What is the "BEST" personality for a successful artist?
Is it the Art, the Artist, or the Artist's Personality that gets him or her somewhere?
I always have had good personal friends and people, for as long as I can remember, have thought I was a good artist. So let's assume the art is even great!
(some of the artists at left are my friends; more about the photo later).
I was a very shy child and still have shy moments, but work hard at speaking up! I was even accused of being stand-offish when I was young. College classmates surrounded me once, in a studio in the Fine Arts Building at Howard, and told me so. To tell the truth I was surprised, and it was hard for me to understand why I mattered to them!
I have learned that curators, collectors, arts administrators and regular people are fascinated by artists!
When they get involved with the art, they don't just handle it or own it, they feel they own a part of the artist and they really do like to know US!!
But what about a good artist who has a bad personality? Will that art be attractive to collectors and museums?Apparently. We all know some arrogant, obnoxious, holier-than-thou artists who do quite well.
Is being competitive bad? It's something I was accused of, but I don't consider that a bad thing. I wish I was MORE competitive, and had been so sooner in my career. My answer to that accusation: if challenging myself and trying to do my best is being competitive, then OK.
What about the homebody? That's good for getting work done. But an artist with the personality to schmooze will go some place! Since I do like people that's not hard once I drag myself out the door. I have forced myself to go beyond my comfort level over and over with both my interactions with people as well as with my work.
The type of artist who supports and promotes other artists could get a hand up from the artists they help. I am not as good at promoting myself, so when another artist or someone else does it for me, that's good.
Being in an art auction is like waiting to see if anyone thinks your child is cute. Watching bids on my work in auctions and even going to my own openings still gives me the shivers. Is this a personality flaw?
The artists with the personality to unashamedly toot their own horns are often the artists who make it big! How do artists manage developing an outgoing personality while being introspective and thoughtful about their work?
A pair of artists whose personality traits that took them far are Andy Warhol and Richard Hunt.
Click on the links to read more of what Warhol managed to accomplish before he died:
Andy Warhol died in 1987.
Here is an excerpt from a Washington Post article on his life.
His life, if it did not imitate his art, at least mirrored it. He appeared shy, often spoke in a near-whisper with a hand over his mouth, seemingly hiding behind a blond wig and large glasses. Yet he sought publicity, courted attention and basked his pale form in an entourage of admirers and social figures. He had managed an electronic rock band called the Velvet Underground, made unique forays into the world of print, danced the night away at discos and made cameo appearances in movies. At the time of his death, he was host of an MTV cable program called "Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes" -- a reference to his famous comment that in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes.
When I asked Chicago based sculptor Richard Hunt about getting so many commissions without a rep he said if he didn't already know about upcoming opportunities he kinda knew people who let him know about things...in his modest and understated way. He is a master.
I also saw him do a presentation for a huge percent for the arts commission and this man is smooth! He is charming. He knew exactly how to present the work so the committee could "see" it on the site! He was a master class.
Yes, he won the commission.
Whatever happened to the reclusive artist who gives his or her life to her work and somebody else promotes him/her, writes about what the art means and finds collectors for him/her.
Did Andy Warhol ruin it for us? He was supposedly obsessed with fame and wealth.
It's clear that Warhol understood the secret that some artists know instinctively, that an artist's personality, along with their work, plays a role in a successful and lucrative art career.
THE PHOTO:
The photo shoot takes place at the South Side Community Art Center, where a number of Chicago's African American artists were organized by artist Johnathan Romaine and others. The most famous artist is this group, Kerry James Marshall. He
is slightly behind the gray pillar on the right. I am in the photo,
too. I am a light-skinned female with bangs near the top. Dr. Margaret Burroughs, founder of the DuSable Museum and the South Side Community Art Center is next to Romaine, 1st row, 3rd from the left. Lowell, one of the regulars on this blog is on the end of that row. The photo is for sale at the Art Center.
