The Challenge of “Social Relevance” for an Artist
- At May 30, 2024
- By René
- In Blog
- 4
Didn’t we kind of choose to be artists because this was the “zone” that worked for us? I mean, some people have said that my occasional lack of social fortitude stems from being a Sagittarius, but really, I just am what I am. I am not peachy day in and day out…I cannot hide it if I don’t like you…I don’t like crowds of people around me…I am not an athlete…I am extremely sensitive…and I’ve been known to get into some hefty bouts of depression. Even if I ever wanted a “day job”, there’s no way anyone would want to me. I am just not that person.
So fortunately I have a bit of talent to carry me through this life, and the title of Artist to forewarn anyone who might think I am capable of something I am not. But up until these last ten years or so, that was working fine. I could smoke, party, dress crazy, paint all night, enjoy being broke, and swear as much as I wanted and it was totally fine.
So obviously life changes. We grow up, we have kids, we live in the burbs….our work starts really selling, we have to deal with our galleries and collectors, we have to portray any number of different things at our openings- none of which is easy, and all the while, these days, we also have to maintain a presence on the internet with social media! That’s a lot! Every PR person, agent, or dealer that I have spoken to says that it is vital to “staying relevant”. Some of you may think I’ve been pretty good at this stuff, but the truth is, the thought of trying to keep up just makes me want to crawl into a hole. I think the best thing I ever did, in this regard, was to hire someone to do it all for me…but that has its problems too, AND it’s yet another expense! It’s frustrating to think that at this stage of my life, everything STILL boils down to nothing more than a popularity contest. I am not designed for that, and I would sooner bow out of the race. Though I will never stop painting.
The art business is a mighty strange business. It’s never going to make sense to me. But I want my legacy to be something pertaining to my art…my talent…my skill. Not how good I was at keeping my name out there and keeping people informed on every silly detail of my life. What would happen if we didn’t have this stuff? Does anyone even remember those days?? Nothing but land lines and mailboxes and Xerox machines to help us make things happen… There are some days when I really want to go back to those days…just delete all my accounts everywhere, throw away my cell phone, crank up some Pink Floyd and just paint. That would be a total “eccentric artist” thing to do though, wouldn’t it? So cliché.
So here I am…trying to keep it real. At least I really enjoy writing, so I don’t mind writing these blog posts. In fact, if anyone ever has a topic they’d want me to write about, I would love that suggestion! The last blog post about Chicago Artists is going to be republished on Chicago Artists Resource’s (CAR) site.
Oh, and P.S., you can find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Wikipedia, Pinterest, Flickr, Google+, and probably others that I have forgotten! Ha!!
Karen
I understand how you feel - if you have the right temperment to have what is a solitary occupation that involves a lot of time spent thinking or doing research, you are most likely not an extrovert. In some ways, that makes social media a nice tool - you don’t have to be extroverted online, you just need to be consistent. It is a lot easier for me if, at an opening for example, people already know the basics about my work, or my story, or whatever it is that captivates them. I’m not starting at square one, it involves a lot less talking and explaining.
I think of the social media that I do use as an opportunity for branding and hooking people in. I don’t post to anything with a great deal of frequency, but I have made sales that are a a direct result of someone feeling as if they’ve gotten to know me online. It might be more important to me at this stage of my career than it is to you, though. Rather than being established, I’m returning to making work after an extended hiatus due to family relocating several times, etc. I need to establish new relationships.
René
Well I think that whatever reason we choose for utilizing social media, is undoubtedly the right reason for each of us. Really, one way or another, it is ultimately a good tool that we have at our disposal, and when used to it’s full potential it can really help to catapult our “brand” to the masses.
Thank you for your comments.
Catherine Vibert
Social media is a total time suck. I used to be all revealish about all the little details of my life, or how I felt about things. Now I use it strictly professionally on Facebook, I talk to one or two friends on twitter and let my facebook page post my photography over there. Mostly I’m a little more social on G+ because it’s a great photographer’s forum, but even there I’m far less social as is possible. But I’m online enough for those who are thinking of hiring me, and are checking me out, to see what they’re getting when they hire me. Therefore I get a lot of work. The more work I have, the less time I have to be online. And that is fine with me. Computers kill your offline life if you let them.
Kim
I never would have thought that better technology would lead us to even busier lives and less free time… I guess that’s the price we pay for making the world smaller. The good ole days of us seeking out the spotlight are over… Now we must shine it in our own studios, open the door and let the fans seek us.