Artist Myth #8e: Your Art is Totally Original

Myth Eight: Your art is totally original

My art studio used to be across the hall from the sculptor, Tom Friedman. Tom created very unique sculptures that sold internationally for hundreds of thousands of dollars. One piece was his name written on a piece of paper until the ink ran out. Another was a piece of bubble gum stretched from the floor to the ceiling. All of his work had a very autistic-like quality to it, much like something Rain Man might have created.

After sharing a space so close to his I began to dwell on signature styles a little bit more. I don’t think a signature style is something that can be reproduced. For instance, if I wrote my name on a piece of paper until my pen ran out of ink it wouldn’t have the same effect as when Tom created it. Though imitation is an essential part of the process of finding it, sometimes you have to exhaust yourself trying to be everyone else until the only one left is you.

I finally decided that artistic style is really about finding the effortless place within yourself where your deeper voice is able to shine through. So many artists have the idea that in order for something to be worthy it must be difficult. In terms of artistic creations though, I don’t think it’s so much about pushing the envelope to discover something brand spanking new as it is finding something that is unique only to you, buried within. When you find it, it’s about sharing your discovery publicly and so repetitively that others can’t help but take notice.

Artist Myth #8d: Your Art is Totally Original

Myth Eight: Your art is totally original
As artists, part of our natural process is to create a signature style within our work itself. Silk screened soup cans scream Andy Warhol. The movie “Reservoir Dogs,” is classic Quinton Terintino. When you see a small part of each of these artists work you recognize the artist immediately. This is also known as our style or voice and it is oftentimes an inseparable part of who we are as artists.

One reviewer said I was like “Phillip Roth on Acid.” Another, disagreed and said I was like, “Lenny Bruce on Zoloft.” Reviewing my CD, someone else said my musical style was like “Greg Brown sprinkled with Jason Mraz and steeped in Jack Johnson.”

When you work at your craft long enough, a signature style develops naturally. And although you will forever be compared to the highest common denominator, it is a compliment nonetheless to find that your authentic self and your genuine message are able to reach out so universally.

Artist Myth #8c: Your Art is Totally Original

Myth Eight: Your art is totally original

From my interview with solo performer Rusty Dewees on art and originality. “I found My most successful show is called “The Logger,” which are stories about a blue-collar logger in rural Vermont. The stories are authentic and came out of me based on my experiences growing up here. But for the longest time, people thought I was the logger, much like people think “Larry the Cable Guy,” is the character he portrays.

For a while no one knew about the other side of me, the business man, the actor who’s been on The Guiding Light or went to New York and studied theater. I had to ask myself if I really wanted the public, who had been coming to see this working class character, to know about this other part of me. In the end, I decided that as an entertainer, I felt like my fans deserved to know all the parts of me.”

Rusty Dewees is “the Sammy Davis Jr. of the Green Mountains.” He is a comedic artist, actor, producer, writer, musician, who was formally trained at the George Loris Actors Theatre School and the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. Dewees is best known for his portrayal of The Logger in his one-man shows, which has spawned three Logger DVDs, two CDs, five calendars, Logger apparel, a book and a compilation of columns for syndicated and regional newspapers. In addition to notable roles off-Broadway and in national commercials, he has appeared on All My Children, Law & Order, and Saturday Night Live. www.thelogger.com.

21 HOUR ARTIST OF THE WEEK:Tiffany Glass Ferreira

Our ARTIST OF THE WEEK is Tiffany Glass Ferreira , Visual Artist and Founder of the Real Small Art League.

HER ACCOMPLISHMENT: This week she launched Real Small Art 2.0, random acts of artistic kindness with GPS navigation. Now you can use outer space satellites to find Tupperware containing tiny works of art. Check her out at http://www.bit.ly/hGwaM.

If you'd like to be considered for artist of the week join the "Manifest Your Creative Destiny" Facebook group at: http://bit.ly/rISx2

Artist Myth #8b: Your Art is Totally Original

Myth Eight: Your art is totally original

In his book, On the Road, Jack Kerouac said it best when it comes to artists and their sense of originality. “Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Myth #8a: Your Art is Totally Original

Myth Eight: Your art is totally original

I have a theory that most people don’t buy artwork because they like it. My theory is that they are investing in a lifestyle that they want to support. By giving their money to an artist it allows their own inner artist, who they may be yearning to connect with, to be fed vicariously through you.

