 I am hearing from artists concerned about the current focus on social and political art, often by artists of color. Since their own work doesn’t fit the trend, they feel that it isn’t fair.
There is a strange assumption here, as well as some historical amnesia. The art world isn’t fair now, and never was. It reflects and responds to contemporary issues, especially during volatile times. For example, art about the pandemic is now making its way into galleries and museums. If you think the art world used to be fair, remember that women artists were ignored or marginalized for decades, seen as less important than their male colleagues. Similarly, many excellent artists of color received no attention until recent political events made their work suddenly relevant. A similar shift happened in the 1970s in academia. As a result of the women’s rights movement, white males with Ph.D.s from Ivy League universities suddenly began to lose jobs to equally well-qualified women. These men were outraged and claimed that it wasn’t “fair.” Their shock was real, since it was the first time they had experienced what it felt like to be marginalized. When you start to feel such resentments, dig deeper into the lives of artists who are currently receiving so much attention. They have always been there. While Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michele Obama catapulted her to fame in 2018, she had been making remarkable portraits of Black Americans for two decades. She paid her dues, showing her work at the Baltimore City Hall and alternative art spaces, waiting tables to support herself until she was 38. Sherald is now represented by Hauser & Wirth. So, if you are feeling invisible now, don’t give up. Let these wonderful artists encourage you and give you hope. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  Artists have difficulty evaluating their own work. They often ask, is my work good enough for a gallery? Is it good enough for a museum? How do I know?
This question cannot be answered in the abstract, since a specific gallery or museum would have to look at your work and consider it from their own point of view. But asking, "is my art good enough?" may help you see the relationship between your intentions and the art you are creating. Think about what you say when people ask you to describe your work. Do you talk about the ideas that inspired it, the emotions behind it, the aesthetic problems or social issues you address? You may not be articulate, but you do have a sense of what your work is all about. Then evaluate your bodies of work to see how well the art reveals your intentions. Would a viewer be able to see or sense what you’re trying to say, without the need for words? In a portrait, for example, how well does the spirit of your subject shine through? In a realistic landscape, does it seem as though we could enter the painting and walk along that path? Does your abstract sculpture reflect or challenge our notions of what the human body looks like? In a study of color and light, do we see the world through a different lens? Does your work comment on, deepen or change our perceptions of ordinary reality? Your work is "good enough" when it expresses your intentions, and reveals them to others without the need for explanations. Your work is ready when it speaks clearly in your own voice, and says what you want to say. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  What does it mean for an artist to present “a coherent body of work?” The phrase usually comes up in a traditional gallery setting, where people expect an artist’s work to fill a room, and be clearly recognizable as the work of one person.
How do you know if your work is coherent? The whole idea might seem like a narrow straightjacket, where you are condemned to keep on doing what you’ve been doing, forever. In fact, coherence is a larger and more generative concept. It means that the parts of your work fit together in a natural way, unified by a consistent vision, style, or subject matter. If you’re an emerging artist, don’t think of coherence as a goal. Trust in your own creativity, and let yourself experiment and grow. Play with new ideas and new materials. After you have a substantial body of work, step back and try to see it as a whole, from a distance. Your work might be about a larger subject, like the natural world or personal identity or immigration. Your work’s coherence might be provided though a consistent technique: how you use color and composition, or the play of light and shadow. Coherence may come in the form of a political or social theme, or an aesthetic idea, or even the use of an unusual material. When looking at your art, ask yourself: how did my new work grow out of the old? Is it a departure or a reaction to what went before? Even if you reject some older works as failures, consider the possibility that they were early versions of current successes. As you look for your own fingerprints you will begin to see how your work has grown, and how it all fits together. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  When artists are stuck, I often ask: “what do you need?” This question can be answered quickly (“more time!” “more money!”) but if you let yourself go deeper you may be surprised to discover that you need to find another way to nurture your creative spirit. You need to create negative space.
