Replies: 16 Comments
on Saturday, December 2nd, Barney Davey said
Kudos to you Paul! It takes courage and vision to abandon the well-trod path. May you enjoy great success with your endeavor. At least you have taken your fate into your own hands.
Friday night, I attended a gallery/skin care salon grand opening with the emphasis more on skin care than art. The aesthetician/owner couldn’t get away from the front desk as she booked appointments steadily over the course of the evening. Not surprisingly, the artists in attendance did not fare as well.
The owners’ wish is to support unknown artists with exposure in this non-traditional gallery setting. The salon’s location is in a high-income area, and repeated exposure to potential collectors who have discretionary income shows promise. The owners were successful with this concept San Francisco. We wish them well here in Scottsdale.
A friend showed up at the opening. He is a quite successful mortgage broker by day and an accomplished artist with some notable success by night and weekend. We discussed if he should take space in one of the very large white tent shows that occur here in prime snowbird season in Scottsdale. It is an expensive and scary proposition for any artist since profit is not guaranteed.
These shows run from January through March and require lots of time and effort to exhibit. I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s remarks regarding shows and will send him the link to this blog to read. Paul points out a great example of the dilemma faced by all artists regarding exhibiting at shows, i.e., “Should I do the show and hope for sales and recognition? Or should I use my marketing dollars to seek another avenue to finding collectors?”
These tent shows always spark debate about the damage they do to the local brick and mortar galleries that undoubtedly take a hit in sales right in their high season. Maybe it’s unfair, but so far, capitalism and commerce have prevailed with appropriate city licenses proffered. It’s easy to find many local artists exhibiting at these shows. Many of them can’t get representation by the very galleries that cry foul at the tent shows. Perhaps it’s karma. Nonetheless, the reports I hear from artists exhibiting at these shows is that success is fleeting and spotty…not unlike reports for being in a gallery for many artists.
The success rate at shows juried or otherwise demonstrates the difficulty in getting one’s work to market. I don’t know what my artist/mortgage broker friend will decide about participating in the tent shows. If he does, I hope he is successful. If he is disappointed, I won’t be shocked nor will I attribute it to lack of talent.
To make it in the art business, it takes a more than a little luck; lots of ambition, adequate finances, marketing savvy and most importantly, the ability to create art that resonates with collectors. Harnessing those attributes is a tall order for anyone growing a business, especially one where the product is non-essential and in great demand at a wide range of price points. God bless all artists, struggling or not.
on Saturday, December 2nd, Paul Dorrell said
Mark: Ay.
Jose: Yeah, it was all educational. Hell, everything is if you can look at it the right way, even the hangovers. Well, maybe not those so much as the more enlightened moments of self-reflection. You know, that instant when you realize how unimportant you are compared to what you're trying to create, and give. I think the philosopers call that "removing the ego." Something Hollywood has rarely grasped.
Andrew: I like the part about the thief. I like the part about enjoy the process even more.
Walt: Yeah, I too frankly don't believe in luck. But I do believe in karma, or at least in reaping what you sew. Along with that, I also believe in staying alert, adapting to the situation at hand, learning from the mistakes, avoiding self-pity, and always moving forward. There's nothing new in that: you can just look to Lincoln, FDR, Churchill, and Truman for great examples of same. They may not have been artists (although the Gettysburg Address truly was art), but the passion was identical.
Brad: Networking. How I wish I could spend less time doing it. But if I stop, the gallery suffers, and consequently the artists. So, like Andrew says, better to enjoy the process.
on Friday, December 1st, Brad said
More power to you all! Not too much left uncovered here. It really does come down to networking - like any enterprise. That gives the best advantage to those of you who choose to live in the inner-cities of our largest markets. That's the best way to both be seen, and keep an eye on what all is about.
on Friday, December 1st, Andrew said
Art Fairs are places where there are some big fish. How do you go about catching them? Paul, you say that they're there to buy known works from people they already have dealt with, but even in those circumstances, an unlikely event, that is a sale, even a big sale, by someone from outside the inner circle, is possible. Think of yourself as a high stakes jewel thief, coming into where some pricy gems are going to be flouted, and figuring out a way to get your paws on them. That's the challenge. It's exciting. And it is possible, without even the risk of going to jail! Suss the event. Know who your targets are. Develop a strategy to get their attention, and fix your sights on only them. There's a way, but it requires the cunning of a fox, and the creativity of an artist. That's the game. Enjoy it.
