Just thinking today and last night about ARt and the whole creative process of making ARt. What makes the art REAL AEt? When does it move from GCSE level ARt to REAL ARt? When do you know you are an artist, a REAL artist? When is it art and when is it (just?) graphic design? When do you charge £40 for a portrait, then £4000 for a piece of work? How do you price it? In hours? In pain?
I was thinking about some of my ‘peers’ – some have such wonderful self-c0nfidence in themselves and the work they produce. Where does this come from? Are they born with this confidence? Does it come naturally? Is it growing, with every compliment and carefully chosen word of praise? Is it growing from their own belief?
I’d like a chunk of that confidence. I think I would rather show my ‘work’ anonymously, hiding behined a curtain (like the Wizard of Oz), listening out to comments, to see what the ‘public’ really think of it. And then there’s the public – who are they? People who frequent art galleries? People who read the Daily Mirror? People at the bus stop?
As an ARtist, I should be researching other artists, see what’s happening out there in the ARtWorld. But I was always impressed with those rare musicians, who, upon the release of a wonderful concept album, would announce that they had locked themselves away in some studio in some dreamy location, and didn’t listen to the radio or watch TV for two years…
No such thing as a virgin text ya know… hmmm – I’m never wholly convinced on that one – I think there is a get out clause waiting to be written or drawn…
So if it’s worth a lot of money, is it really worth a lot? Is that the aim? Not the purpose, maybe, but if successful = good, and good = £££, then to be successful = to earn/charge £££.
So why am I in it?
For the praise? – A little,
For the money? Not really (can’t wholly say no, as it would always be nice to earn money from artwork I made, but it is not why),
For self-pride? – Possibly (pride comes before a fall…)
For enjoyment, to challenge the creative demons – most definately – to free those demons, locked up for 15 years of working, toil and strife….