Your life and your experiences may be totally original and the relationships you develop as a result of your art may also be unique, but the truth is that art is an attempt to copy life and as a result it is an emotion evoking medium. This means art makes the viewer feel (or not feel) certain things, be it love, hate, jealousy, grief, happiness, sadness, etc.

With this in mind, no matter how original you think your work is, it has been done before. The story behind it may be original, but the work itself is not. From a marketing perspective, if you continue to answer the question “What is your work like?” with “Oh, I can’t describe it,” you should know, this answer may be the limiting factor in reaching your true measure of success.

Myth #9g Artists are flakes

Myth Nine: Artists are flakes
No where is this myth more apparent then when it comes to artists and money. When artists first begin to price their work there is a tendency to either price way too low, too high or apologize for having to charge money for their work. Jewelry artist and Etsy.com shop owner, Nikole Sarvay, admits, “I’m still shocked when people buy a piece of my jewelry. I definitely struggle with putting a monetary value on my creativity.”

I can remember finding myself in this exact same position many years ago, when I was just beginning to sell my paintings. The way I figured it, my paintings should sell for the amount that my friends could afford and so $35 seemed like a good price. Since most of my friends were artists, it made sense that I should put an extremely low price on them. It never occurred to me that there were people out in the world who had much more money than my friends, who could actually afford to pay whatever price I put on my work.

This difficulty in pricing came directly from the idea that my artwork was still an extension of my self esteem. I was young. I lacked confidence in my work. I had never taken an art class and so I didn’t think my artwork was worth very much. This was my attempt to be logical about my prices. When someone bought a painting, I was just grateful that someone was interested in giving me money for something that took very little effort on my part to create. It never even occurred to me that I should recoup the additional investment I had in the framing or my time.

Nikole Sarvay is a self-taught jewelry designer who forges with metal and hammer.using semi-precious stones, glass, sterling silver, brass and unique findings in her jewelry. Having spent the majority of her professional career in the social work field, Nikole Sarvay began creating jewelry as an emotional release from the demands of her stressful work environment. After a major life transition in late 2006, her creative process evolved into a moving meditation - a practice in approaching her life in an entirely different way. Nikole lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, two cats, and their Bernese mountain beagle, Rilo. Visit Nikole’s blog at http://clearframe.typepad.com

Artist Myth #9f: Artists are Flakes

Myth Nine: Artists are flakes
When the Capital Fringe Festival hired me to bring my 21 Hours for Artist’s series, it seemed like a solid gig. The Cap fringe has a great reputation.

When I arrived at the venue though, (a library in DC), it seemed that no one had reserved the space for me although it had been advertised in fringe programs and been on community calendars for a few months. In fact, upon closer examination at the fringe materials, in one publication my class was advertised to be happening at one address and in another, it was advertised to be happening across town.

The library wasn’t happy with me. They reluctantly gave me a few chairs and let me hold the class outside on the lawn. To give everything a twist, NPR showed up to document the entire event.

In the end, the lesson I learned. You can take the business out of the artist, but you can’t take the artist out of the business. The Cap Fringe, like most fringes, is a business run by artists. You can listen to the inspiring and flakey NPR event at: http://bit.ly/jH0Du

Artist Myth #9e: Artists are Flakes

Myth Nine: Artists are flakes

In the past, when I’ve been so consumed in a painting that I existed on nothing but moon pies and chocolate milk for days, I have to admit, things like time manages to escape me. In fact, when I’m in the active phase of creation, things like appointments, food, the weather, and clean clothes seem so very unimportant.

This may be a contributing factor as to why, after dating non-artists my entire life and having those relationships fail miserably, it feels good to finally be dating a fellow artist. She can finally understand that side of me from the outside that can appear to be quite flakey at times.

We all need that balance of moderation, which is what I learn most when I practice yoga.

