power struggle in these subjects such as what is real or fiction in history, what we desire verse what we shame through her minimalistic narrative scenes.

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/kara-walker

Race: Even though all of her figures are cut out of black paper she purposefully exaggerates features and clothing of a person to make them a certain ethnicity. This only further pushes the sense of humor within her pieces because of the exaggerations, but it also creates a statement of the fact that us as the viewer knows what she is referring to because of stereotype and caricature.

Installation view of Kara Walker: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2007) Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/KaraWalker

Desire and Shame: Walker has described America's national pastime as "loving to hate what we hate to love" (Do You Like Creme in your Coffee or Chocolate In Your Milk? 1997) which perfectly sums up how society has viewed certain situations and events. In reaction, Walker's work leads to controversy over the combination of violence, humor, and sexuality in whether what she is portraying is taboo in relation to theme of history and slavery. Her work also doesn't necessarily portray the characters as right or wrong, leading to viewer to create their own moral decision.

http://www.alanaveryartcompany.com/kara-walker/

Historic? or Fantasy?: Although her characters are depicted in the South pre- Civil War, she never depicts anything specific to history. However, Walker's work is a comment on what we are taught and then twists in fantasy and an exaggerated truth to create her own historic stories. A combination of "southern romance novels, historical fiction, slave narratives, and contemporary novels" creates her version of storytelling.

Kara Walker, The Renaissance Society, 1997  http://gallery400.uic.edu/blog/from-the-archive-kara-walkers-voices-lecture-at-gallery-400-1997

Kara Walker, Gone, An Historical Romance of a Civic War as It Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart, 1994

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: KEHINDE WILEY

Similar to Barkley L. Hendricks, Kehinde Wiley is a contemporary portrait painter. Wiley is a New York based artist whose work is in museums around the world. His work rivals great masters of portraiture from Titian and Ingres to Reynolds and Gainsborough. Wiley combines aspects of traditional portraits which we know well with contemporary twists. On his website is explains that he "engages the signs and visual rhetoric of the heroic, powerful, majestic and the sublime in his representation of urban, black and brown men found throughout the world."

Kehinde Wiley in his Beijing studio in 2012. http://nymag.com/arts/art/rules/kehinde-wiley-2012-4/

Kehinde Wiley's collections are separated into places around the world. He finds his models on the streets of New York. Because his models are always African American, Wiley will use his models to express whatever he has been influenced from travelling ie. when Wiley went to China and was researching historic propaganda posters from China's Cultural Revolution he will use what he has learned and combine it with African American Identity.

Kehinde Wiley, Two Heroic Sisters of the Grassland, 2007, oil and enamel on canvas, 96x72 inches.

A lot of the time he will copy images from history and reenact in his style what is going on. For instance with the painting above he is copying a Chinese propaganda poster printed in 1965.

http://www.maopost.com:8000/wcat=mao&wlan=en&wreq=posterpage&posterid=1239-001M&srcname=c_child&selected=161&total=216&srcreq=http:%2F%2Fwww.maopost.com:8000%2Fwcat=mao%26wlan=en%26wreq=postercat%26catref=c_child%26displistindex=9

His continuing combination of History and Style has made him a truly unique and magnificent artist who should be known and studied by all. Below is more of his work with the pieces they are inspired by.

Kehinde Wiley, The Three Graces, 2012, oil on canvas, 84x111 inches

Raphael, Les Trois Graces, 1504, oil on panel, 6.7x6.7 inches

Kehinde Wiley, Naomi and her Daughters, 2013, oil on canvas, 108x90 inches

George Dawe, Naomi and her Daughters, 1804, oil paint on canvas, Tate Museum

All Kehinde's work and information can be found at kehindewiley.com

BIRTHDAY POST: JACKSON POLLOCK

Now as far as "main stream artists" go, Jackson Pollock is the Kurt Cobain. Jackson Pollock is known for his Abstract Expressionist paintings, but he is also known for his trouble with alcoholism that led to his death. Throughout my art career I've obviously known about Pollock and his paintings but I've never researched into his life to actually learn about him as I have with many other artists. This might be because people who know practically nothing about art claim to love Jackson Pollock and his art when they know nothing behind it. So let's all learn about Jackson Pollock today and actually try to understand his methods and style, since it is his birthday after all.

Jackson Pollock, Male and Female, paint on canvas, 1942, Philadelphia Museum of Art. This piece is one of Pollock's early works where he first began to pour paint on the canvas.

