Fame "When the curtain falls on the sordid strife That seemed so splendid, Thou shalt look with pain on the wasted life That thou hast ended." Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson , 1864-1941 (famous Australian writer) We already knew this, but... You will never get anywhere without these vital ingredients in your artistic life. Talent and publicity. The talent is easy enough, just work your arse off. Publicity is something else altogether. You are an artist, and you are probably poor, most artists are. You cannot afford to hire the expertise and don't have a few million to spend on marketing. Pretty depressing? Right? Not really. Lets look at PUBLICITY. Contrary to popular belief, publicity is not only having your name in lights, being on the nine O'clock news or being pursued by a bunch of screaming teenagers. Undoubtedly people will recognize your name, but so what. Ask someone who is not an artist: "How many contemporary artists have you heard of?" If they manage to list five they are above the norm. Most people I tried this on could name between two and six artists. Just think about this for a moment. How many pop stars do you think they can name, how many politicians, how many jocks. Why? Because they really don't care. Its not part of their life, and never will be. Art is expensive. Or in the case of most contemporary art; intellectually unattainable. Your product is designed for the enlightened and the rich. McDonalds makes burgers for the masses, Britney Spears and your politicians do the same. Hopefully you don't. so.. What amount and sort of fame do you need, and how do you get it? The rich guy buying your art will feel better about himself if his housekeeper doesn't have a clue as to which famous art piece she is dusting. His dinner guests should know, but not the hired help. A small digression would be the newly rich. They have the same taste as when they were poor. So they often buy popular and expensive stuff. This principal also applies to the artist making a living off grants and museum commissions. Except the rich guy is substituted by the committees and the museum directors in this case. They don't want the security guard to know how famous the art he is guarding is, but they are pleased to show off their refined taste to their fellow art connoisseurs. This theory is not new and it is not mine. The upper class, and yes there is one, will always do its best to stay one step ahead of the masses. It's a simple theory. And in our day and age it is not only people with fat wallets who fall into this category. It is also the intellectual and artistic elite. The rich guy has to stay one step ahead of the masses by buying expensive stuff, the intellectual will do this by having refined taste and knowledge which surpasses that of the hoards of non enlightened. So it is the upper class. The museum directors, art dealers, intellectuals, historians and collectors (rich guy) who have the power to make or break you. Contrary to popular belief-not the press. This is your target audience. If we accept this fact; we then have to see what is it they (the elite) want. And how to give it to them. I will agree that this is a rather depressing thought. But let's for a moment pretend that you "want it all"; respect in the right circles, money, and a small amount of fame. Once you have acquired the above mentioned talent (working your arse off for a few years) you can move on to the next step, which is you and your image. Why do you think politicians spend million of dollars and thousand of hours kissing babies and handing out clothes to the poor? Because it works, and the most important ingredient in your artistic success is YOU not your art. People remember other people a lot easier than they remember a work of art. This is just how our mind works, that simple. Now, as an artist you have an advantage over the dull politician. In some cases it will suffice just to be you; the freethinking slightly wacky artist. Your target audience will be relieved to know that you are living the life of the bohemian artist, a life they wouldn't mind living by the way. In any case it helps to have personality. It would be pointless to talk about the specific "image" you need, because there are so many of them. (Examples here) But no matter which image tickles your fancy, the quasi-intellectual horned glassed nerd type or the homosexual-drug type; remember one thing: Do it well. People love to gossip, and you have to give them the material. Apparently "gossip" is inherent in the human species. In days long past it was used to determine the bonding of relationships within a tribe. "Who is who and what did they do." I have my personal reservations against this naturally, it's got nothing to do with art. Just as blond babes have nothing to do with a Ferrari. The reality is the middle aged businessman in his fast car with his middle aged bitchy fur coat wife by his side. But we all remember the young blond marrying the dirty old rich man, don't we? It is just an image. You can still make great art. But remember. If you copy another artist in image or style you will just be doing him or her a big favour. And as I mentioned earlier, people love to gossip, and they will be gossiping about your lack of integrity and unoriginal art. So we now have an image and we have talent. What's the next step? The next step is to stay focused. Or at least to seem focused. There are thousands of talented and untalented artist in the world today, all screaming for attention. And how are you heard and the others ignored. People are generally insecure. You are insecure and I am insecure. The problem artist seem to have is a lack of self confidence. And naturally this lack of confidence is contagious. You have to believe in yourself, or no one else will. This I promise. I am not talking about being arrogant. But just a general belief in yourself. Confidence is contagious. You have to accept the fact that you are the only and single person in the world who is the foremost expert on the art you make. So share your expertise with others. Why not be confident? So now you have confidence, talent and an image. What next? Be they museum directors, gallery owners, collectors or art historians. You have to give them either money or recognition in return for their services. Art historians will be pleased when the artist they "discovered" becomes successful. Gallery owners will gain recognition and money if you have talent. Collectors will also do the same. Without other people making money or recognition off YOU the ARTIST, you will not get far. Again I stress: This is provided your goal is to "have it all". But, on the bright side, "Having it all" has got absolutely nothing to do with the art of making great art. |