ASK ESA - Career Coaches

Greetings loves - I was thinking today of writing a new warm and fuzzy self-help book entitled "Cast-a-Net" but it sounded too much like something a flamenco dancer might employ - so I decided to write a little something for you instead. Having just returned from a relaxing trip to Montreal to practice my French and having seen Sam Taylor Wood at the Musée d'art Contemporain de Montréal and Roy Arden at the Espace VOX I was reminded of the wonderful way in which great art can surface anywhere and be totally relevant and transcend any language barriers. Often I find that my first advice to any artists is to make sure that their horizons are wide enough so that they don't suddenly find themselves named on a gallery postcard as a "_______ (insert home town here) artist." So a just a few words here about adopting an "have art will travel" kind of attitude. Sometimes it may be a good idea to align yourself with a community of artists but just please make sure you don't get stuck there. Sadly, here in New York I even know artists who have somehow managed to get themselves pigeon-holed as "Brooklyn" artists as they toil away across the river from one of the biggest international art markets in the world. Here are some possible baby steps towards making sure your career as an artists doesn't keep you tied to the metaphysical apron strings of your home town.

1. Enjoy working to show your work. Don't let being judged or stage fright get in your way of getting your work in front of many eyeballs. This is an early pitfall that can easily lead you to turning down offers of show space and audiences that you would be crazy to pass by. Art is after all primarily a method of communication - and you don't talk on a phone with no dial tone do you?

2. Open your studio. I know it seems cliché, but great practice for getting your work further faster is to show to anyone who will look. Start small if you need to with family and friends. Encourage them to bring people and if you are selling make it easy and comfortable for people to buy if they express the urge.

3. Be collaborative. Every artist knows other artists that need to show their work. Pool your cash and rent a store front in an art district (most property owners can be talked into a month by month situation when times are hard) and put together a show. Look at is an investment and not a money losing venture. Worse comes to worse you can write the expenses off on your taxes and if you don't know how to do that let me know and I'll cover the ghastly world of the Schedule C some other time.

4. Understand the physical limitations/possibilities of showing your work. Always know how and for how much it would cost to transport/ship/hang your work. Once you know how portable you are and how much you are willing to spend to get your work somewhere you will be ready for the next step. This also come in especially handy if you yearn to show in public spaces and they ask you for a budget.

5. Network/travel. Once you are ready and willing to show and transport you're your work, get out and about and scope out the places where you would like to show. Once you find that place and you know you can cover the expenses of showing your work you have a much better shot at getting in somewhere. An artists who understands the costs and logistics involved with showing their work is very attractive to galleries or non-profit spaces. An artist who also has some money, time, energy and/or mailing list to pull the show off is even more attractive.

6. Be your own curator. In the yucky world of marketing its called "packaging". Know and be able to explain how your work can be presented. Bodies of work or works grouped around time frames, themes, materials, altered states of reality etc. make better consistent shows. Don't suddenly find yourself invited somewhere and throwing works willy nilly into a show - consistency of practice is everything. Curators are great when you can get them, especially if they are the type who want to take care of everything, but they are hard to come by. To go even one step further, consider all of the aspects of a show in terms of audience, press and educational elements you might be able to provide.

7. Apply elsewhere/follow leads. Places like ArtKrush exist to help you take advantage of the larger network of spaces, galleries, shows and events that are constantly available to artists. Take the leap and apply to be in shows that are happening elsewhere. There are hundreds of thematic shows around the world on every possible subject and in every medium - its up to you to send your work in and be invited and afterwards, to keep in touch.

As the great band The Fixx once sang "One thing leads to another" Words to live by.

Mistress Esa