Life as an artist

Michael Fournier · 07-19-2002, 02:54 PM

In this forum we all post about painting, modernist vs. traditionalist painters, abstract vs. realist. We post on direct painting of alla prima and about underpainting and glazes. We post about the use of lead paints and turps. vs. more healthy alternatives. We post about at the state of art education today.

Well, here is a thread about "What it is to be a artist today." No discussion on technique or style or about whose art deserves to be art. We all are at different stages in art. Some of the members are FT professional artists who earn their livings in art. Some are young and have just started to dream of a career as an artist.

Still others have lived part or most of their lives doing something else to earn a living. Some are now are taking up painting or have always dreamed of a career in the arts if only life

Michael Fournier · 07-19-2002, 03:00 PM

I would like to start this thread with a thought of why is it that so few art students ever become professional artists.

Think about this a minute. How many accounting students do you know that don't get a job as an accountant upon graduation? Now, how many people with an art degree have you meet that do something else for a living? Now I am sure more then a few accountants have tired of that job and moved on to other things but usually after at least having gotten their first job and received a few pay checks as a accountant.

But many art school gradates never sell a single piece of work nor do they get enough money from art to pay their bills, yet we continue to take their money at schools of higher learning all over the world.

Funny if you told some one "pay me $15,000-$30,000 over 4 -6 years and I will teach you a skill that you will never earn a single penny doing but I will give you a piece of paper that says you are a expert at it." How many people do you think would do it?

This is exactly what thousands of art students do each year. And those taking the money know the odds but they earn their money selling the dream. Many art teachers went from art student to art teacher without ever having to build a career as a artist so although they know a lot about art (many have masters degrees) they know nothing of earning a living as a artist.

They have never lived the life of an artist. They lived the life of a student then the life of a teacher, not an Artist. So sure, they can prepare a student to follow the same path as them if the student is lucky enough to find a teaching position, since there are only so many positions for art teachers and many art students.

I feel that is part of the reason many art students fail to have a career in the arts. Their paintings from college hang on the wall at their mother's house or sit up in their attic along with their dreams.

Well that

Gene Snyder · 07-26-2002, 08:36 AM

WOW, Michael!

What a thought-provoking question! Where to start on this one? What is it like for me to be an artist today? I can't say I can offer much experience from "making a living as an artist", but I can share some thoughts. I, like you, think about this a lot. I'd have to say that I'm a mix of some of the descriptions you had. I'm not old (yet) and I'm not young either. (There is a middle ground, isn't there?) I've been creating art for quite a while now, at times more seriously than others. I'm not working full-time creating art, but art is a big part of my life and I'm at the beginning of building an art career. However, I do not think that I will be able to settle for the "Artist Retirement Plan" and wait that long. There is just no way that I see that happening. I've made sure that art has been involved some way in that "9 to 5" job. Currently, I'm digitizing an art collection containing over 15,000 artworks. So I get to see art all day - which is a good thing!

To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, here's some of my background. During high school, I'd say, is when the art bug really bit and I became "serious" (the first time around). I made a transition from drawing comic book characters to drawing from life. That new experience of drawing from life was my first taste of what I thought "real art" was all about. Then, during my final year (I was taking 6 periods of Art and 1 period of English then), I attended an "open enrollment" day at the Maryland Institute of Art. While there, I drew a portrait from a live model for the first time (which I can post here, if you'd like - maybe a new "Early Works" thread?). Drawing from the model was fascinating! To capture another person on paper was an incredible experience for me. I was really hooked then. Also, I was just then starting to read about Michelangelo and Da Vinci, so that experience really hit home. The following year, I attended the Institute and found the drawing classes fantastic, but wasn't quite ready for all the design and theory yet. I felt that I still needed more of the fundamentals and was overwhelmed by it all. This, in addition to financial troubles, forced me to drop out and join the military as a last resort.

