A Creative Career

Most of us realize that the art world has gone digital. It began during the pandemic and the trend has grown. This is not entirely a bad thing, as new online options for selling art can be a real benefit to artists who don’t have access to galleries. Online sales to collectors have also increased, with buyers “visiting” art fairs digitally and purchasing art directly from the galleries showing there. These sales figures are surprisingly high.

Yet I’m seeing the downside of this trend everywhere. The digital world has replaced the human in most of our everyday lives. Your car runs by computer, and gives you (sometimes welcome) advice about your driving. When you need to solve a problem, a “virtual assistant” replaces the human voice you were expecting. Most of these changes have an upside, and we all adapt as best we can. 

For artists, the impact of the digital experience is not well understood. Many artists find themselves overwhelmed by the technical demands of an art career, and end up feeling alienated from the fundamental process of making art. The two experiences are nearly opposite.  Art making is messy, experimental, rough,  unpredictable, just like real life.  The  digital demands of an art career require a logical, linear, step-by-step approach. Just think about what it takes to enter your work on Café or EntryThingy, and you’ll understand the difference. 

You need to push back against the digital trend. I believe it is possible, and necessary, to bring your creative self back into your art career. Thinker bigger, experiment, try new venues, talk to people, get off those screens and get out into the real world.