Today’s homework for you rigid types: Pick at least half a day this week to be a complete irresponsible flake to the extent that someone may say, “Wow, what’s gotten into you, that’s so unlike you to miss an appointment or not return a call.”

Today’s homework for you flakey types: Pick at least half a day this week to be a completely responsible to the extent that someone may say, “Wow, I really didn’t think you’d show up, or be on time, etc.”

Artist Myth #9d: Artists are Flakes

Myth Nine: Artists are flakes
My first business plan consisted of one-sentence scribbled on a napkin from the bagel shop where I had just quit. With that napkin, I set off to make my living as a painter at the Portland Saturday market (the country’s largest outdoor art market).

My decision to “go for it” had come in the middle of the night during an anxiety-filled-sweat-soaked panic when I suddenly seemed to realize how shallow my life had become. For eight hours a day, my life consisted of little more than listening to a buzzer and watching a red light flash on and off instructing me to put trays of round bread in an oven and then take them back out. When I reached through the darkness for the napkin and a pen, my focus was simply to make enough money each month from my artwork to never have to work a 9 to 5 job again.

My straightforward mission would not fail me because I had left myself with little room to fail - The napkin said so. A year later, I found myself with more money, more freedom, and more happiness than I had ever had in my life.

Moral: Those things which constitute flakiness – not being on time, not being organized, not having a focus, not following a plan - never need to exist on such a black and white palette in order to work. Sometimes the way that will work best for you is a watered down version of what works for everyone else.

Artist Myth #9c: Artists Are Flakes

Myth Nine: Artists are flakes

Sociology books used to say that men couldn’t nurture children as well as women. Then, years later psychologists did an about-face and started to say that men and women provided equally, it was just that the way men nurtured children needed to be judged on a very different scale.

In my “21 Hours for Artists” classes, I make a guarantee that if you follow my plan, you’ll easily increase your creative income by 25% in 90 days. You’d think everyone would be beating down the classroom door to get in. Yet, on average, only one out of every fifty artists will take one of my classes (even if they’re free) and of those, only one out of that fifty will follow my game plan. Those who have followed my plan have increased their incomes by much more than 25% and many have even quit their day jobs.

Is it that the left brain and the right brain are just too far apart to allow any cross pollination? I don’t think so. You see, I also offer my 21 Hours classes for small business owners and non-profit organizations, and guess what? People have the same cross pollination brain issues whether their creative types or not.

A good example is my Uncle. He runs a million dollar furniture refinishing business and his desk looks like a train wreck, he’s rarely on time, and if he was an artist, well, he’d definitely fall into this somewhat flakey category. I think as a culture we tend to think of emotionally driven people as a bit flakey and that’s where I think a lot of the confusion comes in.

Artist Myth #9b: Artists are Flakes

Myth Nine: Artists are flakes
If you think having a good sense of business is akin to putting on a suit and tie and “selling out” think again.

The rock band GWAR meets regularly with a financial officer to go over the specifics of their own business plan which now includes, after renting for many years, buying their own studio space where they’ll be able produce video, own a music label, have health insurance, and keep creating their renowned sculpture and stage shows. As GWAR’s Dave Brockie told me during his interview, “With this plan, at the end of the day, we’re underground Gods with the most dangerous, most authentic artistic movement ever created.”

Dave Brockie is a musician and performance artist who is best known for his portrayal of Oderus in the American thrash metal/punk rock band GWAR which he helped found. The band, which has appeared on The Jerry Springer Show, The Joan Rivers Show, and Viva la Bam is best known for their elaborate Sci-Fi horror costumes and graphic, politically and satirically-inspired stage performances that include spraying their audiences with imitation fluids. Brockie lives in Richmond, VA. www.gwar.net.

Artist Myth #9a: Artists are Flakes

Myth Nine: Artists are flakes
Art as an item for sale isn’t the same thing as a vacuum cleaner or a hamburger or a pair of socks. A piece of artwork, regardless of the medium, is a creation that an artist has a very intimate connection to. It’s created using a great deal of intuition, emotion, and abstract thinking; things that don’t figure into a world which is based mostly on quantification and measurement.