on Friday, December 1st, walt said
Luck is simply a matter of making it your business to be at the right place at the right time-- something I'm not particularly successful with myself. But of course you must also have the goods once you're there. This is really a hard thing to do for most artists who are generally in their studios making the goods. That's why the gallery system prospered for so long. They would, in the beginning make the connections between collector and artist who often lived in completely different circumstances. They often would frame and present the work in a way the artist could not afford, eventually began to manage the fame of their artists with the press, competitions and prizes and selected museum exhibitions. And eventually began managing estates prior to and after the artists death. There are still a few who make that effort and have the expertise to succeed at it. It takes a lifetime of connections. Paul, you seem to have the right idea. If you can cultivate those connections over the years and are able to help an artist (or artists) manage their careers you will be very successful. But for the most part I've noticed that many galleries simply have the same notion that many artists have...if I hang the work on a wall in a space that is open to the public from 9-5 and they buy the work then I'm successful. Problem is most galleries only attract the curious and do not have that select coterie of those who are able to put their money where their curiosity is.
Meanwhile, as the gallery system falters, ambitious artists-- many who have more ambition than talent, are taking over the management of their own careers. This is not in intself a bad thing. The internet has made this more possible than ever. Problem is that it opens the flood gates and encourages the shallow as well as the great making it even harder for that diligent artist who is working hard in the studio to do something poignant. That artist must now leave off making that greater work to enter the market place just to survive. (What have you said Markus? Spend 10 percent your time making art and 90% promoting it? I may have over exagerated so forgive me.) So the process of dumbing down is not even a matter of becoming a Philistine but of survival.
Again, I often refer to those artists who not only survive this morass but also continue to make profound work that stands out above the crowd and survives a lifelong career in the rather pugilistic ring of the art world. They get our applause because they deserve it.
I think the same should hold true for those gallery owners who manage to promote great art with both a capital "G" and "A", sell it to the right collectors, place their artists in good shows and in museums and continue to live a long and prosperous life.
Sorry. I didn't mean to write a whole blog. But noting my definition of 'luck' which started this response I wish you all the clear headed well directed luck you can muster Paul.
on Friday, December 1st, jose said
Matt, my friend, my intent was not to contest you. Knowing you and your path I know we see eye to eye on the matter. My intention was to bang in the nail Walt had placed, even deeper.
on Friday, December 1st, matt said
It's clear to any reasonable person that hard work and steadfastness does play an extremely large role in - though this word can mean different things to different people- success.
'A lot of luck' is just a figure of speech, but this figure of speech or synchronistic coming together of aspiration and work is a part of the formula nonetheless regardless of what you call it. And that I want was meant.
on Friday, December 1st, josé said
Matt, on the matter of luck. For what it’s worth, personally, I don't believe in luck, I believe in investing your energy and your drive towards a goal you establish in a given moment. Do that and remain steadfast for a sufficient amount of time, against all odds, and soon you will find that obstacles are overcome and that you become more aware of the opportunities you have created for yourself. People on the outside may call it luck because they don’t realise or see the mechanism you set in motion. Then comes the tricky part – going for it! Very often opportunities are given us and we let them go by, or don’t believe we can partake in them. But that’s another matter. But what we call luck [and its measure] is the synchronistic coming together of our aspiration and the work we put in towards it, and the conditions for its final conclusion – or at least for taking one step closer.
on Friday, December 1st, josé said
That was spot on Walt.
Paul, a great read. I bet it has been tough, but I also get the sense from the way you write about your experience [even not having read your book] that it has been educational, as you say, and that at the end of the day you wouldn’t have had it any other way. I mean, besides the being your own boss thing and not having to conform to the humdrum of 9 to 5 existence, there is an inherent satisfaction that we get from toiling away at something we believe in that, in my opinion, makes up for those times when we don’t dare look into our wallets. I’m not knocking the money, folks, let it roll in. But let it come from doing what we love doing most, and like Walt says, work hard at it: don’t expect or take it for granted that it will happen in and of itself or that somebody else will unlock the doors for you - It’s blood, sweat and tears… but you’ll get much more out of it if they are your own.
on Friday, December 1st, mark said
Forget outdoor fairs, and most shows where the artist sets up a space to show work and maybe sell. I think it better to concentrate on the juried shows that only take a peice or two, that give awards (not that the awards mean much) and that hang the work. Regional and national are the best, some local shows are good to start. You won't sell much or at all but what it does do is add to the resume. I don't do a lot of these shows, though some artists do, I try to stick to those that I feel will do the most good.
