One looks at art and says, “I could never do that”.
The second looks at the art and says, “I could do that.”
Both are right.
Thank God, the first can at any point choose to become the second!
I hope You're Child-like
An eighty-nine year old man stands in line amidst his great grandchildren and their friends, eagerly waiting for his turn to hit the piñata.
Artists Amplify
We find something that moves us, and we point a spotlight at it. We use canvas. We use words. We use chords. And sometimes we use hamburgers and a fire pit.
We create experiences.
Most importantly we share. We have the guts to say look at me, read this, listen here, and have a bite.
"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul." - Edward Abbey
It's been a guiding force in my life.
When we feel we ought to do something and yet do nothing, we will slowly die inside.
We know we ought to create and move towards beauty, but we let fear and laziness win in the battle of our will, and so we turn to our tv’s and phones for comfort and distraction, and wonder why we’re depressed.
The good news…
The converse is also true. When we do take action toward that thing we know we ought to do, we bring life to our soul
How to like someone when it's hard
When we treat people as if we like them we begin to like them.
Try this: Smile to them warmly. Turn your full body towards them. Lock your eyes on theirs. Listen intently. Ask clarifying questions.
Try this on someone that gets under your skin. How do you feel about them now?
No gallery needed
You already have a platform from which you can share your art.
You already have a kitchen from which you can make a meal that blesses someone.
Look around you and see you already have an audience. Hand them a plate of eggs and pancakes, or a printout of your latest essay.
Create a body of paintings and host an opening right out of your living room. Invite people that care about you. Invite people that will show up and bless them. Bless them with something they want. We all want food. We all want something created by someone we love.
When we create and share, we begin to understand ourselves
You don't know what you have to say until you say it.
What do you believe?
Well, you have to sit with the problem. You have to work with it. Examine it. You don't know what you believe until you write.
And then once you share it with someone, you'll say again, “Do I really believe that?”
Then you'll be back to the drawing board, and this will be good because you'll be further from vague and abstract and closer to truth.
Be an artist today
We think we need to put more ducks in a row before we create. We clean, we buy, we distract, we say, “once I get…” we say, “if only I had...” and we accomplish very little.
Getting really good at writing perfect sentences is not enough. Knowing all the rules does not matter. What matters is that we write something worth reading. What matters is that we know why we are painting what we are painting.
Perfect your craft but don't forget to dig and dig and dig and find what it is that is worth saying. Then find the best instrument for the job.
With determination, everyone can learn grammar. With determination everyone can learn to draw. What matters more is the story we tell and what we draw.
Building a Story
As we interact with someone, they’re building a story about us. So by the time a friend buys one of my paintings, they aren’t just seeing the painting, they’re seeing who I am to them and who they are to me.
Through your actions and interactions make sure you’re helping people want to own your work. Remember to be the first -- the first to smile, the first to say hi, the first to comment on something interesting, the first to listen. This has been hugely successful in building strong relationships quickly, not to mention it’s a ridiculously fun way to live!
Phone calls and thank you cards go a long way.
A Little Writing from Ken Yarus
Ken Yarus has been in the desert by himself for the last two weeks -- doing his best Supertramp impression, and probably has a new best friend volleyball by now. He sent the following:
Dear Tyler here is the definition you requested. Sorry for the delay.
When it comes to the types of fun, Richie Carter is who I have to thank for my understanding of it. I'm not sure if he is the one who made the scale or if it was passed to him. Anyway it is an important thing to understand as it helps you seek out the type of times you should have-and filter the stories you may be tempted to tell.
Type 1 fun is the type of fun we all want to have. It just feels good. It's those sunny days. Those meals that are perfect. Good times had by all. The trouble is, that's all it ever is. A good time and a BORING story. Nobody cares about that meal you had... No one leans in to hear more.
That is where type 2 comes in. It is the tale of trouble. Something happened in the midst of that type 1 fun that makes it a story. It makes it a memory and something people might want to hear more of. The wilderness is a perfect place to find type 2. When that storm blows in and you get stranded or that time you ran out of toilet paper. It is the terrible job stories. We all have had type 2.its the stories you laughingly tell around a fire. I love to hear them from people. You can't force them to happen but you can jump into situations that just might make it happen.
Now type 3 fun is still a good story but it usually involves a genuine calamity. This is where your engine blows up, or someone breaks an ankle. You don't really ever want this. Still with enough time things get funny.
Type 4 is a legitimate bad time. This is the totalled car or the hospital visit. They make for the coolest stories long run which is why they stay on the fun scale. We all want to hear why you got to ride in a helecopter but no one wants to experience it themselves.
Anyway I hope this helps you understand the types of fun and gives you some direction for life. Type one as tempting as it is just isn't worth talking about. Go for Type 2.
-Ken
If I were to approach a gallery...
Galleries only put hoops to jump through for those they don't want to work with. We don't put hoops in front of people we want to work with. I never said to the friends I represent, send me a portfolio. Why? Because I chose them because I liked them. I've asked for things from them since, but if galleries decide they want to work with someone, they'll meet the artist where they're at.
So the key is to become the kind of person galleries want to work with.
Maybe you already are that person to someone. Before you approach galleries that you've had little real life contact with, make sure you're not overlooking an opportunity to show your work with someone that right now is aware of you and currently wanting to champion you and your art.
Think through the relationships and connections you already have.
Often times gallery - artist relations form through previously established relationships. It is usually the already existing gallery artists that help bring their friends into that gallery. So if there is a particular gallery you want to work with, first think: Do I have any friends that already have a connection with the gallery?
Getting your website, bio, headshot, and all those ducks in a row may be important. But it might not be also.