I am being dragged, not kicking,
not really even wimpering, into our brave new world. Not only do I now Blog,
Tweet, Face, Link In, Follow, Join, Favourite, Pin, Share but now I also have
set up shop on not one, but two, on-line galleries. I am feeling quite smug
really. On one of the on-line galleries, Artfinder, I even have 9 followers. No
sales yet after 4 days of being “open” but 9 followers which is something. I
gather the aim is to collect as many followers as possible, follow them, click,
tweet, share, etc. all these connections and hey presto! Ker-ching - sales
galore!
This week I was talking to an
artist friend whose work and practice I admire. I have been impressed by how
often he sends out an email to say he has a few pieces in a show here or there,
or another solo exhibition in another town. I asked him if the galleries found
him or if it was the other way round. He laughed and said that 99% of the time
he found them and along the way had been rejected by more than he could count.
But still he was buoyant and ready to send off another round of emails
introducing himself to yet more galleries. I was impressed with his energy and resilience.
And yesterday I attended a lively
and informative talk about galleries, and contact and marketing at Pallant
House Gallery, organised by Unity Arts Trust. Many and various aspects of and
approaches to increasing sales and contacts were covered and I realised that no
matter how good or bad a piece of art is the artist still has to not only stick
their neck above the parapet of their safe and private studio workshop but has
to be fully prepared to be shot down. On top of this the artist has to dedicate
creative time to this side of their art practice: not quick, tired 5 minute
snippets of time here and there. Marketing and networking need to be embraced
with a positive and thick skinned attitude. As Edmund De Waal, one of my heroes,
so wisely said when being interviewed by Alan Yentob last year just before his
big New York show opened, the worst thing that can happen to a piece of art is
not that it will be criticised or rejected, but that it will never leave the
studio.
Those words resonated with me as
I am a scaredy custard when it comes to saying, please look at my work, please
like my work. It is too close to asking please like me. And although I think
on-line sales would be great, (the other (on-line) gallery is Saatchi of course)
there is nothing like the real thing and it really is time for me to toughen up
and find that voice, get out there and put it about, so to speak!