When the two worlds of business and art collide, it can look as though artists have a difficult time finding their place and coming to terms with how they fit in. Being on time and keeping track of finances may not come easy to every artist, but there are things in the artist’s studio the general population would find extremely hard to do as well. As my marriage counselor used to say, “Before you make an assumption, consider the source.” People generally have a lot more going on than what meets the eye. And with artists especially, this process isn’t necessarily linear.

Jeri Goldstein, artist consultant and author of the book “How to be Your Own Booking Agent,” says, “ I’ve found that artists may be specifically challenged in regard to certain business aspects, but it’s not because they are disorganized, it’s usually because there are certain knowledge gaps in their business skill set.”

Jeri Goldstein is a former music agent and manager who is author of the award-winning self-published book How To Be Your Own Booking Agent (now in it’s 7^th printing). The book is used as a text book in music business courses at Universities across the US and in Canada and by musicians and performing artists world-wide. Jeri is also a performing arts consultant who offers strategies and techniques on booking tours, negotiation techniques, marketing, music business and performing arts career development. www.performingbiz.com.

Artist Myth 10g: Agents

Myth Ten: If I only had an agent, my worries would be over.
Consider this. Charles Ross premiered his "One Man Star Wars," in Toronto, Canada in 2001, and toured the show for the past 8 years. In the show, Ross, plays all the characters, makes all the sound effects, and hums all the in-between music.

As Neda Ulaby mentions in my NPR interview (8.12.09 - nprinterview) Ross hasn't been known as anything but the "Star Wars Guy" for the past 8 years. My friend Noah in the last blog entry is known as the skull guy. Are you able to place yourself in an easily defineable box?

In terms of your career and attracting the attention of an agent, focus can mean all the difference in the world.

So, what's a creative rebel to do if you like to keep your creative brushes in a little bit of everything? When I began to sharpen my focus I visited the website of artists I admired who seemed to have a lot of the same renaissance spirit I have - that double-edged sword.

First stop - Steve Martins website. What you'll notice is that he considers himself a comedian/actor. Ignore the fact that he's written a bunch of books, is a re-known musician, has written and produced a ton of plays and started it all as a magician. In all likelihood it was this very focus that helped him find his agent.

Artist Myth #10f: Agents

Myth Ten: If I only had an agent, my worries would be over.

Designer/Artist, Noah Scalin, a Richmond-based artist like myself not only made the transition gracefully, but he did it effortlessly as well. Noah had been creating art for years, but when he became focused on one project and became known as the Skull-a-day” guy, things took off and an agent came knocking within six months.

Here’s what he said during out interview, “For me, the project was different than others because it had a very distinct focus. It was about picking a place I wanted to be and making a straight line for it. One skull – one blog entry – every day.

Looking back, I can see that it was about getting on that very narrow path and making the most of all the opportunities that began to arise in the path. As a result, my book, “Skulls,” was just reviewed in Penthouse Magazine, is available in Target stores and landed me a spot on the Martha Stewart Show. In addition, my blog won the Webby Award (like the Oscar award for websites).

Noah Scalin

Noah Scalin is a blogger, musician, visual artist, author, graphic designer and founder of ALR Designs. Noah’s work at ALR has gained international exposure in over two-dozen books. Skulls, a book based on his award-winning blog Skull-A-Day, was published in October 2008 by Lark Books. skulladay.blogspot.com

Artist Myth #10e: Agents

Myth Ten: If I only had an agent, my worries would be over.
For the longest time, I didn’t understand why I couldn’t’ attract the attention of an agent. It seemed like on paper, at least, I was an agent’s wet dream. I had national reviews in The Washington Post, features in Backstage Magazine and American Theatre Magazine, many interviews on NPR and even a PBS Special. But even when I contacted agents whom I had met and (some who were my friend on Facebook), I seemed to get nothing but the silent treatment.

Then, one day I be-friended an agent and he told me the deal. “Slash,” he said, “I looked at your web site and you look like a really cool guy. But to tell you the truth, I really wouldn’t know what in the hell to do with you. I mean there’s just no market for renaissance men these days. It says you are a playwright, performer, visual artist, jazz musician, alternative rock musician, comedian, educator, etc. (The list was actually longer than this). If you were just a musician, I would know what to do with you. If you were just a comedian I would know what to do with you. But as it stands, I’m left scratching my head. When you pick one area to concentrate on, let me know and I’ll help you out.”

