On the Other Way

上星期友人James先生寄了這篇文章給大家

其中有些不錯的觀念, 原則與心理建設

在這裡與大家分享

但還是要提醒, 別只盲目地接受

雖是經驗之談, 但不一定適用在所有人身上

先思考, 再吸收

這樣才有辦法變成自己的東西



1. 每位藝術家都必須要有一技之長

大多數的藝術家無法單靠他們的創作存活 -- 即便是那些已在紐約或洛杉磯獲得一定成功的藝術家亦然. 所以不要覺得靠一技之長賺錢餬口是件罪不可遏的事. 關鍵是將自己定位為藝術家. 為了房租之類所作的事不過就是生活而已, 那和你是誰一點關係也沒有.


2. 駐村有益創作

對藝術家而言, 申請駐村是他們職業生涯中重要的一部份. 有些駐村是實做, 並有職涯顧問或技術指導; 有些完全獨立, 沒有社群活動或規則方針之類的妨礙. 這些機會毫不誇張地遍佈世界, 並是與其他藝術家, 策展人, 老師建立聯繫的好方法, 更不用提它能替你省下的租金.

申請的過程也有它的價值, 那迫使你不斷檢視思考自己的作品與目標, 並將你的作品展現在評省團裡策展人與藝廊經營者面前, 不論最後你是否有獲得此次駐村機會, 他們也許就此記住了你, 以便將你安排到其他計畫中和給予未來展出的機會.


3. 不要盲目投件!

每個星期六你可以到雀兒喜走一趟, 看看人們帶著自己的作品集, 挨家挨戶對一間間藝廊推薦自己. 這絕不是個好方法, 這只會讓那些畫廊經營者感到你既不尊重他們的時間, 也不在乎自己是要在哪裡展出. 在你著手向任何一間藝廊介紹自己的作品前, 你必須非常熟悉他們的取向與程序, 並能解釋為什麼自己適合他們. 通常藝廊不會輕率決定去提攜一位新人藝術家, 千萬不要因為一時興起而一意孤行強迫推銷, 只因為你剛好路過那兒.


4. 做筆記

文書工作令人厭煩, 但長期下來卻絕對能讓你更容易處理職涯中的大小事並節省寶貴時間, 這也意味著你有更多的時間可以專注於創作上.

有些基本的東西你可以替自己追蹤紀錄. 為自己的每件作品列下清單, 一份關於合約的總表, 以及花費在創作上的支出與任何販賣作品收入的收支表. 其他你也需要記錄的事項為: 當作品賣出時, 開張收據並自己留下副本; 將作品託運給藝廊時, 寫張託運表; 委託或授權時, 寫份同意書.


5. 網路是趨勢

你必須有個人網站(或者部落格, 不然就是任何形式的網路空間). 每個人都會理所當然地認為你有一個, 他們包含藝廊經營者, 策展人, 評論家, 部落格使用者, 與其他藝術家. 這個網站不用昂貴或花俏, 但它必須要有你作品的照片,  你的履歷與聯絡方式. 網站的設計理論上要能反應作品的類型與個人的藝術風格.

試著將這件事當作是幫自己策個回顧展, 而不是累死人的百科全書編撰. 將作品有條理地呈列(或者亂無章法, 若那是你的創作風格), 依類型或系列分類, 不要勉強自己將所有的作品全部上傳.


6. 拒絕: 不是你, 是他們

獲得駐村機會, 得到補助, 覓得藝廊代理, 成功的機率總是低的令人氣餒. 一些熱門計畫每年的錄取率可能低到只有1.5%, 而且即便是在金融風暴前, 商業藝廊也不可能吸收所有藝術學院的應屆畢業生.

也就是說, 若無法得到夢寐以求的駐村機會或在喜愛的藝廊展出, 不必把責任都攬到自己身上. 在那樣低的或然率下, 你應該明白評省委員在做決定時不會只純粹考量作品的好壞, 有許許多多其他因素影響著這個抉擇, 包含申請者中有多少同類性質的作品, 或者與你來自同個城市. 再者, 也許藝廊負責人喜歡你的作品, 但並沒有收藏家在收購這類創作, 也只好作罷.


