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| Photo of Amy E. Fraser |
Today’s heartwarming and inspirational art talk is entitled
Embrace the Suck. I was originally going to call it “It’s all on You: The
Solitary Existence of the Art Entrepreneur” but it didn’t sound nearly as catchy
or as motivational (lol).
As I periodically grumble, stumble and complain about
starting my art career over again at 46, my husband asks: what’s the point? We are financially stable; I really could be
doing something much more entertaining with my time, right? This morning, while
slogging through morning chores, feeling overwhelmed by this daunting task of starting
over so late in life, I begin replaying my husband’s question in my head. In
the midst of this unhelpful mulling, my diabetic cat’s insulin alarm went off. The
song “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, chosen for its tongue and cheek cat
reference, was playing longer than usual. For some reason I actually listened
to the words. I’m not going lie, it kind of sparked my inner Rocky.
Risin' up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive
It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive
It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger
So to answer the question, what’s the point? I’m keeping my dreams of the past alive, fighting
the fight, blood, sweat and tears, heading for a comeback, getting ready to
kick some ass. Shhh, don’t tell, but I don’t actually remember the Rocky movies.
Whatever the case, I’m starting over; it’s daunting and extremely humbling. I have
to keep reminding myself that nothing worthwhile ever came easy; nothing in
this life was given. If you want something you have to get it for yourself. You
will get what you get as a direct result of the effort you put into it. Besides,
don’t you have to earn it for it to really mean something?
I am doing this because I absolutely have to. I am an Artist.
It is the purpose of my existence. I have been, and only ever will be, this. I
have no other serious interests or passions. Every avenue I have pursued has
become art in some way or another. I have never held down a legitimate “day job”
outside of the art field, beyond cocktail waitressing. I would wither and die
if I had to revolve my existence around conventional socializing, watching soap
operas all day, or volunteer work and I would most definitely suffocate, and
probably become downright murderous in an office atmosphere. I would for real, go
bat shit crazy, that’s basically the gist of it.
So, sure, it is all on me, this solitary existence as an Art
Entrepreneur. As much as I dream of having a staff of underlings to do all the
dirty work, I know in my heart of hearts that I could not delegate my duties. Someone
else would not do any of it the way I want, nor would I trust someone else to speak
for me and my work. When it comes to my art, I am, by all accounts, a control
freak. Good, is not good enough. I’m what the kids call “Extra”. In all aspects
of life, I detest laziness and I do not believe in making things easy for
myself or anyone else. Sadly, I’m sure I work harder, not smarter. Obviously, I
would be a terrible co-worker and even worse boss.
This is the tough love people; don’t worry, I’m talking to
me too. No one is going to do this for you. It’s hard and lonely and most of
the people in your life will not be interested in your struggle because art isn’t
their thing. There is the grind, the work, no clock, no hourly wage, no
preordained business plan and definitely no guarantee that this is all going to
work out as you had hoped. The results of your current efforts may not happen
for many years to come, or honestly, ever. All of this will be frustrating and disappointing;
some days will be even harder than others. You will have to want this enough to
be willing to embrace the suck.
Just because someone has talent and can create art doesn’t
mean that they are an artist, or obligated to pursue art as a career path. Not
everyone is cut out for the role of artist, for most it isn’t worth the effort
and that’s completely okay. Hobbies are great outlets. Maybe letting go of the
notion of being a professional artist is the best thing someone could do? It’s
an extremely tough business and the likelihood of finding fame and fortune as
an artist is practically nonexistent. These are not cheerful positive thoughts;
this career path will undoubtedly suck.
But, maybe, you are still in? You are ready for the work,
the disappointment and the misery? Because like me, your soul, your very existence
relies on your one and only identity as an artist; you are ready for whatever
it takes. Okay, so if I haven’t scared you off and all of the above is true for
you, then I do believe you can become a successful Art Entrepreneur. If you are
100% serious, with time and effort you can achieve that goal. If I did not
believe this, I wouldn’t be starting over at the ripe old age of 46. I also think
there are no rules as to how you make this happen; you can make the marketing process
work in whatever way you need it to. Use blogs, social media, whatever tools
you have at your disposal, as long as you keep working. Keep moving forward, don’t
give up, and dig deep to find the dedication and commitment to see yourself
through the hard times. Perseverance is what will separate you from the rest.
My one request for you on this journey is, please don’t
compare your achievements to other artists. I am occasionally guilty of this harmful
pastime as well. It’s discouraging and depressing and completely irrelevant to
your own career and success. I know this is probably the most difficult advice
to follow; it’s only natural to want to compare and compete. Sometimes it’s
healthy to have a rival or nemesis to continue to motivate you. Rocky had his opponents
after all. But really, the best, probably healthiest response would be that if another
artist is where you want to be career-wise, try learning from them instead. You
cannot compete with an opponent you have not studied. Also, be choosy, do the
research, people tend to exaggerate and can say anything they want about their wealth
and success on the internet.
To conclude today’s motivational art talk, only a worthy few
will climb their way to success in this field; those that can embrace the suck
and roll with the punches will succeed. Stay tuned! It’s probably going to be me!
But it could be you too, if you don’t give up and stay focused on the long
game. Be the best You, you can be! Stay Authentic and keep fighting! Best of
luck to you and your artistic journey, we can totally do this!
For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com
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