How to Create Art©
Posted: Thursday, April 21, 2011
by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com
This week’s question asks: “I like to create things, but I do not know whether it is really something one can call art and I would like to know exactly what art is?”
Answer: Marshal McLuhan once stated, “Art is anything you can get away with!”
I just returned from an art exhibition in which I had two works hung and the work created covered just about everything and anything that anyone could conceivably create besides paintings.
When one goes beyond one’s local little world and makes forays into the world of art one will be amazed at what is out there and though you may not like what you are seeing, if the artist calls it art and the gallery calls it art and the viewers view it as art then it is art.
Some of the things I have seen on and in exhibitions may not be what I call art simply because it may not be to my taste or to my liking, but the artist and the gallery are telling me it is with a straight face and many times grants have been provided to the artist with extrorinarily large amounts of public funds so the artist has to keep a straight face as the artist or gallery owner defines some sort of historical context or theoretical basis for the work the artist has created. Often it may seem crazy or silly or totally off the wall, but if and often when the premise of the story justifies the art then it becomes art.
I do not know what kind of art you produce whether it be painting, sewing buttons on scraps of cloth or welding bumpers together, but regardless of what you are creating you must first determine what artistic medium you want to produce your work in, what it is going to be about, put it in your gallery or studio and call it art, then lo and behold it will be art whether the viewer likes it or not.
Once you have created your work of art it becomes very important to tell everyone, whether you know them or not, just how great and historically significant each particular piece of art is and you need to inform all your friends of each new piece of work you create and I would include even people who are not your friends. Next it is important to put your works in as many gallery shows and exhibitions you can. Get your name on mailing lists for exhibitions. Do arts and crafts shows. Follow up on each piece by submitting it on the internet to as many influential blogs you can and if you can, then contact the press about your works with pre-written press releases. Have a sign in your yard that says art studio or art gallery. Have a website with your name on it that says artist. Have business cards with your name and have them say artist or whatever you create. An artist cannot be shy. They have to talk about their work every chance they get. Don’t worry about whether anyone likes it or not especially if you like creating it. One of my mentors used to say, “If you walk like a duck, quack like a duck then everyone will think you are a duck.” So I am telling you if you want to be an artist you must create your art, act like it is art, tell everyone it is art and you will be an artist and your work will be art!
Just remember it doesn’t have to be pretty pictures or paintings, it can truly be anything you want to create and you must also remember that practice, practice, practice is part of the art scene. One gets better at whatever one is doing when one keeps at it. You may not be a Rembrandt but your art is your emotional feelings put into action. You may not be producing what everyone will be buying, but not all artists sell their products especially those who do not put a “spin” on it or who do not really market their works. There really are no stereotypes in art even though there are pre-conceived notions of what artist stereotypes should be. The second part of the art scene is promotion and we have been brought up not to be making noises about ourselves, but the squeaky wheel does get the grease so make as much noise as you can about your art because if you do not then probably no one else will. Remember, “Art is anything you can get away with!”
May the Creative Force be with you!
Arlene Wright-Correll
Answer: Marshal McLuhan once stated, “Art is anything you can get away with!”
I just returned from an art exhibition in which I had two works hung and the work created covered just about everything and anything that anyone could conceivably create besides paintings.
Some of the things I have seen on and in exhibitions may not be what I call art simply because it may not be to my taste or to my liking, but the artist and the gallery are telling me it is with a straight face and many times grants have been provided to the artist with extrorinarily large amounts of public funds so the artist has to keep a straight face as the artist or gallery owner defines some sort of historical context or theoretical basis for the work the artist has created. Often it may seem crazy or silly or totally off the wall, but if and often when the premise of the story justifies the art then it becomes art.
I do not know what kind of art you produce whether it be painting, sewing buttons on scraps of cloth or welding bumpers together, but regardless of what you are creating you must first determine what artistic medium you want to produce your work in, what it is going to be about, put it in your gallery or studio and call it art, then lo and behold it will be art whether the viewer likes it or not.
Once you have created your work of art it becomes very important to tell everyone, whether you know them or not, just how great and historically significant each particular piece of art is and you need to inform all your friends of each new piece of work you create and I would include even people who are not your friends. Next it is important to put your works in as many gallery shows and exhibitions you can. Get your name on mailing lists for exhibitions. Do arts and crafts shows. Follow up on each piece by submitting it on the internet to as many influential blogs you can and if you can, then contact the press about your works with pre-written press releases. Have a sign in your yard that says art studio or art gallery. Have a website with your name on it that says artist. Have business cards with your name and have them say artist or whatever you create. An artist cannot be shy. They have to talk about their work every chance they get. Don’t worry about whether anyone likes it or not especially if you like creating it. One of my mentors used to say, “If you walk like a duck, quack like a duck then everyone will think you are a duck.” So I am telling you if you want to be an artist you must create your art, act like it is art, tell everyone it is art and you will be an artist and your work will be art!
Just remember it doesn’t have to be pretty pictures or paintings, it can truly be anything you want to create and you must also remember that practice, practice, practice is part of the art scene. One gets better at whatever one is doing when one keeps at it. You may not be a Rembrandt but your art is your emotional feelings put into action. You may not be producing what everyone will be buying, but not all artists sell their products especially those who do not put a “spin” on it or who do not really market their works. There really are no stereotypes in art even though there are pre-conceived notions of what artist stereotypes should be. The second part of the art scene is promotion and we have been brought up not to be making noises about ourselves, but the squeaky wheel does get the grease so make as much noise as you can about your art because if you do not then probably no one else will. Remember, “Art is anything you can get away with!”
May the Creative Force be with you!
Arlene Wright-Correll
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