The military, as I saw it then, was not the place for art (especially in the infantry). It wasn't until after two years of neglecting my art, that I finally pulled it back together, and started working again (the second time around). The right people saw my work, next thing you know, I'm painting murals instead of changing truck tires in the motor pool. A year later, I changed jobs to become a military graphic artist (yes, they do have those). Along the way, I painted backdrops for Army shows, worked as a full-time combat artist, and taught drawing, painting, and digital media to new artists coming into the military. Plus, I earned my degree while in the military studying art at a non-traditional school (although it is not a fine art degree, I still put in just as many hours studying art history and producing studio work). Somehow, along the way, I got hooked by digital art and thought that was the way to go. So, once again, I neglected the art that I first fell in love with and went chasing this multimedia dream, only to find out that the career field is not at all what it appears on the outside. Plus, I kept having this urge to want to get away from the computer and "get my hands dirty" again. There was always that small tugging feeling that I should be painting or drawing instead of learning what the latest Photoshop gizmo was in version 100.5!

So here I am (the third and last time around). I'm drawing and painting again with renewed vigor, but all of the above experiences play a part in what makes me tick as an artist. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to me as an artist if I had finished school at the Maryland Institute instead of spending 12 years in the military. Then a voice speaks up and says, "What does it matter? You're here and you're still doing it. Right? Now is the time, forget about what coulda or shoulda happened." I feel I was better off anyway taking the "hard road". Art was always there no matter how much I thought it wasn't. So here I am.

I think being an artist today is a tough job. Well, considering my "on and off" relationship with my art, I can see why. I think being an artist naturally makes one introspective and always looking inside for guidance. I'm sure there are very few artists out there that are just "an eye" recording images without regard to personal attachment or interest in their subject. However, I also think that this introspection brings about many of the "hang ups" that artists carry with them (I really don't see your accountant getting too upset over that quarterly budget that was off and carrying that with them for years on end). There had to be a degree of separation from the work, and I think it has taken me this long to get to that point of "letting go" of the work. Treating it as a product, something that someone wants, hopefully.

Of course, all of this has an effect on me. I think what I have to do is remember that I can only be three people:

1. The artist that I strive to be.
2. The artist that others see.
3. The artist that I really am.

This brings up all sorts of questions. How do others view me as an artist? When they see my work, do they take me seriously? Do I have to prove to them that what I do is important and is a livelihood? Then again does it really matter what they think? Does the auto mechanic down the street have to do the same thing with his work? Why should I? Here's my art, buy it if you like, if you don't that's OK, but here's my card to give to someone who may like to buy it. Thanks.

I think the hardest part about being an artist is just showing up. It took so long to overcome this and it still lingers. There are so many ways to steer yourself away from it. I think the artist that has the guts to consistently produce and "push through" is the one who is most successful. Really being there, even aside from the 9-5, is what counts. Because I'm not painting in the studio or out trudging through some woods with easel in hand, doesn't mean that I'm not thinking or reading about it while I'm on the train. Does this make me any less an artist than the latest artist gracing the cover of International Artist or American Artist? These are the things that can become a huge distraction. Yes, it would be nice to wake up every morning at 6am, take a shower, eat breakfast, and wander into the studio at 7am to paint through until 5pm. This is the dream, but just because that is not happening now, doesn't make me less of an artist than someone who does. Then, of course, I read about so and so and see photos of them in this HUGE loft studio in New York with the north light window as big as storefront, busts and casts all over the place, etc. This gets all those gears turning again. What makes a "real" artist? I don't think that is it. Again, it's showing up and really making a go at it that counts.

I also think that there is a transition that occurs as one's career grows. The more the artist produces, the less attached they become to their work, which makes it easier to move ahead. I have to say that reading the posts on this forum has motivated me to get things moving. I've taken a more active role in "pushing" my art rather than letting people come to me. For example, I always have a least one business card with me. I see myself more as a businessperson than an artist. I'm willing to part with my work now and know that more will come. However, just let me get my photograph of it and you can take the original to do what you want. I've finally made that transition from painting only for myself to painting myself to share with others. I've arrived.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Don't give up." No matter how much of an artist you think you are not, don't stop producing. The work is where it's at. Just the mere fact that you're thinking about it makes you as much of an artist as everyone else.

