​What’s on your mind?

Do you have a question about your art practice, but don’t know who to ask?

Here’s your opportunity!

In the next few blog posts I am answering artists’ questions. If you would like your own question to be considered, please send it to: coaching@coachingforartists.com.

​Here are three recent questions from artists.
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​Question #1.
How do you know when to suggest that an artist try a new medium, instead of staying with safe, familiar materials?
- Needing Something New

Dear NSN,
The answer to your question is hiding in the words you choose to ask it. When you describe your materials as safe and familiar, it probably means that you are no longer growing or challenging yourself. Try to remember what it felt like when you first created the art that now seems so predictable. Were you experimenting and having fun? Did you have any idea how it would all turn out?
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Try to recapture that spirit. Play with new approaches to familiar themes. Find out what excites you now. You might want to make a number of subtle changes in your technique, or perspective, or color palette, instead of shifting to a whole new medium. When you let your work develop slowly and organically, your art will reveal what it wants to become.

Question #2.
Since I’m an introvert, it is difficult for me to talk with people at shows and other events. I know it’s important to connect with people, but it is just so hard for me! How can I get better at this?
- Quiet

Dear Quiet,
Many artists need help learning how to talk about their art, but introverts and extroverts face opposite challenges. Extroverts enjoy interacting with people because it gives them energy. For introverts, solitude is your energy source, and too much social stimulation can be overwhelming.

Before a social event, spend time alone planning what you hope to communicate. Make notes, and then practice with a friend or in front of a mirror. Repeat a few key phrases about your art. What is it about? Why do you make it? You might look at your artist statement for inspiration.

When someone talks to you at a social event, don’t get serious right away. Introverts tend to think that “small talk” is a waste of time. But talking small about travel or children or hobbies helps you learn about the big stuff: people’s interests, tastes, and circumstances. You will discover how to connect your art with their lives.

Remember, extroverts don’t always have an easy time of it. Their love of talk makes them so relaxed in social settings that they lose focus. I recently overheard an artist talking about her dog to a dog-loving gallery owner. She got so enthusiastic she forgot to mention her art.

As an introvert, you should try to speak with people one or two at a time. If you get overwhelmed, take a break. Get a glass of water and breathe for a few minutes. Look at your notes, calm yourself, and go back into the fray. Practice will build your confidence.

Question #3.
How can I focus on doing one thing well? I tend to be very scattered and do a number of different things. Do I focus on spending time in the studio, or making art products, or taking online classes, or giving workshops, or . . . what?
- All Over the Place

Dear All Over,
Artist never do only one thing, but it sounds like you are juggling a number of activities without knowing how they all fit together. The source of all this work, of course, is YOU. What do you want to be known for? What is your primary purpose? If you could spend a day doing only one thing, what would it be?

Try this exercise. On a big piece of paper, create a small picture of every art activity that takes your time. Sketch them or use an image clipped from a magazine. Then draw lines and arrows to show how each effort connects with the others. Your messy diagram should start to reveal a pattern. How many of the arrows lead to the same activity? This is your core. It might be teaching, or selling, or the art-making itself. Notice the outliers, where the activity isn’t connected to anything else. This might be the effort that has outlived its usefulness.

When you identify the core of your work, try spending twice as much time on it every day. Do this for a week, and see how you feel. You will be strengthening the heart of your art practice, and less important activities will fall away.

What’s Your Question?
Please send me a question that has been on your mind recently. Send it to coaching@coachingforartists.com.

All the best, 
Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D. 
www.coachingforartists.com
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I’m a Career & Life Coach for Artists. I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area, but work with artists throughout the United States and all over the world.

I've been writing this blog post since January, covering topics from my workshops and coaching practice. The first ten posts were all about what successful artists do every day. The next five talked about four levels of opportunity for artists who are following a career path in the Big Art World.

Now I'd like to shift gears, with your help. Please send me your questions. Just imagine that we are talking together, in your studio or at a coffee shop, or on the telephone. What do you really want to know? I will collect your questions and begin to answer them in my next blog post.

Here are two questions artists asked me recently.

Question #1
A friend of mine came to the opening reception of my new show. She said she loved my paintings, and then she said: "You know, I would buy one, but my walls are full!" She has a big house and lots of money. I didn't know what to say. 
- Puzzled

Dear Puzzled,
When someone says their walls are full, they make it sound like they are ending the conversation. You want to keep it going and help them think beyond their automatic reply. Your friend is thinking of art as heavy furniture, where changing the location is a big job. Most art actually weighs little. People just don't think about rearranging their art, and so they stop seeing what they used to love.