A good place to find these shows is Art Deadline (not sure of their web address) it does cost but no more the an average magazine subscription and there are a lot of shows listed. Plus some other features that I have not as yet taken advantage of.
I know artists who are very succesful at the shows and some, such as my self that are not, one just needs to try things out and see what happens, then decide what is best for them. I agree with Matt, no matter how hard you work at your craft and your bussiness, there is an element of luck, of being in the right place at the right time. But all of life is like that.
on Friday, December 1st, Michael Fornadley said
Kind of like Paul's statement about a gulf of miscommunication separating the artist and the public. Can most of us come to the conclusion that in order to break into a market you have to produce work that is acceptable and intellectually on the same level as said marketplace. Maybe dumbing down is a real option for most of us, forget your craft or vision in order to be commercially acceptable. In American it is really hard to bridge the gulf, talking generally here but can imagine that other cultures maybe willing to put more education and training into art appreciation. Most of the artists who are commercial successful in my area are basically reduced to making safe couch art, color field landscapes or eye candy figurative subject matter. Really have to admire the artists that are willing to subject themselves to the marketplace. It takes alot of energy to network and make the right connections to the people who would be willing to purchase work at a reasonable rate. This kind of skill may be aquired by even the most socially unacceptable artist out there, but for most of us it would be a facade with no heart.
Really not preaching doom and gloom either, but maybe a sense of reality. Art is not an neccessity, it is a luxury, the only buyers who are willing to pay the amount of money to make an artist independent for other forms of work are going to be the rich, individuals and or corporations. There is so much competition and work out there for those slots or opportunties that chances are most of us will not have a shot to get to that level. Does this mean that our work doesn't have merit or inferior to those who have made it, compare the work and make your own decisions on that. Maybe in order to keep from being tainted, it is helpful to remember your first love. What made you start picking up a tool and start creating and why have you continued on in spite of all the negatives.
on Friday, December 1st, matt said
Walt: you've summed it up perfectly!
on Thursday, November 30th, Paul Dorrell said
Matt: That's what I had little of in those days: luck and business sense. Was too focused on my novels, or rather was properly focused on them.
Walt: Damn, you do paint a gloomy picture. Odd how I agree with most of it, especially the last two sentences. In my case, having a family has probably been where my deepest drive has come from: the fear of failing them. The rest: sheer inspiration and an absolute refusal to quit following the dream, no matter how many failures, rejections, false starts. And yes, it usually does come down to damn hard work. I still work 12 and 14-hour days far more often than I care to admit. This is one of them. Tomorrow will be another. Well, better than failing.
Vick: Yeah, actually we took home a couple of major prizes, for about $1000 each. Frankly, if I'd been a more mature art dealer then, I likely would have chosen my shows and techniques more seletively, and we likely would have realized more sales. But I still learned a great deal, and am glad it drove me to open the gallery. That gave me the option of consulting on, and installing, certain works that I knew were truly original, just as I also knew they had little chance of ever selling on the open market.
on Thursday, November 30th, Vick said
If nothing sold, did any of your artists ever win any of the cash jury awards? I think that is how some of those shows suck you in, the lure of big cash prizes.
I don't know. It seems the people I know who do those shows tend to generate things to sell at those shows. They use the show as a way to try and drive business to their pricier more substantial work, but I wonder if churning out work you think is lesser and therefore more sellable is just fooling yourself after a while. You are what you eat. If you are dumbing yourself down to what you perceive your audience to be at a show, I think that has to infect your "real" work in a negative way.
on Thursday, November 30th, walt said
Yes it is a tough bussiness. And yes you have to find your way in so doing the rounds is a requirement. And yes, being lucky is important. But luck is where you find it and making the rounds to learn as much as you can is about the only way to get to know the people who count. In the end, as in most things, its who you know. There are millions of us who think we are artists. There are more of us than there are automobile manufacturers, clothing manufacturers, furniture manufacturers. Why? Because its easy to buy some paints and a few canvases and declare oneself an artist. Most artists never make a living from their art. And many who do are not very profound. And there are fewer collectors than there are those dying to be collected. Lets see...can I make this any more gloomy? It really comes down to two things...creative talent and stamina. Do you have the interior vision to make something that gets into their skin or are you just making variations of all the other art ever made? And if you have something do you have what it takes to follow it through to the very end doing whatever is needed to be successful. Neccessity is the mother of invention/creativity!
on Thursday, November 30th, matt said
It's a tough business with a lot of at the right place and at the right time combined with a lot of luck in addition to some business sense.
