Around me, where I work, I have a collection of photos and artwork that I have produced over years (mainly from college days up in Cheshire). We have also recently had a big talk about the future of the department and our jobs – nothing to worry about particularly – infact it’s likely to lead to something more interesting. Linking these two statements, a colleague has just asked me why I don’t do more with my art to exhibit and show it off more to the public? Apparently it surprises me that I’m not making a living from my art…
Hmnn? I don’t know really. I don’t think it’s a lack of any kind of self-belief… I write my books, and I know that one day I will be published, so why should it be different for my other art? I never really had exhibitions (the open one’s at college are about it…) and to be honest I don’t know why not? It’s curious – I shall have to think about it – will probably write more about those thoughts – later…
Multi tasking
Maybe you are too comfortable in your writers role? That’s not meant to be a bad thing; but of course having an exhibition and inviting people in to see the work is quite close to publishing some writing (in very broad terms of the perceived “end-event”; the end of writing might be publishing, the end of music is an LP or gig, the end of art is an exhibition for example) and that is quite scary and happens very fast and intimately in the visual arts, whereas writing might be more of a slow-brewing process where you release little bits here and there and you can retreat for cover. Having exhibtions can be very draining in terms of explaining things and justifying them and so on.
Incidentally I believe that the end-events are not important in doing one’s creative stuff; you don’t need to be published to be a writer for example. But even though you might do more than one thing, e.g. paint and write and play music, and they might all draw from the same creative well, you probably have a practical “doing” framework and an end-event vision for each that are much more separate and require more energy/willing than you can devote.
Rather a ramble I’m afraid.
Re: Multi tasking
Maybe [I am] too comfortable in [my] writers role? …and by this, not as comfortable as a (visual) artist?
Possibly. It’s weird. I know that I am good at photography/drawing/printmaking (I only wish I could do life drawing?!), and that my work does bring pleasure to people when they see it.
However my work tends to very naturalistic – less (for want of a better word) theoristic. I go round an exhibition, lets take‘s recend 3jay show as an example – there are pieces there which I definitely like, and I get, and I kind of think, if only I thought of doing that…
I’m not sure if this is making sense – I just seem to be rambling round in circles? I wonder if my (visual) art is something that I could publish in an exhibition kind of way?