Tammy Nielsen · 07-26-2002, 10:31 AM

Thanks, Michael and Gene for bringing up so many interesting points.

I live in a small town and people ask me why I do art and I say, "Because I've never been able to get the security type of job." I literally paint to survive. Someone asked me to paint a mural on their barn, I said, "Sure," then went to the library to learn everything I could and painted a mural. It's still there and colorfast, after 5 years. I've met some wonderful people and had wonderful adventures. But if you call and ask me to do other jobs I do those too, just so I can keep going.

I'm planning to have an Open Studio soon, which should be interesting. And I go down to a local resort on the weekends and do portraits like Lon used to do at the mall. I get to do a few from life, but most are from photos. But Gene, I'm passing out the business cards. And I love the strokes people give you while they watch you work. "Wow! You're good!" never hurts me at all. And I always ask people if they're artist, and if they are, I try to encourage them to get going while they're young and can see well (glasses give me fits), and to get their work out there. I asked one little girl who was doing laundry how many times anyone stopped and told her "Wow, you do a great job in the laundry." I tried to get her to draw each night, etc. Well, those are just some of my experiences.

Michael Fournier · 07-26-2002, 05:52 PM

Well, to those in this Forum who just do portraits, this may not apply (or maybe it does), but here is my day fighting an artist block.

I have 20 or so paintings to do for a show coming up and I have 3 done. I have 3 started and the rest I have no idea of what I will paint. Today I stretched and gessoed canvas. But what to paint next? I know the gallery owner wants sales; I try not to think about what sells as I plan paintings, but if you want to sell, you can't always paint what you like. Usually I have many ideas but today I'm stumped. It's still early, so I walk to the coffee shop and bakery down the road. As I walk, I think about the canvases stacked by my easel and the show. But not long after I hit the street I'm lost in the day.
I get to the coffee shop order my usual cappuccino and Danish. As I make my way back, I can't wait to start painting.

I get home, take out my sketchbook and there I find a few figure studies that give me a few more ideas. Then I set up my easel. I can't usually just jump into a painting, so I start with one that I started already, that just needs a few touches. I start mixing paint, and as I work I get into a flow. Now I set the early painting aside, put a small 9x12 canvas on the easel and start to paint a new painting.

It's not done yet, but now I have 4 paintings started and I am working. Well, this is how I beat my artist block today. I needed to stop thinking about the show so I took a walk. Later I will finish these two paintings, but I will start another before I finish the first ones. Since I have a hard time starting a painting session jumping right into a blank canvas, I always want something on the previous one left to do to - kind of to give me a start. It works for me.

Do you get artist block? What kinds of things do you do to get past it?

Susan Ballinger · 07-26-2002, 09:39 PM

I think it's funny that you should happen to compare an artist's life to an accountant's. My mom, sister and one of my best friends are all accountants. I feel like I live on the other side of the spectrum sometimes. I went to school to become an actuary until I decided it wasn't for me. My mom always thought that it was odd that I was talented in art and math since it means I use both sides of the brain so well (most people tend to use more of one side I believe). They all went to school to become accountants, and all had eager companies looking to recruit them when they graduated.

Art is not as stable a career. I think that's why I had originally gone down the actuarial path - it's rated as the #2 best job to have, in fact. But I realized I wouldn't be happy. So here I am, working a retail job while I try to build a career as an artist. I can identify with the term 'starving artist' as I try to support my family. But I have become a self-promoter, where I used to be shy about my work. I take my paintings to work to show to everyone, and in fact have my boss's wife convinced to have one done of their sons. I just grinned when one of my co-workers asked what I was doing working there if I could paint like that.

I have no doubt that I will someday be able to stay home with my family and paint. It may not be the most stable or lucrative job for me, but it's what feeds my soul.