Many artists seek inspiration by looking at art online. They spend hours following other artists on Instagram. They take advice from people (like me) and attend virtual art fairs or virtual gallery and museum shows. But when you are struggling to find your own voice, this kind of research can backfire. You imagine that everyone else is more confident or successful than you are. Everyone else is creating art that is socially or politically relevant, so you think your art doesn’t matter. Gradually you begin to lose touch with your own best instincts. So when you’re struggling to create, build in negative space. Allow empty or blank areas between your busy daily life and your art practice. Make a real transition, instead of thinking you can flip a switch. Give yourself not just time but also the mental and emotional space to work. Shut off the noise from the internet and the TV. Stop filling up your art time with other artists and “art activities” and seek your own silence. Allow yourself to touch your materials and tools, without a plan in mind. Be patient and present in your own art space. Look at your work, certainly, but let yourself slowly discover what is inside you. Sometimes you must first get comfortable with a blank canvas or an empty wall. Get comfortable with doing nothing for awhile. Negative space is the seemingly empty space between things. It allows your next inspiration to come. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  It has never been more important to understand how your audience searches for your art. Many years ago I discovered that creative people were searching for “life coaching“ because they didn’t know that there were career coaches for artists. When I changed my website to include “career & life coaching” for artists, my business expanded quickly.
Try this test. Think about your ideal customer (who doesn’t know your name), and search as they would for your kind of art. Use search terms that describe your category, such as “Wyoming landscape art” or “botanical prints.” Look at the first few pages of the google listings to see where your website appears. Don’t be surprised if you are invisible. This usually means that you need to have better SEO (search engine optimization) built into your website. First, create links to organizations you belong to. For example, if you are a portrait artist, include a link to the Portrait Society of America; if you are a landscape painter, link to Oil Painters of America. If you sell on Etsy, be sure to provide a link to your Etsy site. These links to larger organizations will make you more visible. You’ll also want to include appropriate key words and phrases into the language you use to describe yourself and your work. If you are trying to sell those botanical prints, you might say that you have “affordable botanical prints for sale.” That’s what someone might search for. If you need help discovering how people are searching for art now, you can use one of the free keyword research tools, such as SEMRush. These are just first steps. Talk to your technical support person about how to build search terms into the overall structure of your site. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  Crypto Art is the new new thing in the digital art world. It came from the realm of finance, where bitcoins rule. Recently works by the digital artist Beeple sold for 69.3 million in an online auction at Christie’s. A headline in last Sunday’s New York Times tells us why this all started during a pandemic: “Bored Rich People Spend Money.”
So what is Crypto Art? While a digital image might be viewed as a jpeg, it becomes crypto art when assigned an NFT, which stands for non-fungible token. These tokens are not the art itself, but a recorded certificate of who owns it. It is as though you spent millions of dollars and all you got was the receipt (I can see the T-shirt now). NFTs can be bought and sold in new digital marketplaces modeled on traditional art venues. There are crypto art galleries (called gateways), a Museum of Crypto Art, a Museum of NFT Art, and even a CryptoArt Magazine. The first Crypto Art Exhibition will happen in Beijing at the end of March. Nifty Gateway, where Beeple sells his art, considers itself “The Premier Marketplace for Rare Digital Artwork.” This branding combines the language of nostalgia (“nifty” is a word you might hear from an old guy in a hardware store) with the terminology of the high-end collectibles market. The term “rare digital artwork” is an oxymoron for the ages. Beeple’s art career also builds the new upon the old. The works he is now selling as Crypto Art are part of a digital series called “Everydays” that he has been creating (every day) since 2007. The quality and originality of the work reveal a remarkable artist dedicated to his craft and making serious money in the brave new world of art. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  As a Career & Life Coach for Artists, I’m often asked: What is coaching for creative people all about? How does it work? How can coaching help? What skills do artists need to bring to the coaching relationship?
