Question:
People have said I need to have more of a reason as to why I am shooting for this to be considered decent artwork. I am not shooting this for social approval, but I would like my work to be appreciated. Do I need to study art and create a vision beyond just creating?
Answer:
Yes, you need to study art, just as a lawyer needs to study law and a physician needs to keep up with medical breakthroughs (hello, COVID). It's your business. Immerse yourself. Doing so will bring you closer to why the heck you are doing this in the first place.
Our medium is changing and always will be. Technology shifts have always propelled photography. From Daguerreotype to NFT, it’s an evolution.
I teach the History of Contemporary Photography at ICP. Since everyone is a photographer now, it’s actually exciting to see how many of these photographers do not know their history. How can you move forward if you don’t know where you been? This is not a call to live in the past, but knowing your history informs your present, the foundation, and the architecture of your future.
From the Archives
Selling art is a game. It can be fun if you don’t let the seriousness of it overwhelm you.
In 2013, Martin Klimas released his SONIC series. I had a client (who has since become a good friend) who needed a series of work for a skybox at a sports arena. He loved Martin’s work and imagined a series of SONIC pieces (12) along the walls. At 3500/per piece, that’s a nice sale.
I asked him to tell me the color of the wall and the dimension. My trusty assistant at the time did her best Frankenstein photoshop, aligning 12 Klimas on the back wall while the client and I enjoyed the view from the couch on other people’s bodies.
Was it a professional presentation? Not really. Was it fun and original? Absolutely. Did he call me immediately in hysterics? You bet he did.
Although the client went with something else, it cemented our rapport and created a new strategy that I have used several times since.
Think about your own dealings with current clients and potential ones. Think about where you want to show and who with. Sure, take your approach and overture seriously, but let your personality come through. It’s a game, have fun with it.
As a gallerist, I receive a lot of proposals. Yes, the work is important, but don’t overlook the delivery. There is nobody I know that doesn’t want to have fun and be surprised on the job. Find your own way, your own style, and enjoy the process.