7. 商業藝廊外, 還有更廣闊的天空

商業藝廊是藝術世界中醒目的一塊, 但同時還有許多其他方法可以展出你的作品: 非營利組織, 合作機構, 藝術家自營空間, 線上畫廊, 藝術家自營展覽會, 咖啡店, 零售空間, 書籍, 線上雜誌, 網路廣播, 專案網站, 圖書館, 植物園, 醫院, 科學中心, 任何你能想到的地方.

只有你自己明白哪裡適合展出自己的作品, 當然這全依於作品的內容, 以及希望在怎樣的空間中呈現, 並且呈現給哪類觀眾群而定. 不須遵照一些先入為主的觀點, 讓作品自己決定要在哪裡展現.

以下原文供作參考:

1. Every artist has a day job.
Most artists cannot live off their art--even relatively successful artists in New York or L.A. So don't feel like you're doing something wrong if you can't make ends meet without a day job. The key is to define yourself as an artist. What you do for rent is just that. It's not who you are.


2. Residencies are good for your health.
Applying to residencies is a critical component to a career as a visual artist. Some are hands-on, with career mentoring or technical instruction; some are totally independent without much in the way of communal activities or guidance. They are literally all over the world, and are a fantastic way to connect with other artists, curators and teachers--not to mention save money on rent.

The application process itself is worthwhile. It forces you to think deeply about your work and goals. And it puts your work in front of curators and gallerists who sit on the selection committees, and who may keep you in mind for other projects and shows in the future (regardless of whether you get into that particular residency).


3. NO BLIND SUBMISSIONS!
Every Saturday you can go to Chelsea and see people hauling around their portfolios, cold-calling on galleries. This is a terrible idea. It tells the gallerist that you don't respect his or her time and that you don't seem to care where you show. You should be very familiar with a gallery's program, and be able to explain why you fit into it, before you approach the gallerist about considering your work. And given that galleries don't decide to bring on new artists lightly, the last thing you want to do is insist on a snap judgment because you happen to be in the neighborhood.


4. Write stuff down.
Paperwork sucks. But staying on top of it will make your life easier and save you time in the long run, which means more time to make art.

There are some basic items to track just for yourself. Make a detailed inventory list for every work, a list of contacts, and a chart of art-related expenses and any income from art sales. There are also arrangements between you and other people that you should write down: When you sell work, make an invoice and keep a copy for yourself; when you consign work to a gallery, use a consignment form; when you do a commission, use a commission agreement.


5. The Internet is all the rage.
You need a website. (Or a blog, or some sort of online space.) Everyone expects you to have one: gallerists, curators, critics, art bloggers, other artists. It doesn't need to be fancy or expensive, but it should have images of your work, a copy of your cv and your contact information. Ideally, the design of the site should reflect the kind of art you make or the kind of artist you are.

Also, think of it as a retrospective you're curating, rather than an exhaustive encyclopedia entry. Present your work in a coherent order (or total disorder, if that's what your art is about), separate different bodies of work and don't feel compelled to upload everything you've ever made.


6. Rejection: It's not you, it's them.
The odds of landing a residency, getting a grant or finding gallery representation are daunting. Popular programs may accept as little as 1.5% of their applicants each year. And even before the economic crisis, commercial galleries couldn't possibly absorb all the artists who came out of school.

Which is all to say that you shouldn't take it personally if you don't get into your dream residency or favorite gallery. With those kinds of numbers, you can be sure that the decision doesn't turn solely on the quality of your work. There are many other factors that go into committee selections, such as how many other applicants do work similar to yours, or come from the same city. Likewise, a gallerist may love your work but not have the collector base to support it.


7. There's more to life than commercial galleries.

Commercial galleries are a prominent part of the art world, but there are many other ways to show your work: non-profits, collaboratives, artist-run spaces, online galleries, artist-run fairs, cafes, restaurants, retail spaces, books, zines, podcasts, project-specific websites, libraries, botanical gardens, hospitals, science centers--really, anywhere you can think of.

Only you can know where your work fits best, which depends of course on its content, the context you want it to be shown in, and the kind of audience you seek. Let your art dictate where it should be shown, rather than conforming it to a preconceived venue.