Sometimes artists begin the coaching process with clear goals, but often need help figuring out where they want to go and how to get there. Be honest with your coach in describing your hopes and dreams and doubts. Be patient with yourself as you discover your path. During the coaching process artists learn new skills and develop new habits. Sometimes this means learning “left brain skills” like planning, organizing, and managing time. Artists who want to get better at marketing need old fashioned skills like talking and writing about their work, but also need to create an effective “digital presence” in the virtual art world. Established artists often have to think bigger in order to reach the next level in their careers. Coaching is a structure of accountability. During each session you’ll identify a series of small steps to take before you meet again. Coaching works because you have a partner, an experienced professional who supports you and cares about your progress. It might take a few weeks or months, but you’ll begin to find new ways of thinking about your art practice and career. Coaching helps you understand that you’re not alone. You’ll find out that you’re not the only artist who is technologically challenged, or hesitant to ask for help from their network, or confused about how to navigate the opportunities available now. A good coach listens more than they talk. They ask good questions. They help you think. The process is working when you begin to discover what you always knew. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  People are now saying that 2020 was a “catalyst for digital innovation” in the art world. One example of this is 8-bridges, a new platform designed to promote a vibrant gallery scene in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Missions and Ambitions,” their recent virtual event, featured well-known San Francisco galleries, auction houses, and museum curators talking to each other. There is much to learn from these conversations, but what strikes me is how they combine the new and the old. While the platform is digital, it is based on a network of relationships established over two decades. These San Francisco art leaders and artists know each other because they have grown up together. If you look back to the early 2000s, these now-famous galleries were just starting out. The artists they show had recently graduated from Bay Area art institutions, like CCA, the SF Art Institute, Mills College, etc. Moreover, many were recipients or at least finalists for SF-MOMA’s prestigious SECA Award. These privileged beginnings demonstrate the power of institutional support for artists. Yet it is important to remember that the quality of the art itself has made these artists’ careers last over time. As Claudia Altman-Siegel explains it, artists are strong when they are “reporting from a specific place” and yet the art itself is able to stand on its own. While place sometimes means geography, the meaning here is that an artist’s work comes from an idea, a point of view, a story that needs to be told. And their art fully incorporates and expresses it. Use this lens to consider your own work. What is the place you come from? How would you describe it? Does your art express that place so fully that it lives on its own? ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  In my last blog post I suggested that the arrival of a new year gave artists the opportunity to find new ways of working. This often means building structure into your art practice.
This is a challenge because most systems of organization feel alien to artists. It is difficult to fit a creative life into a spreadsheet. If linear processes tend to paralyze you, try to find another way to get organized. Instead of making a list, choose a mantra. This is a word or phrase, and sometimes an image, that guides your behavior through the ups and downs of a day or a week. My own mantra right now is: “Shape the Day, Every Day” These five words are on post-its all over my house and on my screens. Every morning my mantra asks me to think about the overall shape of my day. When I am stuck, I return to this advice. Sometimes “shape the day” means doing all the hard work first. On other days it means finding inspiration before I begin. The phrase reminds me that I am in charge of how my day unfolds, no matter what is going on in the world or in my own life. How you shape your day depends on your commitments, of course. You have responsibilities to others, as well as regular work time. But when you put yourself in charge of shaping the day, you acknowledge your own needs. You may need comfort, stimulation, or connection, or simply time for yourself. Borrow my mantra or find a phrase that inspires you. Keep it visible in your studio or other workspace. After a few weeks, look back to discover what has changed in the rhythm of your days. Welcome to the New Year! ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  Always a planner, I’m looking ahead to the New Year now and helping artists set goals for 2021. After such a chaotic year, it makes sense to build some structure and planning into your creative life.
