Life as an Artist
Recently a Facebook Friend of mine posted a thread asking everyone their thoughts on Selling as an Artist. She said that it seems that American artists seem to be most concerned with selling than with making a social impact or leaving a legacy, more so than artists in other countries.
Here was my reply after someone else criticized artists who sell.
'It is in my sole being to create. If not for my art I could not exist as who I am.
I was educated in my craft, I teach others my craft to help them realize their Art. I struggle as a full time professional artist to live as such, I got a degree so that I would have the skills to make my living off of my art. My work is my Art, My Art is my work, financial and so on. I teach, volunteer, and donate my time and work, I am involved so that I can be immersed. In the moments when Art does not sustain me physically and financially, I work other jobs to supplement. Sometimes I create for the benefit of others, sometimes its solely expressive. I make what I like, if someone else likes it too great! Sometimes my intent is to make it specifically for others. Many times I just have a great idea, many times I have a deep emotional concept I wish to portray. I enter exhibitions for prestige and to leave a lasting impression. Many pieces are hard to part with and I probably never will, I spend so much time on a piece that it is difficult to let go of that piece of me. Do I sell, yes, do I make a profit, well… School Loans, Materials, Tools, and Metal is expensive… so No. I struggle with having to live and having to be an artist, it doesn’t always pay the bills, so I teach to remain in the midst of creative energy. My friends are mostly Artists too and understand. To be an Artist is to be immersed in what you love or feel the need to do, and to say that one must only give away or keep their art and cannot profit enough to live comfortably with their art, isn’t realistic. In other countries throughout history craftsman and artists work most of their lives as apprentices to be educated and hone the skills to become good enough to make the money for what they do.'
Holly Carter, Metals Artist & Instructor
Artist Statement
Thinking architecturally and structurally despite a passion for nature, my love for materials is struggling with my need to save the Environment. I am trying to find a link with nature and the man-made world, by examining the structure inherent in the world, and the need for structure in man. Most things in nature have an internal or external structure and there is beauty in the architecture of its form, functionality, and movement. Many of my pieces are abstract geometric forms with organic nuances, although some pieces are more naturalistic, and at some level there is that part of me that thrives for the innocence of youth and the fantasy in nature and organic forms.
The spine of which is an essential natural structure for vertebrates is represented in my back of the neck pieces. Structure is necessary in Man and Nature, whether for shelter or purely life giving. Trees have a trunk to support their many branches, snails have a shell to shelter them, and many organisms have a strong yet fragile internal skeleton that maintains their movement and existence. The structures we create are a link between Nature and Man. We need structure physically and mentally. As architects of our own lives we maintain our structure as we should natures, for Natures Will always wins over our Natural biological and Man-made structures in the end.
Exploring alternative connections in jewelry has lead to aberrations from the normal function of design. By the lack of connections in some of my pieces I hope to instill a false sense of security and structure, while the structure is there and sound, it represents the feeling of human insecurity, fail ability, and limited existence.
I aspire to integrate my art into furniture design, more literally bringing architecture into my art, a connection between modern architectural form and nature. My goal is to find a pleasing, mildly organic aesthetic that provides for alternative structural design using geometric and organic shapes that are symbolic of nature, softening the struggle between Human Nature, Mother Nature, and sustainable design.
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