The Artworld (so far)
The artworld is the strangest universe you will ever inhabit. Here are just a few reasons why:
1) Staring into space
Artists seem to dream a lot. You’ve seen them sitting in bars and coffee shops, gazing vacantly into an area two feet in front of them. They appear to be on the brink of divorce, homelessness, or a nervous breakdown. Don’t they need to work? What is this hippy lifestyle? And what makes them believe they’re better off outside the social norms?
The artist’s work ethic
The artist may look like a bum down the park, but actually he’s actually a workaholic. He never stops, ever. While you take paid leave and go on holiday, the freelance artist sees the sunset as his next big contract.
I think the answer to this question is that they are trying. They are actually working. Sitting over a cup or glass, they are in the twilight state of creativity. They are waiting. Something is brewing. Here: a fragment of a world. There: the perfect medium for the job. That’s it, a-ha! Between the pints, the lattes and the cigarettes, even in the aisle at Tesco, there’s the moment the next masterpiece is born.
2) Isolation
The artist’s job is carried out in almost total isolation. It’s a solitary occupation, requiring peace and an uninterrupted block of time. That’s why trips to the art shop or the framer’s are considered social events. Those few words of kindness spoken by the shop assistant may be the kindest words the artist hears all week. There are no colleagues with whom he can share details of his weekend. There are no colleagues to slip out to lunch with.
Friends without benefits
Friends are now other artists who can talk about the life of art, and usually they too are behind a Do Not Disturb sign, battling their own demons.
There is no boss to praise your work, or set deadlines and targets for you. There is no monthly bonus. There is no holiday pay. There may not even be a wage at all.
Validation
Connections on social media and the genuine interest of the audience means the world to me - I consider it a payrise
3) Social Media
Self-promotion on social media is free. You can share your shop front as much as you like. Your posts are welcomed by your followers, anticipated, demanded even. And so often it’s scrolled past in a 100th of a second.
You take hundreds of photographs of all your work as you go. You spend hours making a video, a reel, a story, a Live. All consumed in the blink of an eye. 10 comments or even 1000, or maybe not a single like. The framer still needs to be paid, the art shop, the printer, the courrier. Meanwhile up your attic the artworks are starting to pile up…
And yet here you are in your studio again, diligent, experimenting, a new idea, the compulsion to create, alone, determined, resolute, anxious, broke, fulfilled, depressed, happy, afraid, grateful, excited to share your next post.
The Dark Part of the Night II - price on request - email ninacouser@gmail.com
4) Confidence
When someone says, Oh I love your work, it’s the best feeling in the world. They might have already purchased a piece, or they might just have admired it, but either way their praise is manna for the artistic soul. The artist has created their artwork to be seen after all, to share their vision with the wider world, to inspire, encourage, shock or delight. Simply having others view your work is the most gratifying experience. It validates every single hour and minute that you spent creating.
The Orchestra by Nina Couser - original artwork - SOLD
And when another artist says, I love your work? It feels like you’ve won first prize at the Olympics! It’s like your parent has seen you for the first time, bestowing upon you a feeling or acceptance and love which flows around your heart with a golden glow.
5) Networking
I finally understand the meaning of the word. It’s so important to have peers. You’ll frequently hear artists use the expression “bouncing ideas off”. In the artist’s world that means feeding ideas to each other through conversation, stimulating debates, exchange of current ideas. You’ll say, “I’ve had a great idea for a new [painting].” The listener goes greedy-eyed with interest, to the point where you start to think they’re planning to steal your idea and copy it. But then you realize that they actually mean to take your idea and expand upon it, God forbid, even improve upon it! Because you know they could, and you panic a bit. Here you are drinking tea, when you should be home working.
So home you fly. Where you once were resting on your laurels and procrastinating, now you’re home and finally [painting]!
The Dark Part of the Night - Part 1 - SOLD
That’s what networking does. It gets the juices flowing. It gets you back in your studio. It makes you happy. You’re not alone. You’re part of the bigger picture. This is the art world.
I never would have known that there is so much more to being an artist than making art. Van Gogh, Matisse, Munch, Cezanne were among my favourite artists growing up. I feel like I’ve entered through a velvet curtain into a whole other realm. Does this door open into a Parisienne cafe in the late 1800s? I think by taking this step to become an artist, I have entered into the very pages of a history book where I can almost hear these artists’ conversations… I love this world. I don’t think I’ll ever give it up. Thank you so much for being my viewer.