A good goal stretches you because it helps you figure out what you really want. For example, if you have a strong resume and a coherent body of work, your goal might be to have a solo show at a museum. Articulating that goal clarifies your intentions and makes you think: “how will I do that?” By outlining the steps that will help you reach your goal, you put yourself in motion. You might start to research local and regional museums to find those whose mission and purpose align with your work. You’ll see whether they have submission guidelines on their websites. If not, you’ll go to their staff listing and find the name of an exhibitions coordinator or curator whom you could write or call with questions. But maybe you’re not far along in your career. Your primary goal for 2021 might be to develop a coherent body of work. Again the challenge is to figure out the steps you need to take in order to make that happen. You might decide to identify and remove obstacles that prevent you from spending more time on your art. You might need to say NO to less important commitments that drain your energy. You might want to get objective feedback on your work from people you trust. Try to understand what has to change in your daily life in order for your art to grow. Most important, don’t hide your goals in a folder on your desktop. Write them down and keep them visible in your creative space. Happy New Year! ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  If you haven’t visited an art fair lately, you have another opportunity this week. UNTITLED, ART Miami Beach will be held from December 2 through December 6, 2020. Since it happens both live and online, it’s called a hybrid art fair.
UNTITLED, ART includes not just galleries but also artist-run exhibition spaces and nonprofit art organizations. Their list is fully international, including galleries in Cape Town, Buenos Aires, London, and Johannesburg, plus U.S. venues in Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas. Use your visit to learn about what’s going on in the Big Art World. There are live-streamed panels where collectors, curators, museum directors and art advisors discuss trends. You can visit gallery viewing rooms and ask questions of the exhibitors. Since the primary purpose of the fair is to sell art, you will be able to see prices for a wide range of art. For an emerging artist, the fair provides an introduction to how the top tier of the art world operates. Pick several galleries and nonprofit spaces that appeal to you and get to know them. Go to their websites to see the artists they represent, and then focus on the artists they feature at the fair. For artists who inspire you, look at their resumes to see how they got where they are today. What can you learn about your own career path? Use this opportunity to expand your world. You can attend special events, such as those featuring contemporary Caribbean artists or learn about opportunities such as the Artists in Residence program in the Everglades. You don’t have to wait for the art world to “open up.” Get used to the hybrid model, where art events happen both online and in person, as this seems to be our future. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it is time to consider our lives and ask ourselves: “what am I grateful for?”
It has been a very difficult year for everyone, but artists have been challenged in unique ways. The art world has gone virtual, many opportunities have been put on hold, and the uncertain economy has put creative organizations at risk. It may be hard to feel grateful right now. You have to find a way to let go of frustrations and acknowledge what is still positive or at least hopeful in your world. Believe it or not, there is a field of study called the Science of Gratitude. Researchers say that expressing your gratitude can make you happier. When you express gratitude you pass on positive thoughts and feelings to create what I call a circle of gratitude. You might be grateful for the people who have helped you get through difficult times. You might be grateful for groups or organizations that offered resources to keep you going. You might be grateful for your own strengths and talents. Think of what you are genuinely grateful for, and then put those feelings into words. Say it out loud or write it down. Give specific examples. First make it clear to yourself what you are grateful for, and then see what your examples have in common. For example, I’m grateful for:
After you discover what you are grateful for, find a way to tell the person or organization or even yourself. Pay it forward to inspire others to do the same. You are creating a circle of gratitude that nurtures and sustains itself. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  For most of us these last months of 2020 will be full of challenges. We struggle to stay creative as we face a difficult and uncertain election process, feel the weather becoming colder or wetter as we’re trapped inside, and wonder whether art-making really makes a difference in the world.