Here are some responses you might try:
"What do you do when your closet is full?"
"Do you ever loan out items from your collection to people who can't afford to buy art?"
"If you had someone to help you, how would you rearrange your art?"

Remember, always ask questions. When you make suggestions, most people respond by telling you why that won't work. You want to help people come up with their own ideas. Somebody who loves your art, and knows their own space, is in the best position to find a place for it.

Question #2
How do I stay motivated? I have plenty of inspiration and lots of work to do, but some days I just don't feel like going into my studio. 
- Don't Feel Like it

Dear DFLI,
Be thankful that you have plenty of inspiration, but remember that art-making isn't a linear process. Creativity happens in unpredictable rhythms and unlikely places. When you don't feel like going into the studio, go somewhere else to see if you can find fresh energy.

Put yourself in motion. Meet a friend for a walk, and talk about your art in a positive way. Describe how you imagine your work living out in the world. Sometimes talking to a sympathetic listener reminds you of what your art is all about.
You might also take a fresh look at that studio you don't want to visit and see what needs to be changed. Don't make yourself crazy with a complete renovation project, but maybe your creative space needs more light, or music, or a new way to organize materials. Remember that artists are visual thinkers, so the look and feel of your surroundings has a powerful impact on your motivation.

And sometimes you just need to take a break. Your creative brain will still be working while you are playing, and soon you'll be ready to make art again.

What's Your Question?
Please send me a question that has been on your mind recently. Send it to coaching@coachingforartists.com. I will choose a few questions to answer in my next blog post.

All the best, 
Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D. 
www.coachingforartists.com
​
I'm a Career & Life Coach for Artists. I'm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, but work with artists throughout the United States and all over the world.

In my last blog post we looked at different ways for established artists to get noticed. This process is known as "getting on the radar." Today we will take a look at the next level, which I call "making it."

If you're just joining this discussion, you can catch up by downloading my free handout below. It shows four levels of exhibition opportunities available to artists, presented as a staircase. You can also find blog posts about each level.

 Stages of an Art Career (52 KB)

Use the staircase to figure out where you are right now in your art career, and where you want to go. The opportunities listed at each level will help you become an artist whose name and work people start to recognize. As you put yourself out there, you gradually build your career.

At the higher levels, the first thing to remember is that the kind of art you make matters. In the contemporary art world right now, artists receive attention for breaking new ground. Their art often explores social, political, or aesthetic ideas. They use their medium in new and experimental ways. Artists are recognized for combining and collapsing the boundaries of traditional media. This work is experimental and interdisciplinary in the broadest sense of the term.

At the higher levels, gallery representation becomes important because of what a good gallery can do for you. They can give you a solo show of new work every few years, present your art to collectors, and take your work to the national and international art fairs. If your gallery is well connected, your work will be reviewed in art magazines and shown in museums.

Another key factor in "making it" is your network. Artists get ahead through their contacts with curators, gallerists, museum directors, arts writers, and other leaders. These people often nominate artists for the major awards and fellowships.

Since these opportunities are announced and some even solicit applications, you might think it is an open process, but often a short list exists where well-known artists are invited to apply. Before you spend valuable time applying for a Guggenheim, research the artists who were awarded the Fellowship in the last few years. You will find that they have very strong resumes and are well connected. If you're ready for a residency but don't yet have such credentials, apply for the many fine residencies that are open to applications. (See the Alliance of Artist Communities for a comprehensive list.)

Many artists think that they need an MFA to succeed in the art world. Having the degree will help your career primarily because of the contacts you make. The faculty at art schools often know the people at galleries, museums, art publications, etc. Their contacts are not just local but reach across the country. They meet each other at conferences, travel to art fairs, read art magazines, and stay on top of trends. Sometimes they can introduce you to a gallery, recommend you for an award or residency, or promote your work to a curator or writer.

If you are already an established artist, don't think you have to go back to school for an MFA. Concentrate on building your reputation by using your own network of relationships.

So far I've been describing a traditional, even old-fashioned path towards "making it" in the art world. Today you have alternative ways to succeed, depending on your goals. Many excellent artists have established themselves entirely through their online presence, including active use of social media to promote themselves and their work. Other artists are successful by selling their work on Etsy, or on home décor sites, or through licensing agents and art consultants.
Alternative art fairs have popped up in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, so that individual artists without gallery representation have a chance to participate. Often these events run parallel to the major art fairs, and add fresh energy.

So, think about it. What does "making it" mean to you? Then begin to take the first small steps on your own path.

All the best,
Mary Edwards

I'm a Career & Life Coach for artists and other creative people. I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area but work with artists throughout the U.S. and all over the world.

If you’d like to schedule a time to talk, please write to me at coaching@coachingforartists.com.