There’s a definite life cycle to art and writing, and surprisingly, the stages are very similar. I had always thought of these fields as so different, but I realize more and more that they are mostly alike. The phases one goes through, at least the phases I go through, run something like this:
First, there’s the idea phase. In art, this stage includes drawing in a sketchbook, taking photographs, or collecting odds and ends. For some artists, this stage includes writing, for some it does not. In writing, this stage may include journaling, starting blog entries (blog entries are often a great way to flesh out half formed ideas), notes jotted down on slips etc. For me, this stage comes in rushes- I will get a lot of ideas at the same time, and then the well will run dry, so to speak. I used to not listen to my writing impulses; I just pushed them down, saying to myself “I am not a writer.” Now I am more likely to record all of my ideas, whatever form they take. It seems like sometimes, I’m serving as a lighting rod, and ideas just come, and I wonder when I will ever have time to execute them all. The hard part here is figuring out what to act on, what has worth.
It’s all fine and good to have a list of ideas, but then comes the second stage, the execution. This stage is hard because it’s the most time consuming, it’s often not as fun as the idea generating sessions (though it can be), and it’s sometimes expensive. In painting, this stage can often have several false mis-starts – I might start several projects, only to have them peter out, before I stumble upon an idea that will stick. The execution phase sometimes happens when I’m low on ideas, so I dip into my storehouse and create. Sometime the execution phase is concurrent with new ideas. Sometimes the execution phase is dependent on collaboration – each party coming to the table with their unique ideas.
The execution phase is the romantic heart of life as an artist or writer. This is what we imagine most of the time when we think of an artist- spending hours alone in a studio, painting, sculpting, whatever. Or the writer, sitting hunched over their laptop, plugging away. The dread upon nearing completion of the execution stage is that you’ll enter the next stage- often the most annoying of all.
That third stage, for lack of a better name, I’ll call cleanup. However, I am lumping promotion in with cleanup, as they often go hand in hand. In writing, the cleanup portion begins with editing. I don’t know many people that enjoy editing, but it’s gotta be done. Depending on the presentation, the piece may go through several more editing processed by professional editors. If the piece in question is, say, a blog entry, you’re done. yay! In art, the cleanup process involved framing the piece, choosing how it will be displayed (although usually you have an inkling of this from the beginning). Unfortunately, framing something well is expensive. You can, of course, just throw the painting up on the wall, but this only seems to work well for large, modern pieces, so be careful! It’s easy to skimp on the framing, to say “eh, the buyer will buy a better frame anyway” but it really does matter. One way to alleviate this is to paint in a standard size so you can find an open back frame, this will likely be much cheaper than having one made. You can also invest in the tools to make your own frames, but it’s expensive, and it’s much too easy to turn out shoddy work. A good frame doesn稚 have to be expensive, but it will take time.
The promotion part of all this is usually just plain annoying, although some artists and writers excel at it. A writer will attempt to find an agent, or submit his or her book everywhere they can themselves. The artist will enter the artwork in competitions, or attempt to get into a gallery, or find an agent. Both the artist and writer can try to go the do it yourself route- either through a press like Lulu, or through an online store like etsy or a local arts fair. The part of all this that people don’t often think about, especially in the case of the visual artist, is how much self promotional writing one has to do. Besides cover letters that have to be uniquely tailored to each prospect, you have artist statements (usually one for each body of work), C.V.’s and, possible, press releases and other promotional material. Success could very well depend on your ability to do these things well.
Almost any writer or artist agrees that if you can get it, it’s better to have representation to handle the sale of your work, but as they say “nice work if you can get it…”
I had tried to include photography in this, but it really is a life cycle all its own. While it can start with an idea, it usually starts with an impulse. After you have a group of pictures, you cull through them to find the keepers. This revision process can happen more than once, until you have the precious few shots that are “worthy.” After that, you print, alter, print again, alter again, etc, etc. then comes that pesky framing and promotion part.
Ugh–framing. I liked when I didn’t frame my work and sold it for less $. And I seemed to sell more! Somewhere along the line someone convinced me that I had to have frames and I sometimes regret that decision.