I used to be a liberal with my recommendations.

Or perhaps I should say lack of.

In the spirit of being friendly and accommodating, I’d be happy to support any direction, style or medium an aspiring artist would like to work with for their art.  My teaching style is very nurturing, developmental, therapeutic and as such, I don’t like to deter the courage or adventurous spirit of a fledgling.

And there is some truth still to that because I’ve seen some amazing work using the most frustrating materials.  On the other hand, I’ve seen folks work with expensive tools and supplies and fail miserably.

So in my latter years of instruction, I’ve found that sometimes you CAN blame your failure on the paint brush.

And sometimes, the fault is yours.  A good instructor will guide to the right conclusion.

There is an element of customer service in education.  Preventing frustration by recommending the right tools for the skill level of the student. 

And there should also be a strong sense of customer service when one goes to buy materials - or to buy for the artist in their life.

Whether during the holidays or beyond, here are some questions to ask when shopping for someone else, or for identifying what kind of artist you may be:

1) Is the pursuit as a hobby or part of a career?  Also, what is the endurance or patience level of the artist like?  Investigating a medium is great fun but many treat it like a new year’s resolution and fall short.  Don’t go the whole 9 yards and waste money on an expensive setup for an impulse.

2) For the professional or serious student, the preference for a certain brand may all ready exist.  There are premier brands for everything, but economy doesn’t necessarily mean poor quality.  When in doubt, ask them! 

3) Kits are nice for the undecided, but some are kid-oriented quality and others are professional grade.  The price should be a clue, but look at what’s inside the box too.  Sometimes package deals combine both and you’ll find that the element the artist will enjoy the most is in shortest supply.

4) How-to books are fun - if the artist likes to read.  Many wax philosophical and ramble on about uninspiring approaches.  So make sure the how-to addresses the style the artist is attracted to. 

5) Buy from a specialty store.  Big box retailers with an arts and crafts section will not know how to direct you like a store that’s dedicated to the pursuit.  Also, the staff of a specialty store is likely to have first-hand experience with various products.  If you’re looking for clay advice, ask for someone who dabbles in sculpture - you’ll be glad you did.

In my experience, the store I would recommend locally for pricing, service and quality of selection is United Art and Education (and no, I don’t own stock) I am careful about whom I recommend for service because of how it reflects upon me.  But I have never been disappointed with United Art and Ed.  If you subscribe to their mailing list (e-mail or snail) they even send coupons!

For photography as an art form, Sunny Schick is the best resource in town - and they’ve never failed me either.  In fact, once they convinced me NOT to buy something in their store because of the direction I was planning on going with the project.  (That’s integrity!)

Regarding materials, there are many different medium, but here are a few brands that have never let me down:

For all things drawing or coloring: Prismacolor

For drawing paper: Strathmore

For acrylic paint: Liquitex

For pastels: Grumbacher or Rembrandt

In the categories of sculpture, the fabric arts, and some elements of painting (such as canvas, brushes or watercolor paper options) much success is dependant on the effect you want to achieve and therefore the correct tools for the job are important.  I’ve found brand to be irrelevant.

Happy shopping!

Tags: advice, Art, artists, gift, networking

I’m living the dream.

I may not be living your dream, or even your idea of what my dream should be, but I am enjoying success.

It’s an eerie feeling in a way - almost as if this is the end of it all, I should be awarded a medal or somehow credits should be scrolling in front of my face. 

On the other hand, not a lot of people ever get to this point.  It’s worth savoring for a while.  And the fact that I’ve achieved it at so young an age, (again a relative point) is even more exciting and disconcerting at the same time.

The dichotomy is a bi-product of a clear focus I’ve had since I was in 2nd grade.  I’ve always known that I wanted to be a professional artist.  I still remember the internal dialogue and had it all figured out by lunch time.

Yes.  very rare.  Freakish even, no?

Of course I’ve run into nay-sayers, negativity, backlash - all the things that can either galvanize your resolve or derail you completely.  I don’t know anyone I could define as “great” in any category of life who hasn’t had such adversity.

So, at the continued risk of sounding cocky, what do I do now?

I spend a lot of time reflecting on the choices, decisions, paths I’ve taken, and the directions I’ve influenced or led others to take.  The conclusion I’ve come to is that it’s important to keep raising your own bar.

I don’t know anyone who will continually challenge or expect more of me.  I’ve got to be ready to shoot for the next step.  Even if I’m living the dream, maybe it’s time for a new one.

People I find interesting are always doing this.  It’s not the same as job-jumping or being one of those annoying free-spirited people with no responsibilities or (even worse) someone who never has to worry about money.  It’s a paradox of satisfaction and hunger.

So it may take a change in attitude, outlook, location or even circle of friends, but what do you expect?  And even more important, what happens WHEN you achieve it?

 

Tags: artists, business, career, professional

I find myself discussing the nature of the professional with many clients.  It can be an intriguing conversation.  While I’m under no illusions that many people in the world can do what I do, few can do it well.  Even fewer can offer the service as a professional.

But why and what does that mean?

It seems every category of business has it’s definition - from simply being paid for the work to a library of handbooks and corporate dogma.

In our world, it’s an elusive topic because the stereotypical artist is alive and well.  Creativity outweighs a lot of conservative traits.  In fact, we almost WANT our artists to be weird to be qualified, don’t we?

