In-Between Artists
As of late I have been presented a lot of business related material. And like with all knowledge I gain I feel compelled to share it with others.
As the business related books on my reading list continue to increase so do my other books which I consider my heart and culture list. I need a balance of both to remind me of who I am and keep my perspectives open, always questioning what is presented to me through all forms of media.
The lens in which I read these business related books are that of an artist, a creative, an individual driven to create conceptual art. And its that reason alone that I decided to share my thoughts and reflections from my recent reads. But before I do that this post is my first “lesson” — Get you an in-between artist.
I was fortunate to go to a college and have a major that prioritized the business side. SCAD had two business classes for photographers- a commercial route and a fine art route. Not knowing what I wanted at the time I took both.
However lots of other majors and several other schools and universities don’t give students the necessary message that by choosing an artist life You Are Choosing A Business Life! Life as an entrepreneur is inevitable for most artists especially if you are trying to make a living.
The more I learn from successful independent business models by creatives the clearer my journey becomes.
I am convinced that artists are NOT starving! They are not incapable of earning a living. They are instead not trained to see the true value of their other assets, not shown the “process” from “emerging” to “established”.
I use quotes around those words cause what you find to be successful or established is relative.
Most galleries and companies will put you in the “emerging “ category if you have 0–3 solo shows, few exhibitions, and 0 to few critical writings about your work, or have not yet been published.
In school we learn about successful artists making moves and money and living the dream. But what we ALSO needed and STILL need even post grad is what I call an In-Between artist.
An In-Between artist is someone just 5–10 or even 15 steps ahead of you.
Someone on a similar journey and path you seek to be on. Someone not so far ahead that they can relate to where you are and provide meaningful and fresh insight on your current career stage as an artist.
This relationship will inspire you! It will give you practical steps to take. When you are stuck you’ll remember what your in-between artist did to get unstuck. When you think you have nothing to offer you’ll reflect on what your in-between artist found in themselves and offered to the world. Watching their journey will show you obstacles to come in your own journey allowing you to be better prepared.
This relationship no matter how loose or tight will keep you engaged and will help your goals feels attainable. Not everyone is extroverted, or bold or daring and you don’t need to be! All you need is to believe that what you make is worth sharing, that the stories you’re creating will make an impact.
“Everything gets easier when you walk away from the hubris of everyone. Your work is not for everyone. It’s only for those who signed up for the journey.” — Seth Godin
My in-between artist is Endia Beal. I didn’t ask for her, I did not know I needed her until we met. But damn did she show me a light and methods I did not learn in school.
Endia and I met over the phone in 2013. She recently graduated from Yale and my friend Jonas sent me an article on Huff Post about an artist who put Black hairstyles on white women. I emailed Endia immediately and asked to interview her for a paper I was writing and our supposed to be short conversation went on for hours!
Since then I have followed Endia’s work and she has supported me with knowledge and friendship whenever she can. She’s also introduced to me to other amazing artists like John Edmonds who generously showed me around Yale when I was looking at grad programs. She judged the first exhibition I organized. She encouraged me to apply to the NY Lens Blog Portfolio review. It’s because of her I knew when and when not to go to graduate school. I’ve been able to see her work evolve and shown in New York, Georgia, and countless articles online. And coincidentally no matter what city or state I move to Endia seems to have an exhibition or lecture which allows us to meet up again and again. She’s a wife, a mom, an artist, and killing it yall! Her work speaks to me and compliments the themes and messages in my own work. We don’t talk that frequently, but just seeing her name in news articles can give me a wake up call or jolt of energy. And when the stars align we’ll randomly meet up again. I know she’s rooting for me and my journey just as much as I am for hers. I met Endia at the best time, because I got to literally watch her glow up and watch her learn how to navigate this industry for herself and her work.
Maybe I’m your in-between artist, maybe it’s a friend, or maybe its someone you have been following on social media. Reach out, have a real conversation and see how you click. Have as many as you wish to connect with! I definitely have more than one at this point in my life.
Here are some practical steps I am taking as I navigate and figure my own shit out.
- Build a community — I have a mailing list. Its small but it’s my way of thanking people who support me and want to see me do well. I honor them by announcing my achievements or special events to them first before going public online.
- Harnessing my Strengths — I love writing but I always hid it behind my visual work. I am finding ways to continue my artistic themes and messages through writing. This Medium account is me trying. It’s me putting myself out there. I also love speaking, I love sharing my experiences. I don’t have a “stage” or a “platform” to do this on yet so for now Medium is my digital one, my baby Ted stage.
- I’m valuable. — I remind myself of that by telling other people that. Your gifts and talents are valuable and worth sharing. You spent time and money to earn an education and hone your craft. Don’t let other people abuse that. Owning up to your value helps other people respect the value of other artists as well. We have to change the mindset together.
- Find the people that want to listen. — I’m still looking. But I network everyday. I swap contact info with people who are into what I’m sharing. I’m always seeking rooms that can be receptive to my messages or open to disrupting their own.
- What else are you good at?- I’m trying to fund my art practice, period. I’m looking at other areas of my life and skill sets that can become revenue streams to allow me to keep making, keep creating, and keep disrupting. I want to be able to afford my own studio one day, and that means taking on jobs and other responsibilities to get me there. A means to a wonderful end.
- Thinking Out of the box — I’m finding other places to share my art work. Galleries can be exclusive and calls for art add up. I’m looking for ways to get involved in my own art community to establish a reputation here cause I’m new to Atlanta. I’m about building my own doors right now instead of solely knocking on others.
Ask me questions! I’m happy to answer them, and to keep paying it forward I’ll answer your questions publicly or privately via another article because your doubts, fears, and questions are 99.9% probably shared with another fellow artist.