 

Jackson Pollock's technique is his biggest legacy. His paintings are mainly created with household paints instead of artist paints which he claimed as "a natural growth out of need." To create his "drip" technique he used hardened brushes, sticks and basting syringes along with pouring to actively paint from all directions. In a 1956 Time Magazine Pollock answers all of the questions of why he is an idolized and revolutionary Expressionist painter:
 "My painting does not come from the easel. I prefer to tack the unstretched canvas to the hard wall or the floor. I need the resistance of a hard surface. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting."
"I continue to get further away from the usual painter's tools such as easel, palette, brushes, etc. I prefer sticks, trowels, knives and dripping fluid paint or a heavy impast with sand, broken glass or other foreign matter added."
"When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well."
You can even find cigarette butts and dirt in the paint of his paintings if you look closely enough. He took his techniques from American Indian sandpainting and Mexican muralists and Surrealist automatism.

Jackson Pollock, Number 5, paint on canvas, 1948

Jackson Pollock, Number 29, paint on glass, 1950, National Gallery of Canada

The "Drip period" was between 1947 and 1950 which was when he really became well known and was considered the greatest living painter in the United States. Right then was when he abandoned his drip technique and went back to his former styles. He was is high demand from collectors and galleries and in response his alcoholism deepened and he took a break from painting. A few years later on August 11th 1956 Pollock died in a single car crash in his convertible while driving under the influence of alcohol. He died along with Edith Metzger but Ruth Kligman, fellow artist and Pollock's mistress survived. He left behind his wife and artist Lee Krasner.

There is so much more about Jackson Pollock that you'd have to research for years to know. This is only a tiny glimpse at his life and his work. If you wish to learn more check out this bio on him. But if you are really curious and want to learn more, which I highly suggest, then go and find documentaries and books and really learn about him as a person.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock

BIRTHDAY POST: BERTHE MORISOT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BERTHE MORISOT!!!

Born today in 1841, Morisot was destined to be a great painter. She started learning how to paint at a very young age, like most young girls during this time (one of her teachers was Camille Corot where she first learned about plein air painting). Her first big appearance was in the Salon de Paris at only the age of 23. Her work was shown regularly in the Salon ever since, including when the first Impressionist exhibition occurred in 1874.

Berthe Morisot, Reading with Green Umbrella, 1873, Cleveland Art Museum

One of her good friends was Edouard Manet. Even though we are taught that Edouard Manet was considered the leader and Morisot the follower, they had a very equal relationship. They taught each other about various painting techniques, Morisot even pushed Manet to try plein air painting. Manet even gave Morisot an easel one Christmas! Later on Morisot married Manet's brother Eugene.

Berthe Morisot, Grain Field, 1875, Musee D'Orsay

Style-wise Morisot started off using small brushstrokes to long showing a better sense of form. This began once Manet and other artists started experimenting with unprimed canvas. She often left the canvas showing around the borders in an unfinished manner. Morisot is known for her sense of space and depth through her limited color pallet. 

Berthe Morisot, The Basket Chair, 1885, Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Like Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot painted daily life and domestic life and portraits along with landscapes. Just like many female artists of her time, she is getting more recognition after her death than during her lifetime. So let's celebrate her accomplishments and presence in Art History that can never be replaced.

Berthe Morisot, In the Dining Room, 1886, National Gallery of Art Washington D.C.

Want to read more about Mary Cassatt? Check out a previous post about her!!

More information about Berthe Morisot can be found here!

EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT BRUSHSTROKE

I have heard many times that as an artist I was "born with this talent" but growing up I never thought I could draw at all. But if I remember correctly, I pushed myself to learn how to draw and paint; I trained my eye to see colors in all things. It wasn't easy for me, I was a terrible artist and I had to learn to use contrast and push myself to use the proper techniques. That is what got me to where I am today as an artist, not magically having this skill.

For some people I do think that art is simply apart of their blood. It's a talent and a passion they are born with. But I think for every artist there is a challenge to it, no one can get away without some struggle. I may not have been born with the skills but I was born with the passion and the eyes to see things differently.

I have always been jealous of those who can just sit there and draw something beautiful and create it out of thin air. I can't do that, but that doesn't mean I am less of an artist. Every artist is born with that creative passion which drives them to become the artist they are.

Something I had noticed while reading an Art History book is that artists often times really admire other artists' work. Now this isn't in a competition idea but in a kind of... jealous idea. As artists we have skills in a very specific sense; we are either sculptors, painters, designers, draw-ers? and sometimes these skills can overlap. But in a broader sense you never really see painters like Mondrian painting figures or portraits. Everyone is kind of stuck in their certain style of creating. I've had many great cartoonists tell me they'd love to be able to draw realistically but they simply can't.