The downside is that it also makes art and its creators dismissible.  The devaluation of talent is world-wide.  When it comes to business matters such as negotiating a contract, ascribing philosophy to a project, or just having the verbal skills to discuss something outside of one’s profession, too many artists fall short.

Ironically, the reverse seems to be true also.  With the right marketing, a talentless hack can make a fortune (”It’s good art because it’s expensive”)

And I’ve yet to find an art program in continuing education that prepares students for marketing themselves and their services.  So it seems the trend continues.

But in light of this, here are a few universal truths (as I find them) that separate an artist from a professional artist:

1) The professional communicates thoroughly and seeks to understand the need of the client - not promote their own agenda.  This means being sensitive to the client’s availability to discuss things - and being patient with them if necessary.

2) The professional confirms all details and doesn’t leave anything to assumption.

3) The professional shows up early - with enough time to prepare for a successful event

4) The professional does their best work - always!

5) The professional doesn’t disparage, cater to drama, subscribe to gossip, and always speaks well of others (especially in public - someone always sees or hears everything!)

6) The professional delivers what was promised

7) The professional does a thorough and complete job and doesn’t cut corners (on time, materials or quality)

The professional checks for satisfaction and addresses any concerns to the best of their ability

9) The professional says thank you!

10) The professional follows up for the next event!

You’ll notice that the type of service and the price are not points of professionalism.  Intangible things matter most. 

How do you compare?

Tags: artists, business, career, professional

Perhaps the most disturbing cliché about the arts is the future one could have as a professional. The conclusion has been “none” – absolutely, undeniably, no chance. Parents are often the strongest proponents of this perspective. “If you want to make it in this world, you’ll study business/medicine/law/get-a-job-with-a-drill”

But have you ever considered that the majority of the working world lives in a state of house arrest? We get up, go to work, come home, and go to sleep. Day in, day out for 40 years, then we retire – many even dying shortly after of a lack of stimulation.

To paraphrase Robin Williams in the movie “The Dead Poets Society” regarding the pursuit of the above as a means of financial sustenance: “These are all noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, love, romance! These are the things we stay alive FOR!”

So my challenge to the working world, the parents by extension, and the future generations, is to consider a fulfilling career in what you are passionate about. This may not be the arts, and one would want to avoid “prostituting” one’s hobbies (after all, if you make a living in what you do to relax, what will you do to relax?)

The response may still be a “That’s not possible. How is this accomplished?” And one should consider the sources for the pessimism. Ironically, the primary role models are our teachers. How many enriching courses in the arts are children afforded on a DAILY basis? Who is fostering creativity in the schools? The creative mind – the right side of the brain has remained unchallenged for decades in our educational system.

The teachers, a product of this system, were never encouraged or developed creatively enough and therefore don’t have the tools to perpetuate an imaginative environment. The award-winners are an exception to this, but for what are they being awarded? (See a correlation here?)

Reflect upon your favorite teachers at any grade. Perhaps they never won an award, or were even recognized by the rest of the faculty. However, they made a difference in your life. Not only will you find that they were masters of edu-tainment, but also enabled you to achieve greatness (and not just high grades) – true comprehension, applied knowledge, you were a participant in your development, not “downloaded to.”

The fault is not exclusive to the school system. The cycle of pessimism comes also from our parents, and their parents, and so on back to the first nay-sayer about the arts. Consider how many times you were encouraged by your parents to explore anything creative – singing, dancing, even coloring outside the lines! Furthermore, how many extra lessons or clubs or camps did you attend? Were you even encouraged to practice for the school recital? You have become a product of your home environment.

Lastly, let’s evaluate just how jealous and materialistic our society has become. People are devalued and objectified, speed has replaced quality, and everyone is hungry for attention – positive or negative. We are a society of entitlement without merit. With such an atmosphere, how can a sensitive, expressive spirit survive, let alone thrive?

Therefore, I encourage you to adopt the following recipe for an atmosphere where the arts are a viable career choice. This can work in your own life, as well as the life of your child:

“Passion Potluck”

1) Start with a pound of passion. Fresh inspiration, catered to, all ideas written down. The imagination is a “use it or lose it” part of your brain.

2) Stir in a ½ hour (at least) of “me time.” Pick the place, time, materials and make it a habit. It takes 7 consecutive events to form one. This is a non-negotiable part of your schedule. If you are able to find time to eat, sleep and use the facilities, you can find time to be creative. NO EXCUSES!

3) Use “neg-free” ingredients: Eliminate negativity. “Can’t” is a 4-letter word. 4-letter words cause problems in school.

4) Go organic: Refuse to listen to negativity or criticism. Growth is natural and those who foster it foster genius.

5) Bring to a boil: Surround yourself with positive people who can share visions, give you ideas, teach you and learn from you.

6) Let it simmer: Reflection and day-dreaming are healthy. Let your ideas grow. Be open to change. It could evolve into something even better.

7) Be open to spices: Variety is the spice of life. No great artist shied away from exploring different avenues in the arts. Starving artists starve because they cling to unrealistic principles (“I do this or I do nothing!”). I have made a healthy living doing caricatures, which are snubbed by many “fine artists”. Monet was a caricaturist before an Impressionist and made a nice living too. Re-define your terms!

Never throw it out: Be tenacious! Your dreams are worth fighting for, but no one will fight enough for you – no agent or agency, no teacher or parent. You have to believe in the power and beauty of your goals. Walt Disney was once fired from a newspaper for not being creative enough. Where would the world be without him?

I look forward to “having dinner” with you someday!

Tags: artists, Life, starving