Over the course of the next few months I had what many of you in the creative world define as a “Career Identity Crisis.” To choose one thing made me feel like I would have to cut off my arm or my leg. To make the transition I began to look at others who seemed to do it gracefully.

Artist Myth #10d: Agents

Myth Ten: If I only had an agent, my worries would be over.

Often times there are certain things we artists look at in terms of others who have "made it," or who are in the "big time." Martha Randoplh Carr is one of those artists, as a novelist, syndicated columnist and national speaker. She's got four books out in the world, one with a movie option, a syndicated column, and a radio show. In terms of finding an agent, one would think she was an agents dream.

"But my agent said that she didn’t know what to do with me," Martha said during our interview. "Yes, my projects showcased my talents, but the nugget of my work was not consistent enough from a marketing perspective."

Look at her bio below and you'll get a feel for what I'm talking about. Publishers want to be able to brand writers because then they’ll know that they’ll get their investment back. When you stick with one thing, your ability to build a large, loyal audience over time increases.

In the past, my artistic endeavors have taken me through mediums as fast as some people change their underwear - as a jazz pianist, visual artist, alternaive rock musician, singer/songwriter, massage therapist, performer, playwright, upholsterer, etc. I could continue the list. The point is focus is the key to attracting the attention of an agent. The question is. Do you want to be an artist or do you want ot have a career as an artist?

Martha Randolph Carr

Martha Randolph Carr, is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, and speaker. She is the author of “A Place to Call Home,” (Prometheus), “Wired” (Nimrod House) and “The Sitting Sisters” (Cumberland House). Carr speaks to groups across the country through The New Voice Movement speaker’s bureau on the topics of race & politics, change, celebrating your children and spiritual growth. She is also the founder of the Family Tree Project, an online orphan registry to reunite the more than 200,000 older alumni of U.S. orphanages. She resides in New York City. www.martharandolphcarr.com

Artist Myth #10c: Agents

Myth Ten: If I only had an agent, my worries would be over.

Bernard Lachance, a french Canadian performer, popped up on my radar a number of months ago after a friend saw him on Oprah. Think an agent will help you:
a) Fill more seats?
b) Get more gigs?
c) Become a supa'star?

Think again. This guy has been filling 4,300 seat venues without representation for years. Watch this video for a bit of inspiration and watch how he eventually got the attention of Oprah after renting out the Chicago Theater. He finally appeared on the Oprah show on May 5, 2009.

His t-shirt method of seat sales is absolutely brilliant and I'll talk about it more in my blog in the section on prime real estate in a few months.

Creative Ambition Evaluation: How You Scored!

About Your 21 Hour Creative Ambition Evaluation Score

Q: What does my Score Mean?

A: If your score is between 295-340, YOU’RE READY TO SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE!

You may already be working as a full-time artist, but feel like you could use some help beefing up your fan base, getting more exposure in the press or exiting your local scene and heading toward a national platform. The next level for you may be something that scares you a little bit, but there’s no reason to fear anything. Your confidence and hard work have gotten you this far and there’s no reason to be afraid of the new heights that await you. Use my e-books and this blog to fill in some of the blanks you may have missed along the way.

Q: What Can You do Now?

A:

 - Go back and look at the questions you didn’t achieve a perfect score on.  There may be just a few or there may be twenty or more.

 - Decide which ten you would like to concentrate on during the next 30 days. In the blank space beside each of these ten questions, write a number 1-10 – one being the most important and ten being the least important. (To rank appropriately, decide which questions interest you the most or which topics, when mastered, would help you the most. Although each area is important, these ten questions will help shape your most important tasks for the next 30 days).

 - Now, “guestimate” how much time you’ll need to achieve each task and go back and enter in the “target date” for achieving these tasks beside the ten questions. 

 - In 30 days, once you’ve completed these ten tasks, go back and do the same thing for the next ten questions following the same directions as above.

 - Keep repeating step 4 until you’ve got a near perfect score.

Q: But the stupid test didn’t do anything except tell me what my weaknesses are. What else can I do?

