I was recently invited to participate in a panel discussion along with artists Amy Pleasant, Kyle Abernethy, and Crystal Barbre.
Audience – current Gage Academy Painting and Drawing Atelier students.
Agenda – share a few important lessons that we learned in the process of building our careers after completing our own atelier studies.
The timing was perfect. Given our newly emerging status, our struggles are still fresh and ongoing. That said, two very consistent themes occurred across all the panelists.
1. Building an art career is about building relationships.
Relationships are made by taking a genuine interest in others and their work. Be a good attentive listener. Be comfortable talking with other people about your work, once they’ve expressed interest. Take genuine interest in people you admire, both other artists and people in the art community. Don’t be afraid to reach out and contact people who’s work interests you. Find a mentor – someone further down their career path. Always attend your openings, even if it requires travel. If your interest is genuine, you will connect and build meaningful relationships which will lead to interesting and unexpected opportunities.
2. Do the work.
Good day or bad day, ultimately you have to show up and do the work. Whether your work is accepted or rejected, you’ve got to keep producing the work. By doing the work you continue to improve, refine and understand why and what you are trying to achieve. Discipline is the corner stone to a strong art career.
