The Big Art World  often feels contradictory and impenetrable, hierarchical and chaotic. Galleries pressure you to be making “a coherent body of work,” and then won’t even look at your submissions. You struggle to learn how to be visible on Instagram, and then they change the algorithm so hashtags don’t matter anymore. 

What are you supposed to do? It’s hard to get it right, because the old rules don’t make sense anymore. I believe the way to navigate these contradictions is to concentrate on making the best work you can, every day, and stay true to your own vision and values. Sometimes this means breaking the rules.

We recently lost a beloved Bay Area artist who did just that. Patricia Oji created many different bodies of work: urbanscapes of San Francisco, imaginary bugs with Latin names, a series of “lovable canines” revealing the character and personality of shelter dogs waiting to be adopted.  By exploring different subjects she got better and better as an artist.  

Her new series, “Trees of Life,” was a response to “uncertain and stressful times.” This work fully  expressed her values. Trees of life, honored in many cultures, symbolize the interconnectedness  of all living things, the diversity of species, strength and hope for the future of our planet. While she was a talented oil painter, this new work was made of simple materials: graphite, colored pencil, and ink on paper.

The lesson here is that sometimes you have to break the rules in order to grow. You experiment, you develop your skills, you explore different ideas. If, at the same time, you are able to stay true to your values, your work will become simpler and stronger.

Patti was recently killed in a traffic accident. We will miss her.​

I wanted to let everyone know about my new in-person workshop for San Francisco Bay Area artists! Sign up through Marin MOCA (marinmoca.org/class24). 

How Art Careers Happen Now
Thursday, September 11; 1pm - 3:45 pm
Where: Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, 1210 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael (at B Street)

The professional landscape for artists can be confusing. Many artists wonder what success looks and feels like now, and what they need to do to break through all the noise.

In this interactive workshop artists will learn how to examine their own career goals and progress, identify their biggest challenges, and plan their next steps. Mary will provide an overview of the ways current emerging, mid-career and established artists are making progress in their careers.

An artist who took an earlier version of the workshop said: "The handouts alone from this great class guided my career for six months!"

Here's what you will learn:

• how galleries and museums find artists and what artists can do to connect with them
• the skills, experiences, and credentials that are most important now
• what an artist should look for in a gallery
• find out what it takes to get a museum show
• figure out whether a social media presence is essential for your own career progress

Let me know if you have questions about this workshop. 

Fee: MarinMOCA Members $95; Non-Members $110

Many artists are introverts, or maybe just shy. The thought of standing up in front of people and giving a talk is terrifying. But the more successful you become the more likely it is that you’ll be asked to talk about your work, in person, to an audience. How do you get over your fear?

When you’re fearful you are focusing on yourself. What if you forget what you want to say? What if you make a mistake? When you change your focus to your audience’s needs and interests, you get out of your own head. So think about why they came and what they don’t know about you and your work. What is obvious to you can be a revelation to your audience.
 
Take a look at your artist statement. Even if it’s not perfect, you may find the key points of your talk there. Go through it, underlining the ideas and phrases that you like. Then imagine how you would convey those ideas to a friend, chatting over a cup of coffee or on a walk. Spoken language is more casual, less formal than what’s written down. 

Here’s a possible structure for your talk:

• Thank the organization and people who invited you. 
• Introduce yourself with personal details (your name, your medium, where you live).
• Make a few key points, for example: 
  - Talk about what inspires you.
  - Describe the ideas or themes the work explores.
  - Note what’s interesting about your materials and process.
  - Highlight  details they should notice.

You’ll be tempted to read your talk, but please don’t. A talk is a talk, a chance to connect with people. Leave time for questions at the end! You’ll be relaxed by then and your talk can turn into a real conversation.  

Most creative people occasionally feel stuck. You find yourself up against a wall of nothing: no new ideas, no energy, no enthusiasm for making art. You begin to doubt yourself and your work.  In order to break the logjam, try looking to the past.  You may need to look backward in order to move forward. See if you can recover the core of self who loves to make art. 

When I ask artists how their art-making impulse began, they often smile and recall childhood memories. “I was always drawing . . .  I loved to color . . .  I made boxes out of paper in the third grade.”  Even those who ended up spending 20 years as an accountant remember the child who loved to make art .

So when your creativity dries up, look to the past.  Mine your own archives, looking for new inspiration.  Try to find the seed of an idea that might now be ready to grow. 

​Nature provides wonderful metaphors for creative renewal.  Seeds are dormant, dry and closed, and don’t become seedlings until they receive the proper nutrients: the right temperature, moisture, light and oxygen.

So make sure your working conditions are right for you.  How do you feel when you enter your creative space? Think about whether you need more light, more air, more open space? Is your own environment right for growth?

A dormant seed has to break out of its protective coating before it can become a seedling. Is your inertia a way of protecting yourself? Are you stuck because you don’t want to feel vulnerable?  What do you fear? 

Remember, creative growth requires belief in yourself and the courage to break free from limitations. Don’t hesitate to create the conditions that will help you grow.

Did you know that Stanford University has recently adopted an Arts By Prescription program? Students can go to their health service and receive a prescription for free “doses” of art and cultural activities to improve their mental and emotional well-being.

This unusual program is the result of long-term research on the health benefits of arts participation (see Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross). The book is dense with complex research studies, but its message is clear: involvement in the arts is good for you.

For artists struggling to create in our chaotic times, I’m happy to say that the brain research also applies to the process of making art. This confirms my own experience as an artist coach. When artists tell me how they struggle to make art while bombarded by the news, I tell them to turn off the TV and get back to the studio. When artists are paralyzed by FOMO as they follow the social media feeds  of their friends, I suggest they get out a sketchbook and go for a walk. When artists are recovering from rejections from a seemingly indifferent art world, my advice is the same: get back to making art.  

Here are a few examples of the health benefits of art-making: 

• Art-making reduces stress and anxiety
• Engages multiple cognitive skills (problem solving, spatial reasoning, etc.)
• Improves attention span and memory
• Improves mood and a sense of well-being
• Provides a space for exploring and expressing emotion

So when you are in doubt about the value of your work in the marketplace, be selfish. Do it just for you. 

Give yourself a healthy dose of art. You don’t even need a prescription.

Note: Many thanks to Pamela Coddington Samaniego for highlighting this research at her recent talk for  Marin Arts. 

For most of us, in art as in life, you have to do it wrong a lot before you get it right. People in their second or third marriages know this, but simpler examples come to mind. Think of a stumbling toddler learning how to walk, or the process of training your dog to sit. Perhaps the best example comes from the history of scientific invention. Thomas Edison, when asked about how he discovered the right materials to make the light bulb, famously said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” 

This is a good lesson for artists who hesitate to fail. If you are risk averse, afraid of the uncertainty and vulnerability of trying new things, you won’t grow. The art world can be an irrational place, so you often need to experiment.

When artists who are now becoming successful look back on how it happened, they describe many unsuccessful attempts: rejections from granting agencies, rebuffs from galleries, disappointing sales. In each case these artists found a way to learn from their experience. They got better at failing.

You can move beyond feelings of disappointment and anger by analyzing what happened. You discover how your strategies and tactics might need to change. You may be applying for opportunities that aren’t right for you, or trying to get into galleries that aren’t a fit for your work. When you hear a NO, here are some key questions to ask:
​

• Did you need to do more research before applying?
• If you tried again, what would you do differently? 
• How could you get a wider perspective on what happened?
• When you compare your background to other artists, what are your strengths and weaknesses? 

Most important, ask yourself: what can I learn?