A: 

Buy one of my great e-books. These virtual information nutshells are packed with information uniquely suited for artists of all mediums. Check them out at: http://bit.ly/e7484

Join my Facebook group “Manifest Your Creative Destiny” at: http://bit.ly/rISx2 and join the active group of artists working together to make a difference.

 
 Visit my blog often at: www.twentyonehours.com you’ll find great tips from famous artists, not so famous artists and everyone in between.

Creative Ambition Evaluation: How You Scored!

About Your 21 Hour Creative Ambition Evaluation Score

Q: What does my Score Mean?

A: If your score is between 34-119, YOUR CREATIVE AMBITION IS RUNNING ON FUMES!

Sure, you’re at the bottom of the barrel, but the bottom has its advantages. For one, you can only go up. Two, if you fall it will only be a short distance. Three, you’re the best candidate for quick progress.  Use my e-books and this blog to fuel your vision and get clear about just how you want your creative career to play out.

Q: What Can You do Now?

A:

 - Go back and look at the questions you didn’t achieve a perfect score on.  There may be just a few or there may be twenty or more.

 - Decide which ten you would like to concentrate on during the next 30 days. In the blank space beside each of these ten questions, write a number 1-10 – one being the most important and ten being the least important. (To rank appropriately, decide which questions interest you the most or which topics, when mastered, would help you the most. Although each area is important, these ten questions will help shape your most important tasks for the next 30 days).

 - Now, “guestimate” how much time you’ll need to achieve each task and go back and enter in the “target date” for achieving these tasks beside the ten questions. 

 - In 30 days, once you’ve completed these ten tasks, go back and do the same thing for the next ten questions following the same directions as above.

 - Keep repeating step 4 until you’ve got a near perfect score.

Q: But the stupid test didn’t do anything except tell me what my weaknesses are. What else can I do?

A:

      Buy one of my great e-books. These virtual information nutshells are packed with information uniquely suited for artists of all mediums. Check them out at: http://bit.ly/e7484

        

      Join my Facebook group “Manifest Your Creative Destiny” at: http://bit.ly/rISx2 and join the         active group of artists working together to make a difference.

             

      Visit my blog often at: www.twentyonehours.com you’ll find great tips from famous artists, not so famous artists and everyone in between.

Creative Ambition Evaluation: How You Scored!

About Your 21 Hour Creative Ambition Evaluation Score

Q: What does my Score Mean?

A: If your score is between 120-238, YOUR CREATIVE AMBITIONS HAVE BEEN PUSHED ASIDE.

I suspect other things and other people have taken priority over your art throughout the years. But recently, your inner-artist has been knocking on the door to your heart. Use my e-books and this blog to take small steps toward the other side of the creative fence.  Soon, you’ll understand that making the leap as an artist isn’t just an idea from a fairy tale.

Q: What Can You do Now?

A:

 - Go back and look at the questions you didn’t achieve a perfect score on.  There may be just a few or there may be twenty or more.

 - Decide which ten you would like to concentrate on during the next 30 days. In the blank space beside each of these ten questions, write a number 1-10 – one being the most important and ten being the least important. (To rank appropriately, decide which questions interest you the most or which topics, when mastered, would help you the most. Although each area is important, these ten questions will help shape your most important tasks for the next 30 days).

 - Now, “guestimate” how much time you’ll need to achieve each task and go back and enter in the “target date” for achieving these tasks beside the ten questions. 

 - In 30 days, once you’ve completed these ten tasks, go back and do the same thing for the next ten questions following the same directions as above.

 - Keep repeating step 4 until you’ve got a near perfect score.

Q: But the stupid test didn’t do anything except tell me what my weaknesses are. What else can I do?

A: 

Buy one of my great e-books. These virtual information nutshells are packed with information uniquely suited for artists of all mediums. Check them out at: http://bit.ly/e7484

Join my Facebook group “Manifest Your Creative Destiny” at: http://bit.ly/rISx2 and join the active group of artists working together to make a difference.

 
 Visit my blog often at: www.twentyonehours.com you’ll find great tips from famous artists, not so famous artists and everyone in between.