Deadlines
Structures #28 ©2004 Lisa Call
84"x57"
In the conversation that followed this post [on the blog Art and Perception], How is an Art Patron different from a Gallery Consumer?, Karl asked me the following question:
Earlier you commented that you see no need for deadlines or contracts to push you to finish your work. Are you able to pursue a major work for six months, with certainty that there will be a buyer? And without changing directions (which is natural, because you grow in the process of working)?
Artist don’t need deadlines to paint a straight forward picture, but if you think of doing a major work over a long time period, a little external pressure can be a big help.
I’ve been thinking about my answer and wondering how my answer relates to what others might say.
First off, yes, Karl I have completed major work that has taken me six months to complete. The quilt above is such a piece. There are hundreds of 1/4"-3/8" strips of fabric each cut from the fabric individually and sewn together one at a time. It took about 6 months to complete. I suppose whether or not this is really a "major work" as defined by Karl is up for debate as I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that.
But I did it for no reason other than I thought the piece had promise and I wanted to see it through to the end. Whether or not I was successful with the work is another matter.
There was a certainty that I would not find a buyer for this work, and infact haven’t really looked for one. I don’t create to sell. I create because that is what I want to do.
Actually I liked the above piece but I felt it had flaws and I wanted to try it again. So I made a second large piece that is similar but addresses some of the concerns from the first piece.
I still have to quilt the second piece so it has been sitting and waiting for 18 months because I needed to workout how I was going to do this. I feel the quilting (the top stitching lines that cover the surface of the quilt and hold the layers together) was a weak point in the first piece. I’ve now worked out a plan for the second piece that came about as I worked through this issue on other work over the last year. Last night I basted this quilt and within the next couple months I will complete this piece also. And again - I have no show and no buyer in the works. I made it because I wanted to.
I don’t need deadlines or external pressure to make my work - I just do it because I want to. But it makes me wonder - is this the norm? Or am I an exception? Would most artists be better off with a patron to keep them motivated as Karl suggests?
How would you answer Karl’s question?
Posted by Lisa in: Motivation
marti plager said,
November 22, 2006 @ 12:24 pm
Like you I don’t need deadlines or buyers to make my work. I make the work because I feel driven to do so. It bothers me if several days pass without time in my studio.My art comes from my need to create. I don’t think it would be nearly as satisfying either to the viewer or me if I were dependent on making art for my living.
Claire said,
November 22, 2006 @ 2:01 pm
It is difficult for me to sustain interest in a piece over several months. The longer it takes the more uncertainty creeps in and the less motivation I have to take the plunge and finish things. Especially the quilting - which I feel is my big weakness.
The one time I did have a deadline for a juried exhibition entry, I was very motivated, I finished the piece and I won a prize and it now hangs in our family room. I love looking at it, I enjoy having it.
But I have since decided that it is too early in my development for exhibition. So I continue on without deadlines… and without any finished works. So now I am reconsidering my stance.
I really wish I had your ability to continue on without external deadlines Lisa :-)
joyce said,
November 22, 2006 @ 3:05 pm
I never work with deadlines and don’t sell my quilts so I can’t say if I would work better with a deadline. I think not. I quilt because I love it and I think a deadline or the need to sell would stifle that pleasure.
Jan said,
November 22, 2006 @ 3:10 pm
I create because I enjoy it, not because I have a deadline or a client although I have had both. Sometimes I take months to finish a project, I have taken up to a year to finish a major piece but I was not making it for anyone except myself. It is in a gallery now, maybe it will sell or maybe not. I can understand how some people cannot get as much accomplished without a deadline, I know a lot of people like that, and they still make wonderful art.
I have been enjoying your blog and appreciate your generous information.
Jan
Nellie said,
November 22, 2006 @ 4:37 pm
Up until the age of 50 (I’m nearly 65), I felt a strong need (hunger) for outside recognition of my work. There was such a freedom and flow of creativity as soon as I gave up trying to make work that I thought others would like or want to own.
To my delight … and surprise … my work is now represented in two galleries. The first one I had approached because I considered that I had developed something that was uniquely mine, several pieces had been juried into art shows, and they were stacking up in my studio. The owner of the second gallery located in Chicago had attended a reception for my work at the first gallery that’s in Michigan. Both know that I won’t create pieces just for the sake of selling them or self promotion. The technique is one that I enjoy and can see myself exploring and playing with for years to come. At the same time I also create pieces in other techniques “just because” … to play and explore ideas.
But then … I do enter my quilts in a local judged show. I know this sounds contradictory. I consider this show to be my personal yardstick as to whether “I’ve still got it”. Another factor is this particular show does not require slides and is not juried. It has fairly large cash awards and gets entries from some of the top quilters around the country. I admit that the affirmation of my work being awarded ribbons when judged against those feels good. Also, the show’s deadline gives me incentive to finish pieces. Right now, I’m completing a piece for this springs show that was begun several years ago.
So … I do not make work for the purpose of selling it. Although, I will sell … and have sold it. Gallery #1 has sold two pieces and I’ve sold pieces as a result of their being in that quilt show. I’ve gifted a lot to my family and friends as well as donated pieces to organizations.