Maybe just maybe every artist are born with some sort of skill: the skill of a specific style. Whether or not they waste their entire career wishing they were a fantastical Hyper-Realism painter instead of an Impressionist, it doesn't matter because the connection that everyone has with a certain style is special. You just understand why and how it flows better than any other genre and sometimes you may never fully understand why a giant blue shape hanging on the wall is considered art, but you may not just say it aloud...

Overall art is different for everyone, it is a personal growth and experience and no one is alike.  We comprehend things differently, we can have different meanings and opinions, and of course our flow of creating will always be different. So don't waste your time wishing you had the talents of someone else, your talents and passion are unique to you and once you find them and acknowledge them they will grow and develop. Let others inspire you, but don't wish to have what they have.

PROCESS IS ART

As artists we're aware that a crucial part of creating the work is actually creating the work, the process. For some artists the process is the only concept and the end product can be whatever it is. But for others the process simply the journey to the final product. This got me thinking about how we are trained to think in today's world.

Growing up the most important part was the grade on the test. It wasn't about what you learned as much as how that one letter could prove to the world that you studied well this time. The studying part was the torture, no one liked studying. But studying was the process to getting that final product that we all really desired.

This can go into other things as well, like shopping. Everyone shops. But rarely does a person actually go and think "Hey I bet these chips (or beer or really ANYTHING) were made in a really interesting factory..." The process isn't important at all, but the end product is all that matters. (Some people like to make their own food or beer or chairs and that's great. Seriously, we need more people willing to create their own items.) But have you actually been to a factory that makes potato chips? or a Brewery? It's AMAZING.

Sadly, I think most people don't really care how something is made and they only care about the end result. These people will never be artists, or understand the thought process of an artist. The process is what gives the final result meaning. Yes, sometimes when we are creating something we think of this amazing end product and that's all we want to achieve. But we forget that sometimes the human parts, or the little mistakes and tweaks that we get while struggling to make it how we want make it give the result that extra hint of amazing.

So what do I think? I think we all should take a trip and visit a nearby factory and go on a tour. It doesn't even matter what it is, just figure out how exactly this thing is made and the precision and labor that goes into it. You'd be surprised how many factories actually host tours and a lot of them are free. Visit www.factorytoursusa.com or just google it. (TIP: Beer breweries sometimes give out free samples)

Let this experience allow you to see things differently and appreciate the process a little more.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE INSPIRED BY CHAIRS

Recently everywhere I turn people have been talking about their Dream Boards and other similar things. Now, I don't know much about Pinterest, I already have a Tumblr so why should I set up another similar account when I've already got one, plus 3 sketchbooks I use daily (soon to be 4). But I've heard it is pretty much a Dream Board at least something along those lines. Even Ron Funches on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon says he started using a Dream Board. 

Now to break it down, there are many different types of dream boards or walls or books or whatever. You can put up pictures of things you aspire to own, or you can have pictures of things you just enjoy and inspire you, OR you can have pictures of just literally anything that you find yourself liking (from a rug, to an advertisement)

As an artist I think it is key to surround yourself in what you like and allow it to always be present that way if you ever look at it differently or have it randomly catch your eye, you'll be inspired. I have so many artist prints framed and surrounding me at most times. TIP: I've found that when going to museums it's cheap to pick up a few postcards of your favorite pieces you saw there and use them as art around the house.

But most recently, while looking through an IKEA magazine, I found some things that I was drawn to visually. Yes I also do just want to buy the stuff in the image and decorate my house exactly like how they do, BUT I also found it aesthetically pleasing. Then it hit me, I liked how this particular room was designed because of it's similarity to what I want to do as an artist. The color palette was similar, the lines and it had aspects of it that I needed to put in my work. 

I know it shouldn't be surprising or innovative to think that interior design or the design of a chair or the way that this advertisement is photographed is linked to the fine arts because I mean come on, have you walked around the MoMA? There is a whole section devoted to artistic designs of furniture and I mean their stores alone have everything and anything there but somehow it's artistic... 

What I'm trying to get at is: use your sketchbook, or the walls of your house, or just a bulletin board to put up EVERYTHING you find yourself attracted to, not just the artwork. You never know what will make you see something in your work.

