A Little Off Topic, But Still On Point I Think.

Art vs product.

Once or twice a semester I guest critique or lecture to a friends sophomore/junior painting class at a local college. I don’t get paid, it’s simply something I like doing and he appreciates my time. It’s an interesting diversion for me, I get to see work from emerging artist and talk about their work in a group setting. His students get an outside perspective from not only a visual artist but a collector as well.

Critiquing student work, especially in today’s world can be a bit tricky. I’m a pretty straightforward individual. I say what’s on my mind, I don’t sugar coat it, can be a bit direct with criticism and feedback. These are traits that don’t necessarily sit well with younger students that are expecting as much praise as constructive feedback.

My friend, the professor at the college told me I need to present everything in a “Compliment sandwich.” When I asked what that was, he explained it this way, “Say something nice, then offer feedback, and bookend it with something nice. That way the students feel as though they aren’t being called out. It softens the feedback.”

I always called this kind of feedback a shit sandwich, because you are sandwiching the crap between two layers of homogenized white bread with maybe a bit of mayo slathered on for good measure. It’s not how I would want to receive feedback, but I come from a different generation and time.

So, on Tuesday of this week I had my first crit session with his class and let’s just say things didn’t go quite as planned. Mark’s class has 12 students in it. All of them are sophomore or junior level, and studying fine art with an emphasis in painting. They are all eager to learn and a bit sheltered from the realities of making a career as an artist, and by that I mean self sustaining.

A self sustaining artist is one that makes their living from from their artwork. No side hustle. They are a full time artist, engaged in a studio practice, building a catalog raisonne of work, documenting what they do, and hopefully breaking into a very competitive field where the sales of their work expands.

And this is where I’m going with this. Normally we would talk about things like color, composition, subject matter, medium choice, scale etc. The thinking behind the work being presented, and the artist thoughts on not only why they made it, but how they made it and the relationship between the two. On Tuesday however, things devolved into what equates to success, specifically monetary success in the art world.

Out of the 15 to 20 pieces that had been placed around the painting studio, the majority of them were heavily influenced by graphic novels, Disney style animation, anime and manga, artists like KAWS, and other pop cultural elements. There were a handful of tasteful landscape or still life paintings but the majority were the other.

Since this is an open studio class the students can paint whatever they want. There is no set subject. For instance they don’t all have to paint the same subject. Normally this leads to a rather large variety of work. Everything from impressionistic landscapes to pure abstract to angsty self portraits to cartoonish scenes and more. I actually really like when this happens because it requires the artist to speak about their work to the other students in a way that conveys the thinking behind the work. It also asks the other students in the class to give feedback on work that isn’t necessarily in a style that they like or fully understand but requires them to engage with and really think and talk about.

This class however was well, focused on the money and the fame. When I looked at the group of work in the room I mentioned that there was an overall them or what appeared to be a strong amount of influence. That the work all had a similar feel to them, not only in style and execution, but in subject matter. One student said point blank “This is the kind of work that gets you noticed. This is the kind of work you can sell. This is the kind of work that attracts followers.” That’s not a direct quote but it’s pretty close.

That single statement ended up being the topic of conversation for an hour and a half. It also got me labeled at one point as a gate keeper, and out of touch. The students weren’t having any of it when I said that you shouldn’t be making art to gain followers, get likes, and monetize your work as a product for mass distribution. That your work should be a reflection of you, your thoughts, ideas, your vision, not a commoditized product looking for a quick sale or diluted to the point that it appeals to everyone and no one.

The majority of them repeatedly said that the art world has changed, and yes it has, and that the common norms of just ten years ago no longer applied. That to be a successful artist today you need thousands of followers on social media, and a way to convert your art into multiple products that can be sold on multiple platforms. A few even went so far as to point out all of the Kieth Harring, Monet, Van Gough, Chihuly… work that is being sold in museum gift shops and online as prime examples of converting artwork to product. Never mind that these trinkets are being produced, marketed and sold under license from the estate of the artist almost always after their death.

When I pushed them, and asked why do you think an artist like KAWS has been so financially successful. All of them responded with the fact that KAWS social media presence is huge. When I pointed out that KAWS career was also supported by gallery representation, a manager, and a team of assistants, that social media was simply one arm of the marketing machine promoting his work, I was told I was out of touch with the way the art world works in the twenty first century, and maybe there is some truth to that.

I have never approached what I make in terms of how commercially viable is it? Would this make a great sticker, t-shirt, poster, mug, vinyl toy, or any other product. For me it’s always been about the idea behind the work and the best medium to take that idea and bring it into reality. I still very much think about all the things I wanted to talk to this group of students about. Composition, color, texture, line, form, subject matter, execution, craft, the things that make it art, and not a potential product.

I attempted to convey to all of them that before they think in terms of making products, they should think about the purity of the original idea. How what they make communicates to another individual. The feeling that someone gets from it. That your artwork shouldn’t be thought of as a vehicle to make commercial products from. Whether or not that sank in I don’t know.

Overall it was a lively hour and a half, and while they seemed to think I was a bit out of touch at times everyone was polite, friendly and willing to talk about all of this with an open mind.

In the end I told them the same thing I have told every class before them. Becoming a self sustaining artist is a long game. Don’t expect to become an overnight success, and don’t fall into the idea that because you have a million followers on social media you will become the next big artist. Focus on making art for you, and the rest will come. It might not happen right away but you’ll get there. Plus you’ll feel a thousand times better when you stop chasing what is going to sell, and focus on creating something that is true to you. From your heart instead of your wallet.