Also … outside deadlines are not necessary for me to complete pieces … but it helps.
The bottom line is, I make art to satisfy myself with a bit of “outside” prodding to get it finished. I believe that monetary motivation would be a “stifling” factor.
……………..
An observation about your Structures #28. I see variations of a Torii, the Japanese gateway. Your use of reds reinforces this interpretation for me. I imagine each “square” as a gateway to a different place or thought.
Lori Witzel said,
November 23, 2006 @ 9:51 am
Never having had a patron, but certainly having had clients (internal and external) in my day job, I’d have to say for me the patron thing would be a distraction.
I create because I have an increasing itch, and I share (in my case through my blog) because I get pleasure when what I create resonates with others. Would be nice to figure out a path to spending more time doing this and less time in day-job, but the work is the thing for me at this stage.
There’s a vast difference between my relationship to artist friends and muses, and the relationship to client/patron. No need for the expectation of a patron to spur me on, but every need for the regularity and discipline of sharing to help me stay focused.
Sheila Barnes said,
November 23, 2006 @ 9:55 pm
Outside influences can’t help but change the end result of your work. If the expectation for making a work is that it might sell, one can’t help but design with a potential buyer in mind. If the work is the result of a commission, this may be even more so.
This fact does not bother some artists. Others hate themselves for caving to market influences. Michael James said just do the work and don’t worry if anyone will like it. If you are making what truly makes you happy, eventually, someone else will surface that likes it too. And if not, at least you are happy with your work and the time spent on it. (That was a major paraphrase, by the way.)
Lisa Call said,
November 24, 2006 @ 1:52 pm
I love asking these opened ended questions - I always find many things to think about when reading your answers. Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone.
Cynthia said,
November 24, 2006 @ 2:17 pm
I have to say that I do both…and unfortunately, I work really well under pressure. I’m a procrastinator by nature, and if I know I have to have something completed I work harder and smarter when the pressure is on. But, I create a lot of work for myself that comes quite easily with no pressure at all. Sometimes I just need a push. I do, however, tend to work on multiple projects at once which helps keep me motivated and interested.
Sheila said,
November 24, 2006 @ 9:11 pm
Me again. I posted in haste yesterday and realized I didn’t finish my thought and address Lisa’s question.
Deadlines can have the same effect on work as outside influences of making specifically for sale or a commission work. As Cynthia said, sometimes an outside deadline is what we need to get moving, other times we can be self-motivated or have self-imposed deadlines (sometimes in the form of goals?) that direct us to complete work. While I personally benefit from outside deadlines from time to time (I have a tendency to dither an idea to death, not being willing to give up or move on - just one more tweak please), there have been times that I’ve shorted a work because I ran out of time.
Nellie said,
November 24, 2006 @ 10:32 pm
I’ve taken note that a number of readers of this posting have come to my weblog … most likely looking for photos of the work I referred to that are in the galleries. For those who are interesting in viewing my art pieces, my latest posting is a list of them along with the links to where they are written about and pictured within my weblog, “Nellie’s Needles”.
pixie said,
November 25, 2006 @ 2:53 am
deadlines hamstring me. they make me procrastinate. for some reason, they make me NOT create. My best work has been done in my own time, with no particular goal (for example an exhibition to enter), but for the joy of the process itself. I don’t often work like that though, there’s usually something to aim for, a closing date, or a date for a gift.
A question Lisa, how do you get photos into your blog. do you upload from within blogger, or from somehwere else? I love how they look without frames around them.
jafabrit said,
November 28, 2006 @ 6:42 am
I create art as a means to visually express something that has moved me, so others placing their needs and expectations on me doesn’t work. I resent anyone trying to pressure me when it comes to what I paint and how fast.
I have an exhibit next year but I don’t need it to push me to do a major project, that was going to happen anyway.
Lisa Call said,
November 28, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
Pixie - I don’t use blogger - I maintain my own blog software (wordpress) on my own webserver and download my images directly to the webserver. But to get images without borders you can put style="border:0px" in your image tags (<img>). Or add a style to your template to turn borders off on all your images:
img {
border: 0;
}
Lisa Call said,
November 28, 2006 @ 1:15 pm
Again - thanks all for the comments.
I have shows planned for the future but my work is not motived for those specific shows. I make the work and when the show comes up I select the work for that show from what I have around. I will hold pieces for specific shows but to make a specific piece for a specific show is a rare thing for me and it usually just annoys me to do so.
Karen said,
November 28, 2006 @ 3:16 pm
I usually take a long time to complete a work. My pieces are done with a great deal of hand work and therefore take a chunk of time to complete. I make them without a deadline. I dont make them with the intent to sell or show. The work is something that exsists within me and MUST be set free. I am sure that most artists understand that statement. I will sell a work once it is finished if someone is interested of course, but I dont set out with the thought that it has to be marketable. I play around with thoughts of submitting the work to a gallery for showing but it is not and can not be my motivation for the work. Also I wonder if a patron is a good thing. Once working in that mode does the work then take a slant towards what you know the patron is hoping for? Good thought provoking words Lisa.