There is a romantic mythology surrounding artists. In this myth, artists are a breed apart, fed by creative passions that the rest of us cannot understand. Their creativity is fed by alienation, loneliness and separation from the work-a-day world most of us inhabit. In this myth, the only possible connection between artists and non-artists revolves around the marketing of their work. Others can be benificent patrons or blatant exploiters, but never co-equal collaborators.
In my work as an entrepreneur, I have experienced these attitudes first-hand. Sometimes artists want to exhibit in Hoopla's boutique, but are taken aback when I explain that we show artwork on a 50-50 consignment basis. That is standard in the business, but many artists view galleries and shops as vultures who simply enjoy a windfall from the fruits of their labors.
In my view, the relationship between artist and gallery/shop is more one of co-production. Yes, the artist invests much time, energy and creativity in producing the works of art. But a good gallery owner invests an equal amount of time, energy and creativity in producing a suitable environment for showing and selling art. For Hoopla, that means first and foremost that we try to create a space where people come expecting to find unique, wonderous creations. Then we hire and train staff who appreciate good art and have an open, welcoming attitude. When that is all in place, we find artists whose work fits with our sensibilities, and do our best to promote their exhibit to our clientele. Finally, on the night of the opening, we go all out to create a party atmosphere with good food, drink and conversation that sparks people's interest in the art.
Most of our artists at Hoopla understand the realities of art and business, and are happy to work with us to create conditions that are conducive to selling art. It is very gratifying when we find artists who really "get" what we are trying to do. Tammy Vitale, whose wonderful ceramic sculptures are still on display at Hoopla, wrote recently on her blog, Women, Art, Life: Weaving it all Together, that upscale boutiques are a wonderful venue for selling art, because they know how to showcase the work and throw a great party to bring in clients who not only like art, but can afford to buy!
I want to end this post by challenging the myth that artists are a breed apart. Ellen Langer, whose book On Becoming an Artist I mentioned in an earlier post, claims that creativity is a birthright that belongs to everyone. She cites study after study (she is a psychologist) that demonstrate that we all have creativity, but that we let self-defeating attitudes get it in the way of expressing it. She also makes the point that any activity done with full mindfulness is, in essence, a creative activity.
To me, although I write every day and have dreams of some day being a WRITER in capital letters, the real growth comes from accepting that everything I do can be done creatively. That includes the business of running a boutique and creating a space for its own unique qualities to emerge.
Julia Cameron, in The Sound of Paper, says it this way:
"The lightning bolts remind me of how we think and talk about creativity. The way we speak in dramatic terms of 'breakthroughs.' We even use the phrase 'bolt of insight.' Every so often, just like tonight's storm, I do get a creative breakthrough or a bolt of insight, but much more often creativity is pedestrian and nondramatic, more a matter of suiting up and showing up and listening than standing on the edge of the cliff as the earth splits open at my feet. ... I think if we talked more realistically about what creativity feels like, we might let ourselves do a little more of it. If we thought of it as normal -- 98.6 on the human spectrum -- instead of a sudden spike in our psychic temperature, we might let ourselves do it as a daily practice. ... Creativity is not aberrant, not dramatic, not dangerous. If anything, it is the pent-up energy of not using our creativity that feels that way."
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