Related Post (with Artist References): http://artotterblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/inspiration-can-come-from-anywhere.html
Here's the Ron Funches video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slrgBNOmhTI

CUTTING PAPER IS AN ART

There have been times where I've seen something posted on Tumblr of gorgeously intricate hand cut paper. And I think "Oh that's pretty cool, I bet it takes a lot of time" and that is it. I never really think about it again. Well, more recently I keep coming across these artists who cut paper and create these incredible and I mean INCREDIBLE pieces of art out of the shadows and the holes and it blows my mind. So naturally I looked more into it...

So Paper Art or Papercutting originated in China from the 6th Century Six Dynasties period called Jianzhi. They would be used as health, prosperity, or decorative purposes and would often include symbols from the color red to the Chinese Zodiac. 

Example of Jianzhi

A lot of the more notable artists to come out of the Papercutting scene were more Dutch and American artists. One you probably have heard of is Kara Walker, who creates these wondrous silhouettes confronting many issues such as race, gender, sexuality, and violence . But they don't always have to be just 2D designs, many artists in contemporary art have voyaged into 3D sculptures of paper such as artist Nahoko Kojima.

Kara Walker, Grub for Sharks: A Concession to the Negro Populace, black paper, 2004

Nahoko Kojima, Jerwood, Byako, paper, 2013

Many other artists have been working with this technique but are still trying to get their name out there are artists like Rogan Brown and Kuin Heuff. Rogan Brown is inspired by natural and minerals for his very intricate forms and Kuin starts by painting her faces and then cutting them.

Rogan Brown, Spore, paper, 2013

Kuin Heuff, Greta Heuff-Heg, acyrlic and paper, 2011

I think the whole technique and design aspects are very interesting and inspiring. The amount of effort plus a steady hand really is hard to come by today so I find it very exciting. If anyone knows of any other artists that do Papercutting then please share!! Otherwise, we can just sit and stare at these amazing works for another few hours (which I'm totally okay with).

Artist Websites:
Kara Walker: http://learn.walkerart.org/karawalker
Nahoko Kojima:  http://www.nahokokojima.com/
Kuin Heuff: http://www.kuinheuff.nl/index.php
Rogan Brown: http://roganbrown.com/home.html
Other Websites with cool Papercutting articles: 
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/rogan-brown-paper-sculptures

ADVERTISING AND THE ARTIST

Now that I have been working on selling my artwork as well as my new small business of doing charcoal portraits I have really found how important it is to have a good advertisement. (And this might have something to do with the fact that I've been watching a lot of Mad Men recently)

Advertising can be an art form, it can also just simply be a tool to attract attention. Today for some reason it appears that advertising has lost it's main beauty and has succumb to simple-minded, sexist, or shocking approaches. Now, I'm not as obsessed with reading about specific tropes as some, but I can notice one when I see one, and since they seem to be repeated often, it's getting a little redundant. Now watching Mad Men has shown me that advertising was a little more competitive as it is today or at least in the creative aspects. Today's ideas don't seem as unique or original.

Now how does this relate to artists trying to sell our work or small business? We need to be better and more creative than those mainstream and overly done ads we see all the time.

1) Find something to make you stand out and that is unique to only you. Search the internet to see who else has your ideas and how yours is different.

2) Have your design be crisp and clean. You don't need to compensate because you are what you are and some people will love it and others won't, that's just life. Plus you don't want to confuse the consumer, let your work and words speak for themselves.

3) Know who your audience is. If you have mainly older people who want to buy your work then use slogans and words that they pick up on. 

4) You are the best, act like you're the best. Don't make a cheap design, use a new and powerful one. It's like the whole "dress like you have your future/aspiring job" idea except with advertising.

5) But, don't push your ego. You may be the best, but don't put down others that are trying just as hard as you are. Like I mentioned before, they might have a different audience, people that like your work might not like theirs anyways.

6) Use your work but don't force-feed it to the viewer. Make them want more.

You are an artist, you already think differently than those around you and will be able to think out of the box. Take your time and when you have the perfect idea you will know it. You can also find a group or test your work out on friends and ask them what they think. Don't forget that critiques are always welcome. Another great idea is to look back at previous artists or advertisements that really stand out (Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, or watch an episode of Mad Men when they are creating an ad, GEICO ads are actually pretty great too). Now don't copy what they do but get inspired and get your creative juices flowing from seeing some great work.

Check out this website to see what tropes there are and what you see often: tvtropes.org

There is more to come about this subject and some great artists that can inspire your work.

SELFIES VS SELF PORTRAITS

Now that I'm back, at least for a little, let's talk about something very prominent in conversations today: selfies.