In my last blog post I described how the artist Constance Hockaday managed to create art that speaks directly to this political moment. She created a platform where 50 diverse artists spoke as president of the U.S. in their own voices. Hockaday’s process was just as transformative as her content. When the pandemic closed down her original site, she reimagined the project to work even better in the virtual art world. This is the core of what artists do. In your art practice you give form to an idea or a feeling. You capture an impression in clay or on canvas or in a photograph. You take a hard look at the world as it is and decide to make something new. Choosing to create art during these turbulent times is a hopeful thing to do. Even when your art is not about social issues, it takes freedom of thought and positive energy and courage to make it. Don’t shut yourself down by wondering whether your art matters, whether your voice will make a difference. Your ability to create is a powerful resource that helps all of us fight back against uncertainty and fear. Nurture your creative self. Keep it alive by making art, by teaching art, by encouraging other artists, by building community. What you do every day matters. Fill your mind and heart and spirit with your own creativity. Cherish your ability to see the world as it is while imagining something new. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  Constance Hockaday’s “Artists-in-Presidents: Fireside Chats for 2020” is a remarkable example of transformative art. While the project looks like it was designed for this moment, it was originally supposed to happen on the USS Potomac, FDR’s retired Presidential Yacht, docked in Oakland.
Hockaday envisioned an immersive site-specific performance space that would feel “both like a press conference for the working class and a raucous wedding reception.” The voices of fifty artists would be piped through loud speakers as they responded to the question: “what would it be like for you to take on the voice of a leader you’d like to hear?” When the pandemic hit, Hockaday took the fundamental ideas and values of the project and created a virtual art exhibition. The artists were invited to write and record a five-minute presidential address, along with their own presidential portrait. The title, “Artists-in-Presidents,”is Hockaday’s sly smile at the traditional notion of artists-in-residence. Her own portrait is hilarious, as she sits in the oval office morphing into various versions of herself. Hockaday’s process embodies the democratic values that inspired the project. Instead of inviting 50 artists herself, she invited a few and asked each of them to invite other artists, “sort of like a chain letter,” so that the group would represent widely divergent points of view. Their addresses to the nation are being released during the final weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign. Originally intended to be heard by visitors to the USS Potomac, their voices are now reaching a much wider audience. You can see and hear them over the radio, in weekly podcasts, through social media, and in a virtual gallery on her website. Hockaday says that “nobody knows what an equitable world looks like.” Artists-in-Presidents gives us multiple glimpses of that picture. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  In my last blog post I suggested that renewal for artists might come in many different forms. What is challenging right now, for those still sheltering in place, is that the available sources of renewal are still mostly online.
For artists whose inspiration comes from human contact with the living, breathing, touching, feeling world, how do you get what you need? Museums and galleries are slowly reopening, but many changes in the art world will be long lasting. You may have discovered the benefits of participating in the new art world. You enter virtual shows where you don’t need to pay to ship your art. You attend online art fairs and conferences that used to require expensive travel. You connect with new communities of artists, explore museum and gallery exhibitions that were too far away to visit, and even participate in events through virtual art talks and art walks. Now it is time to build these resources into your daily life. If this seems overwhelming, take it slowly and try to control what comes at you. Sign up for email newsletters of art organizations that interest you, so that you receive regular communications. Include one or two national art resources, like Hyperallergic or Artsy or Creative Capital, so that you are in touch with what is going on in the larger art world. Explore and select art publications specific to your medium, like Fiber Art Now or Lensculture or Plein Air Magazine. Schedule a regular time to review these publications so that you incorporate new information into your daily life. It isn’t the same as meeting real people or seeing art in person, but you will stay connected. When the art world opens up again, you’ll be better prepared to benefit from all the resources you’ve discovered. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  We used to look forward to September. You bought new shoes or new clothes or a new backpack, and got ready to go back to school. What we most enjoyed was the sense of renewal, as a new yet familiar cycle was beginning again.
