Why Make More?
Awaiting Photography
Awaiting ??
Paula had an interesting post the other day, What do you do with it?, about storing artwork.
The above images are 2 of the 3 places I store my work. The 3rd being on the walls of my home.
In that first image I have 20 quilts thrown over my 2nd floor railing all waiting to be photographed. I guess it’s been a while since I had a photo day.
Once a quilt is photographed it either goes on the wall or goes on the the pile of folded (yes folded) quilts. At some point I want to build deep shelves into my guest bedroom closet for the storage of my quilts but for now they are on a table in that mostly unused dark cool room covered with sheets.
When it’s time to ship a quilt I pull it from the pile and press the crease lines out of it and off it goes in perfect shape. I also refold the work every so often so the fold lines are never in the same place for long.
But all of that is the physical - here’s how I do it - stuff.
The more interesting part of Paula’s post was how to stay motivated making more work when it is literally just piling up.
I guess my answer is that isn’t a problem for me. I believe in what I’m doing and no matter how many quilts are in the pile I still want to make more and more. Maybe because I do not make the work to sell I don’t find the existence of a bunch of unsold work demoralizing.
I guess I believe when the time is right and I’ve laid the groundwork with my slow but steady progress on my art business goals that everything will just fall into place. The work will start selling and I will have a smaller pile.
But even if it never sells, I don’t care. I enjoy making the quilts too much to stop doing it. I don’t think I could stop making them, I’d be too unhappy.
Although there are times I wonder if I did try to actively start selling my work how would I react if it didn’t sell? Would I start questioning what I’m doing, why I’m making things that don’t sell? This certainly has me worried. I would be sad to see that happen.
Or even worse - what would happen if the work did sell? Would I stop pushing myself to get better and just make the same salable thing over and over again?
Tracy recently had a post with similar themes. It was comforting to read about how a successful artist dealt with these issues.
I struggle back and forth with the idea of selling my work. While the income would be a huge help I fear what the process of trying to sell would do to my motivation.
Can I keep the goal of making the work I want to make without regards to the marketplace while also turning to the marketplace to sell my work? The age old question many artists ask themselves. What exactly does it mean to sell-out?
Posted by Lisa in: Art Marketing, Motivation
Sheila said,
April 4, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
Timely post. I was just discussing these issues with a friend, how our expectations, even subconscious ones, can alter how we feel about what we’re producing, how we feel about ourselves and how we approach our next piece. I said that one of the reasons I decided to back away from shows and juried exhibits for awhile was so I wouldn’t be influenced by their expectations or be discouraged by the inevitable rejections when my expectation might be I had a sure winner. Would rather work in seclusion for a bit and then display in a gallery. Let the buyer by the judge and if they sell, great. No sooner did I say that than I realized, if they didn’t sell, it would start playing on my confidence just like not winning awards at shows can. I also realized that my reaction to selling two pieces recently was a feeling of affirmation quickly followed by one of slight panic. If this is what will sell, the I better concentrate on making more like it. Not just more in the same genre; I actually fleetingly thought, near duplicates. No, no, no! I’ve never wanted to do production work, limited editions, copy after copy, and made sure others understood this with my business card tagline, “one of a kind textile art.” Always wondered if that was a bit redundant - shouldn’t art be unique and one of a kind? But really, I think it is so easy to fall into the trap of sticking with a good thing until it’s not a good thing anymore. I guess the only answer is to be ever vigilant about motivations, and brutally honest with oneself. The point of sell-out would be different for each person, but I’m guessing the feeling would be the same, the joy having gone out of the work, the sense of being (or having)compromised.
As for the storage issue, this is one that’s been bugging me for a year or so. It’s a bit of a relief to see how you’re handling it at the moment! Yet as I launch into some series work, I do have a problem of where to put the end results as my storage space is limited, and sometimes I feel a bit guilty that they are languishing out of sight. I’m almost to the point that I’d rather they found a home where they could be appreciated and enjoyed than not see the light of day in my possession. Some of the older pieces I’ve lived with long enough that I feel comfortable passing them on to friends or family who will appreciate and enjoy them. Others I just need to keep as a record of my journey. Some I truly would like out of my sight - not because they are poor pieces, but because there’s too much negative emotion wrapped up in them. A few I can’t part with BECAUSE of all the emotion wrapped up in them. And then yes, it would be nice for some of them to earn me a little extra money. All kinds of reasons to off load.
Paula said,
April 5, 2007 @ 5:21 am
Hi Lisa,
It was fascinating to see and read about your storage of the quilts. My first thought was wow, don’t they wrinkle? But you addressed all that.
