Taking power as an artist means going from beggar to partner. Artists who are strong partners thrive. They find resources, connections, and audiences. They don’t wait for opportunities; they create opportunities. Everyone we deal with is a partner (not a parent). Funders, presenters, museums, record labels, and critics are all partners. When we step up as responsive, responsible partners, we can go anywhere.
Simonet, extracted from his book, Making Your Life as an Artist - a guide to building a balanced, sustainable artistic life.
Every artist should read this.
Really. It's that important.
As Val wrote when I posted the link on Facebook, Good resource and point of view with concrete actions to take. They need to give this to students in school.
Val Oliver, an Originator/Creator/Writer/Director/Producer.
Making art will never be an entirely reasonable, rational pursuit. Excess, immersion, wildness, and obsessiveness can all fuel our work. But that doesn’t have to be the way we deal with all aspects of our lives.
Protect the wildness of your art practice. Keep the radical parts radical by cutting out the chaos.
Sustainable means your life can work over the long term. A lot of artists’ lives are built for 23-year-old single, frenetic, healthy, childless workaholics. That doesn’t last. Our lives change and our needs change.
Sustaining is radical.
(Starving is not.)