Now many of us go to college on Zoom or struggle to create home classrooms for our kids. August fades into September without much change in our daily lives. The world around us is profoundly disturbing and confusing, and we wonder what we can look forward to. Renewal is a source of inspiration for artists. If you are struggling to find it, you may need to create your own. Here are some questions to get you started. Ask yourself:
Think of renewal as a way to breathe new life into your world. Sometimes it requires dramatic action, but more often the positive changes you seek start with tiny actions that barely register at first. You decide to reconnect with an old friend who tells you about an opportunity you would have missed. You change a habit and discover a different rhythm to your days. You add more structure to your life and find more freedom. Renewal comes in many forms. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  I spent last weekend attending UNTITLED, ART, an international art fair that used to be held in San Francisco, New York, and Miami.
This art fair happened on my laptop, of course. UNTITLED, ART Online was a “virtual reality experience” where 40 galleries showcased art and artists. During the opening weekend, you could take a tour with human experts, whose voices and faces enlivened the screen. As they introduced galleries, artists, and themes on one half of the screen, the other half showcased the art in virtual galleries. These curated tours set you up to visit on your own, an experience I call “an art fair for introverts.” Artists who hate talking to strangers at a traditional art fair could click through virtual galleries and remain anonymous. You can visit dozens of galleries in a short amount of time, and learn about the artists they represent. You have easy access to data about a wide range of art: titles, size, materials, dimensions and prices. Organized to make it easy for collectors to buy, the virtual galleries provide a great research tool for artists. Yet something was missing. The virtual galleries provided a simulated experience, a visit to a 3D digital world full of art but empty of people. The sensory overload of the traditional art fair became sensory deprivation in ghostly galleries that look like architectural drawings. The organizers of UNTITLED, ART Online understood what was needed. The images and voices of gallerists and artists brought intelligent organization and vitality to the experience. They gave thematic tours: art celebrating nature and climate change, visits to lesser known galleries, introductions of artists of color from around the world. So while technology made the art fair possible, it took people to bring it to life. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  Recently an artist told me: "I’m so worried about what I’m not doing, that I forget what I’ve already done."
This anxiety is especially prevalent now. Many artists are stuck, wondering how to justify spending their days developing their own art practice, when so many crises in the news clamor for attention. When you are feeling stressed, give structure and purpose to your creative life. Set simple goals for the week. Look back at what you managed to accomplish yesterday, and give yourself credit. You may have spent a few hours in the studio, even though you haven’t yet completed anything. Maybe you learned a new skill or experimented with a new process. Some artists are learning how to make the transition to the virtual art world, by taking or teaching classes online, or entering virtual exhibitions, or staying connected by participating in virtual art fairs. It is also OK to just focus on developing your art. When the noise of the world intrudes, remember the advice of Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. She suggests starting the day with "morning pages," one of her tools for creative recovery. You write out three pages, in longhand, every morning, about what you are thinking and feeling. You don’t critique the pages or even reread them. This habit is especially helpful during stressful times. The morning pages drain your brain of thoughts that might get in the way of making art. Many artists find it helpful to include visual images, sketches or drawings of how you are feeling, rather than just words. Then give yourself permission to be an artist, in any way that comes naturally. Your own creativity will bring positive energy back into a world that badly needs it. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  In 2006 Daniel Pink predicted that the future would belong to creative people, especially those who were able to combine the two hemispheres of the brain into “a whole new mind.” While he did not anticipate our current crisis, he understood that artists could lead us through times of great uncertainty.
No one knows where the art world is headed right now, so it is time to create a new one. Artists are in the best position to do this because they are able to form images in the mind of what doesn’t yet exist. When you imagine a work of art, you find new relationships among familiar things. You make a collage out of antique wallpaper found in thrift shops; you photoshop images from many places into a new landscape; you sculpt the human body in the form of a vessel. These visual metaphors help you imagine and then create something new. An artist’s mind is intuitive rather than logical, synthetic rather than analytical. You experiment with materials and process just because they interest you. You don’t need to know the end result because you enjoy the process of discovery. You are not tied to what has gone before because you can visualize an alternative reality. What would happen if artists used these right brained strengths to build an art world that supported and sustained creative people? An art world that served the needs of artists and art lovers, collectors and critics, that welcomed the participation of broad and diverse audiences? What would this new reality look and feel like? Start small. Think about your own art practice and then about your local and regional art community. What could be different? What would be better? How do we begin? ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  In my last blog post I talked about an artist’s vision: what your art is all about, why it matters, how it lives out in the world.