I don’t feel demoralized either when work piles up…I think it just bothers me more when I think about what if…what if i have to lug this around for years to come? The irony is, I KNOW that you need a fairly decent amount of work on hand if you are ever invited to do a solo show. In that regards then I have little amassed :)
For me it is more of a ‘energy’ thing. Things just piling up and suffocating me.
Interesting post :)
Paula
Pat said,
April 5, 2007 @ 10:30 am
“Can I keep the goal of making the work I want to make without regards to the marketplace while also turning to the marketplace to sell my work?”
It seems to me that part of the answer lies in how much the artist needs the income from the sale of the work. (The corollary, of course, is how much the artist needs the affirmation from jurying peers.)
I receive one question consistently from visitors to my home: what are you going to do with these pieces? So far I’ve been able to say that I’m developing a body of work, and that seems to satisy them. But in the back of my mind I’m asking myself the same question and have yet to come to any conclusions. So, I ponder while I sew. And, I drape pieces over a big chair since I don’t have a convenient railing like you do, Lisa.
BTW, a couple of us were discussing how to quantity a body of work for goal-setting. Some famous quilt artist had used a figure like 25 in a lecture. Do you have any opinions on this? Could be one of those “I know it when I have it” answers?
Diane Clancy said,
April 5, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts … these issues are on my mind too. I have amassed a lot of work because I want to explore licensing before I let go of most of it. I know they tend to want to photograph the originals.
I have been seliing archival digital prints of my paintings. Also, my digital pieces are all printed as reproductions since the original is digital.
Recently I bought some boxes with dividers to make it easier to store my work - and to protect them from the light.
~ Diane Clancy
Diane Clancy said,
April 5, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
By the way - I love the pictures of your quilts - the colors in the photos are very beautiful!
~ Diane Clancy
Lisa Call said,
April 5, 2007 @ 5:52 pm
Great comments everyone. Thanks for sharing your thoughts also.
Pat - as to how much work you need to have a body of work - I’m not sure - I think you could be right - it’s one of those you know it when you have it things. Although I’m pretty sure 5 is not enough work and 100 is definitely enough - so probably in between there. Course that would depend on the type work too I suppose so my numbers are probably meaningless.
Rosanne said,
April 5, 2007 @ 6:00 pm
I like to remind (not compare) myself of Bach who wrote the Brandenburg Concertos for the king because he needed money. The king rejected them and used the money for the military instead of the arts. The pieces were so inovative and challenging to play that no one wanted them. These amazing pieces were archived for over 100 years until rediscovered. Now, they are concidered one of the greatest and most popular pieces ever written. So creative people have been sruggling with the same issues forever.
You do beautiful work and I enjoy seeing it even hanging over the railing.
Rosanne
Becky said,
April 5, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
You know, I don’t see selling your work as some big thing that you consider and think about and ponder and so on. In fact, every single time that I’ve decided to show a piece and made the decision to sell it, thinking “oh, it will sell here” of course it hasn’t. But I’ve had great success when I’ve exhibited a piece, they ask if it is for sale and I think, sure, why not and set a price I think nobody will pay and many times they have.
The selling of older work keeps my focus fresh. For me, it is all about the process. I think you get over the pressure of wondering and being disappointed if a piece doesn’t sell pretty quickly. If it sells great, if not, bring it home until it is exhibited again.
Becky
tracy said,
April 5, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Hi Lisa, came over to see what’s up and why so many hits from your site! Thanks for the mention. I think it’s awesome that sales isn’t your goal and that you make your art for yourself. You said it, the sales will happen when the time is right for you and for your work. I am sure though, that if you ever need to, you could totally unload that pile for a pretty penny!
tracy said,
April 5, 2007 @ 9:00 pm
Shoulda said “gorgeous pile”!
Lisa Flowers Ross said,
April 6, 2007 @ 11:27 am
Definately food for thought. I enjoy your blog and I am excited as I will be taking a class with Nancy Crow this year in Sandpoint, ID.
David Castle said,
April 6, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
Your post made me think about the process I just went through as I moved into my new studio space. This is the first time I’ve had to “store” my art in a manner that is pretty inaccessible - each piece wrapped and stored in overhead storage (requiring a ladder to get to). In the past I’ve had enough room to hang or stack art at my studio and/or home as my storage solution.
I think the interesting feeling I had is to feel sorry for the artwork that I had to put into storage. As I was sorting through art, I could almost feel them cringing at the possibility that they’d get wrapped up and stored away (”don’t pick me!”). My only current plan for these is to pull them out if I have a client with a specific interest that might match one of them. Like you, I just HAVE to create - more and more and more - so no longer have room for everything.
Also interesting that you’ve taken a class from an artist in Sandpoint… I finished my last 2 years of high school in Sandpoint, and my parents still live there. It is a beautiful, but conservative place!