The idea of a selfie isn't exactly new, it's just mainstreamed so much recently that we feel like it is new. Technology today is literally programmed to take selfies, I mean what else would a front facing camera on your phone do besides take pictures of yourself? But before we had cameras selfies were still relevant. A self portrait is the artistic term for selfie, so let's think back to some of the more aesthetically pleasing selfies...

Even though self portraits date back to some of the earliest pieces of art, they became more prominent during the Early Renaissance. This was during the mid-15th century, when mirrors became cheap enough for most people to buy. One of the earliest self portraits is thought to be by Jan Van Eyck's Portrait of a Man in a Turban painted in 1433. Even though it cannot be proven that it is a self portrait.

Jan Van Eyck, Portrait of a Man in a Turban, 1433, oil on panel, National Gallery, London

Sometimes artists when they would paint mythical or religious scenes would put commoners' faces or their own in as some of the many background people. If you think about this in a Contemporary manner, they are in a way Photoshopping a selfie of themselves into an image of their favorite story, which is really quite humorous.

The first prolific self-portraitist, or selfie obsessed artist was Albrecht Durer. His most well known self portrait being his Christ-like selfie when he was 28.

Albrecht Durer, Self Portrait in a Fur-Collared Robe, 1500, oil on linden wood, Alte Pinakothek

However one of the most well known artists to create numerous self portraits was Vincent van Gogh. Vincent created over 35 self portraits in his time, many after he cut off his ear. One of my personal favorites it this self portrait:

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1890, oil on canvas, Musee D'Orsay, Paris

In a way these self portraits/selfies are very important in the development of artists over time not only because it is a way to work with a cheaper model but also because it shows their specific style as well as show their face (when most people are generally not aware of what artists actually look like but just know them by their name and most famous works). Artists can go on without anyone knowing who they are, which is good and bad. They should be recognized for their beautiful pieces and the viewers should be aware that a person did it instead of some anonymous artistic machine.

I've always had a personal interest in self portraits and find it very intriguing how artists portray themselves.  I suggest looking up artists and seeing if they have self-portraits, most Contemporary artists don't seem to do selfies (which is ironic) but many 18th Century and the centuries preceding have many artists that do.

I'm curious as to what other people think and why Contemporary artists don't create as many selfies as before, let me know by leaving a comment or tweeting at me!!

STRUGGLING ARTIST? NO MORE!

I would have never picked up the book “I’d rather be in the studio” by Alyson B. Stanfield if it wasn’t for my class. But I am so happy that I own this book now. Why? Because it really made me want to promote myself and be a professional. Not only did it make me desire it, but it also taught me how to get started and how to maintain an art career. It is very hard being a senior in an art major track because of the uncertainty once you leave. It is very hard being in any art career track, not just studio. So how do you figure things out for leading a stable lifestyle?

Now this isn’t something I have figured out yet. I think a lot of people haven’t figured it out after being out of school for a few years. Yes many people go into teaching, few become renown, and most end up with multiple jobs just trying to pay the rent and try to focus on producing work. And sadly a lot of people end up forgetting about their dreams of being an artist for a day job.

Lets brainstorm for a bit… how many different art jobs are there? (this isn't the full list either)

-Artist                              -Therapist

-Curator                           -Agent

-Blogger                           -Auctioneer

-Teacher                           -Appraiser

-Small Business owner       -Investor

-Art Handler                      -Courtroom Artist

-Archivist/Conservator       -Police Sketch Artist

-Registrar                          -Layout Artist

-Historian

-Critic

-Journalist

-Restorer

-Designer

-Illustrator

-Director

-Studio Assistant

-Advertiser

I’m pretty sure that there are more than a couple of options for any type of artist. Once I realized what I truly an passionate about and I saw my options I became less scared of having to turn to a job that had nothing to do with my career path. The best thing is that no matter which path you choose you still will be able to be around art and appreciate it.

Now, how to push your freelance art career further? Check out the book I mentioned before. Seriously. It helps set up your Internet profiles, make important connections, stay organized, how to set up a resume, business card, or PR folder, write an artist statement, basically everything you’d need to know about how to be an independent artist. It’s important to keep up your web presence and make contacts to keep people interested in your work. The biggest thing is that if you’re passionate about what you do, let people see that because it will make them passionate about it too. Also not to be afraid to reach out to different magazines and submit your work into different call for entries. Talking to people isn’t really as bad as it seems and actually benefits you and your end result. So get out and promote and maintain that image you want of yourself.

+If you want more about this topic, comment and let me know!+