If you intend to market and sell your art, this is your first step. You start with your personal vision, as this painter did: “I paint to celebrate daily life, to illuminate the ordinary, to shape the day.” In order to create a business, you first need to think about your customers. Entrepreneurs, who are the artists of the business world, develop what is called a “customer profile.” A profile defines the demographic characteristics of the people who might buy your art (their age, gender, income level, etc.). Your customers are the audience for your art, your fans and followers, your people. You may not have a lot of detailed information about them, but take a look at what you do know. Who has recently bought your work (or would buy it if they could)? Do they tend to be older, younger, rural, urban? What do they have in common? This information will help you figure out the next step: your marketing strategy. How will your work become visible to your audience? Where will they find it? How will they learn about you? The more you know about your potential customers, the easier it is to figure out how and where they buy art. Then you’ll need to set up some simple measurements. Your art career is like a road trip, where measurements are signposts to keep you on track. This is especially important when you are stuck. A good measurement system puts you in motion again. Follow these first steps in order to create a business plan. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards Please note: I recently published a longer version of this article, “An Artist Should Think Like an Entrepreneur,” in www.callforentries.com. This well-curated site lists open calls for artists and photographers. Take a look, you can join for free!  Artists are beginning to realize that their own unique vision can be a source of inspiration to others during difficult times. A local artist/teacher, Janet Jacobs, recently sent me a link to her online workshop, “Sketchbook as a Place of Solace.” The title says it all. Your own vision is embedded in the art you create. You may rarely talk about it, since the art itself expresses what you want to say. Yet it can be helpful to articulate what your art is all about. Perhaps you offer an alternate reality, as the sculptor Phyllis Thelen does: “Through my art, people may escape to serene places of the planet and the mind, and take peace and pleasure from time spent there.” Your intentions may be more explicit. The jewelry designer Leslie Lawton describes her vision: “I want to empower women to choose to be visible, to make an authentic personal statement.” Your unique vision may grow out of your choice of materials. The fiber artist Carol Durham works in gut (pig casings), a material she uses because it is “not easy but challenging, as it gives me the ability to make uncommon three dimensional forms.” Or perhaps your materials and process open up the world of art to a wider audience. The artist Nancy Nichols teaches others how to paint with coffee because it takes the fear out of the process of learning to paint. If you haven’t yet articulated your own vision, think about how people respond to your work. What do they notice? How does it make them feel? How does your vision expand their world? Whether you are a portrait painter or sculptor, a photographer or mixed media artist, a graphic designer or comic book artist, think about why your art matters. ~ Mary
Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  In this moment it is hard to find the inspiration to move forward with your art practice. But think of it this way: your creativity is a source of positive energy you can use to shine your light during dark times.
If you are an emerging artist, there are many ways to move forward. You can develop what is called a “coherent body of work.” You can increase your efforts to become visible online, since that’s where the art world is headed. You can learn new skills and plan for the future. Try to make progress on any of these fronts. Set simple goals that can be easily measured. Focus on process, rather than results. For example, “spend three hours a day painting in the studio” is a goal describing your effort. Some days you will feel satisfied, and at other times you’ll be staring at the canvas. Eventually you’ll see results. You can also establish goals for becoming visible online. If you already have a website, you might want to add your latest work or update your “about” page. If you’re not ready for a website, choose another way to share your work online. Instagram offers a good place to start, but if you’re allergic to social media look for something else. Join your local art center. Even if they aren’t open yet, many offer virtual exhibitions and showcase members online. Another positive goal is to learn something. There are more workshops available online than ever before, so choose one and get started. If you think you’ll want to go to an artist residency in 2021/22, start now by researching programs that appeal to you. Art careers are built out of tiny incremental steps. Hope and plan for a better future, but get ready now. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  Everything in the art world is shifting. The most obvious trend is the move toward a virtual marketplace for showing and selling art. This has been happening gradually, but now we have new evidence that collectors will pay top prices for art they purchase online. Recently Frieze, the first major art fair in New York to happen virtually, reported strong “attendance” and sales.
