Behind Closed Doors
Updated: Oct 13
Starving artist' is acceptable at age 20, suspect at age 40, and problematical at age 60.
- Robert Genn
My journey into the art world has come later in life. Not that this should be any reason not to pursue a career, but there seems to be a strange dichotomy when talking about artists, their art and making money from it. The latter almost seems to be a dirty word, yet artists will openly state that their practice is every bit as structured as someone who works a 9–5. The only real difference is the hours and when an artist is most affected by inspiration. This is something I could write much about, and probably shall in the future, but for now it is the gallery, and how an artist wishes to be seen, that interests me.
I enjoy the process of making my art and, as my skills have developed, I have realised that in many ways less is more. Before university I would snap away at almost everything that took my fancy. That process taught me skills, made my eye more sensitive to ideas and possibilities, but it also grounded me in where the heart of my creative spirit actually lay. Those foundations are what continue to push me forward and drive me to experiment and create ever more engaging artwork. The art I create is not really designed for a book, although it would undoubtedly look fine printed on quality paper at high resolution, nor is it made simply to exist online. My work needs to be seen large, on a gallery wall, where it can occupy space and hopefully become something more than just another image on a screen. It is intended to be immersive and, above all, to encourage some kind of emotional response. The problem, particularly as a new artist, is being seen in the first place.
The gallery world is a tricky arena. Galleries appear to court new artists, but at the same time there seems to be a somewhat closed door when it comes to actually taking a chance on someone who is relatively unknown. It is this strange polarity that makes it so difficult for a new artist to find their way in. This summer I had a couple of galleries tell me that they really liked my work but that I was an unknown quantity. With one hand given and the other taken away, all in a single sentence. It left me feeling a little like a sixteen year old looking for their first job, only to be told that the positions available are only open to people with experience. It would seem that to become visible you need to enter competitions, get work into magazines, perhaps find an agent and establish some sort of track record, but even the latter seems to require an artist to already have a recognised track record. The gatekeeping is palpable and the options for being seen seem to become ever tighter, perhaps simply because of the sheer number of artists all champing at the bit to get through the same door.
This makes me question the traditional route to success, or even just being seen. My work does indeed belong on a wall, printed large and given the space to breathe, but that does not mean in the meantime it should spend its life sitting in a drawer unseen. Couple this with the very real need to make money, both as a student and in whatever follows afterwards, and I am beginning to feel that creating an online presence where people can actually purchase my work may be a sensible way forward, at least for now. Perhaps this is simply the reality of being an artist today. The gallery remains an important part of the art world, but it is no longer the only place where an artist can be seen, and perhaps waiting for someone else to decide that your work is worthy of being shown is not necessarily the best way to build a practice.
So I am throwing the net out and asking you all a fairly straightforward question. If I were to set up a website with an easy e-commerce process where you could view and purchase prints of my work, would you be interested? I am genuinely interested in the answer because, obviously, I could ask friends and family and receive plenty of encouragement, but that is not really what I am looking for. I want to know whether there is an audience beyond the people who already know me, and whether people would actually consider buying photographic artwork directly from an artist rather than through a gallery or other established outlet.
So, what do you think? Would you buy a print directly from an artist if you found work that you liked, or does the gallery still provide something important that an online shop simply cannot replace?
I'm genuinely curious to hear your thoughts.
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