Michael Fournier · 07-27-2002, 10:44 AM

Well, Susan, I picked accountant for the very reason that it is at the opposite spectrum in job security to artist. It is the very essence of a safe career, and schools actually think, as they teach you, that you will get a job as an accountant.

But on the other side, no one feels an artist's job is secure, nor do schools teach the business side of art (part of the problem).

You would think from the way art is taught that we were all idle rich who just want to make art for art's sake, and don't need to care about selling, or that we actually want to starve, and by doing so, the pain will help us create better art before we die.

I think it is great you have both a business sense and a talent for art. I made it all the way though to calculus and pre-engineering courses in trade school and was a helicopter crew chief (repaired turban engines) in the army for 3 years. So I do not think being a left-brain thinker leaves you out of being able to comprehend math or scientific studies.

I wish you all the best, and you sound like the type that can succeed. It takes relentless self-promotion to make it in this job of Artist. Unlike engineers and accountants, no one is knocking on your door to offer you a job. But rest assured, being an artist is a job, a full-time one (even if you have another job to pay bills), that can make you enough money to live on. And can even bring in so much money, you need to hire an accountant to help you invest all the extra money.

Susan Ballinger · 07-27-2002, 12:13 PM

Thanks for the encouragement, Michael!

I'm pretty anxious to get to the part about earning my living from my artwork. The retail life isn't exactly glamorous.

Susan

ReNae Stueve · 07-28-2002, 08:10 AM

Wow,

I had not really given this much thought until reading your posts here. I'd daydreamed how great it would be to earn a living painting or drawing all day. But Michael, after reading your post of a "day in the life" I can't imagine having to "squeeze" inspiration out of myself, under the pressure of a pre-arranged commitment for...how many paintings did you say?

I've come to the conclusion that I need my day job, not only for the income but also for the balance. I'm in electrical/lighting sales. It's technical, and like all sales, high pressure. When I arrive home, turn on NPR and enter my "studio" I literally transform. And the "Art" just flows. If it were the other way around, and I painted by day, and had to find an escape for that in the evening, my lord. My hat is off to all who have self-actualized as income producing artists.

For me, balance is everything. I'd like to hear more about what those of you who DO earn you total living, producing, do for balance.

Michael Fournier · 07-28-2002, 11:27 AM

It's 20, but since that post I have finished 3 more, and have 5 started. So I have 12 left to start.

This is not how I always work, but as an illustrator, I always have a deadline; that is, in some ways, easier, since an art director comes up with the idea most of the time and I just need to visualize it.

I have only just started as a portrait painter, so I have taken it upon myself to do some self- promotion. I do not have a rep or an exclusive gallery contract, so have to do what ever it takes to get sales and commissions.

Why 20? Well, you see I wanted a show to get portrait commissions, but most of the portrait paintings I have done are already sold. The gallery wanted paintings that they could get a sales commission on, and I need money to print a brochure.

So, I agreed to do these 20 paintings for the show and they would allow me to hang three portraits (which are already sold). In addition (and the part I was not thrilled with), I have to give them a commission of 40% on any portrait sales I make from contacts at the show. I only get about $600-$1000 for my paintings, so to get the money I need, after splitting the sales with the gallery, 20 was the magic number of paintings that would cover my costs, and give me some money to put in my pocket. (Well, 10 would cover costs, but I don't expect all 20 to sell at the show.)

So it will be the commissions and contacts that I can make after the show that will make me the money (I hope). The thing is, promotion is like that: it costs money, but if you don't do it you can't make money.

And it does not stop there. I still need to plan the next show and then, if I am lucky and this show goes well, I can get the gallery to cover the cost of promoting the show since I am making them money now. See that's how it works: if your stuff is selling, then galleries want to hang it. But if you need sales, then they don't want you. Kind of like the bank - if you have money they will gladly loan you some, but if you need it... well, you know.

That's how this started anyway. But would I trade this for a 9-5 job? Well, some days, but this is what I wanted, and most of the time I enjoy my life so I think I'll stick it out just the same.