This is just what is happening at the top. Galleries are also moving exhibitions online, artist/ teachers are offering classes on Zoom, everyone is adapting to an online marketplace. Yet I worry about what may get lost in this process. When all of our information comes from screens our senses are limited to sight and hearing. We are cut off from the other senses: touch, taste, and smell. Together the five senses provide information that is crucial for artists. They are the source of intuition, a way of knowing that is just as powerful as logic. Intuition is often described as a feeling, a “sixth sense” or “gut reaction,” a speeded up understanding that skips over cognitive processes yet still arrives at an accurate perception. For artists, much of your knowledge comes from intuition. The flat screen flattens our experience because we miss all the sensory information that deepens our connection to the world. Think of the difference between the weather prediction on your telephone vs. the actual weather. “Partly cloudy, 58 degrees” may be true, yet when you go outside you feel the wind, see the changing shapes of the clouds, and enjoy brief rays of the sun. So, my advice? Adapt to the virtual world as best you can, but never forget that the real world is the source of your art and inspiration. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  In my last blog post I talked about what happens when you decide NOT to do a long-planned project. I suggested that something else might open up in the space it used to occupy. This can happen naturally, but sometimes artists need to tease out the new.
How do you do this? First, follow the advice of Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizational expert. She created an international business by helping people get rid of possessions that no longer “spark joy.” Her method is odd but effective: hold each item in your hands, acknowledge the need it satisfied, and then say good-bye. If you do this with the project you’re about to abandon, you’ll be clearing space for something new. As you think about the project, identify what it meant to you. Whether half realized or barely begun, at one time your project expressed your values and needs. It might have been a new art series, or a way to earn income, or a way to give back to your community, or perhaps all of the above As you say good-bye to the project, ask yourself what was missing. Why didn’t it spark joy in you? As time passes, it may seem that nothing new will appear. Remember what nature teaches us about the creative process. In a dry season, many plants that are fed by underground streams look dead. Their branches are brown, without any signs of life. Yet slowly small green leaves begin to appear, and eventually there will be flowers. I always say that artists are like perennial plants. Your deep roots of creativity are alive, even in the darkest Winter. Give your new vision the time and space and effort it requires, and then look for the first signs of growth. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards  The current global crisis makes us focus on what is happening “out there.” It is important to be a good citizen, to stay informed and find ways to help others. Yet it is also a time for reflection and learning. By looking inward we allow ourselves to grow.
As you experience dramatic differences or subtle shifts in your world, notice the positive and negative effects on you. For example, is having more time making you more patient? Are you more relaxed because your days have fewer pressures? If the people around you are driving you crazy, have you found a way to carve out alone time? Are you able to tell your loved ones what you need? Whatever your circumstances, use this time to discover the real priorities in your life as an artist. Look at the commitments that used to fill your days, and no longer do. What purpose did they serve? What do you really miss? Think about the big projects that never seemed to get done, or even started, because you didn’t have time. Maybe you wanted to create a portfolio of images for submission, or learn how to build your Instagram following, or research galleries that would be right for you. If you are still avoiding that project, even though you now have time to do it, try to understand what’s going on. First, spend a day on the project you’re avoiding. Give it a fair chance to recapture your attention. Then make a decision: is it time to recommit or let this one go? If you recommit, chunk it down into manageable parts, and work on it an hour a day. Letting it go might be even more empowering. You may find your real priority in the space that opens up. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards |