The Fear and Folly of Public Opinion in Art

An artists life can sometimes be difficult. Not only are we often perceived as hippies who can't make a living, or that our art is a hobby and not a real job. Opinions, both good and bad on our work is a constant force on what we do. It has a power all its own that can be so acidic that it may burn through an artists life leaving scars and even death in its wake. No matter how well known we are, the court of public opinion asserts a great force on what we do and always will.

The Artist is a Child Who Should Never Grow Up

When I was a child, I had a vivid imagination. So much so that I think I spent most of my preteen years living in my fantasies and hiding from my realities. I don't know if I had an imaginary friend when I was very young, but I suppose I really didn't need it. I was my own imaginary friend.

I remember for awhile I was completely absorbed in knitting yarn. I would take the yarn and I would weave gigantic spider webs out of it. These things would stretch from one side of a room to the other. I would anchor each piece of yarn from one high corner to the opposing lower corner. When I had 8 of these crisscrossing each other, then I would start to weave an intricate spider web from one strand to the next until the thing dominated the room making it completely unusable unless you wanted to get caught in my web.

"I AM A..." How Artists Describe Themselves

We all attach labels to ourselves. In the art world there are so many labels that we can lose our perspective in what suits us best. 

It is not enough to say "I'm an artist". Its too vague. 

I conducted a small experiment awhile back. I would introduce myself sometimes as an artist and other times as a sculptor. There was an immediate difference in how I was perceived. 

To those who I told I was an artist, there was a vague sense of "oh how sad, he has no real job". 

To those I told I was a sculptor, there was more of a sense of interest. Telling them I was a sculptor evoked interest and a need to know more. What kind of sculptor was I? What kind of materials did I use? Was it hard work?