Still More Things They DON'T Teach You In Art School(Pt 4)

More of my musings based on real life and the school of hard knocks rather than pricey art schools...

1) Compromise is part of business. Alot of teachers, schools espouse this idea of "no compromising" your "ideals" or your "vision". Oh la dee-da. It's one thing to have your artistic vision and, indeed some people truly will see eye to eye with you. It's another thing to tell someone what they are going to get, when in fact, they'd like something else, or at least, some imput into your ideas and then acting like a prima donna when they suggest some of their ideas that would make the wanted vision perhaps better. The simple fact is, they're paying for it. Usually, I find, with a little wiggle room on your part, you'll find out they have wiggle room on their part. It's all part of the process of doing business-give and take. One example is the client I am doing a dinosaur book for. Their off-the-table-no-budging rule was that the illustrations had to be manipulated photos combined with art. There was no getting around this. However, once I came up with the rather simple way of doing this, the problem was solved, and everything else was easy. And now, I'm having alot of fun doing these paintings, making them work to stock photos, and the client is just over the moon with the result and, they announced recently how much they trust us to "just give it your best".

2) Check your ego at the door. This is part of #1, truthfully but it needed to be it's own point. Working in the film biz, on both Jimmy Neutron and, The Ant Bully, as a conceptual designer, I went in knowing that my ideas would be subject to being rejected, re-worked and done over completely (and some were approved on the spot!), working with a team of designers and artists, all very talented. But our egos aren't important. In this case it was the director's vision that was what was needed to be attained. He's a visual guy, but, doesn't draw. So he hires artists draw and to take pot-shots at adding visual life to his words,and with a little direction on his part the film starts coming together. But don't be shocked when the director takes your visions and hands it to the next guy and tells him to do his own version of it or a "new take" on it. Because in the end, it may look like 2 artist's concepts worked into one idea-the director's. That's how any films work. It should never look like any one artist, but one unique vision of alot of artists all stirred in together.

3) Fine Art is Commercial Art. Any art that someone buys, is "commercial". Any commission is "commercial". This is just a real truth. If someone digs a hole in the ground, fills it with dog crap and then puts straw over it, calls it an "installment" and "it can't have a price put on it", then fine, if you believe that, there's a bridge in Brooklyn that's for sale too. Don't be afraid to admit that any portrait, landscape or whatever, is "Commercial". Besides, I have never been one who believes "Installments" are art. Stunts maybe...art...nah. Recently I had a gallery show in Seattle as part of a group and, my stuff sold out. I've had people say to me "By putting a price on your work, don't you feel this is selling out? I thought the statement redundant, and I said "Indeed, I put prices on everything and...they sold out. Your problem?"

That's it for now. Anything more as it comes, I'll post....