Alighting the Shadows
This post is part of a series called ‘Critiques On The Painting a Day Movement’. By Elijah. You will find more of his excellent art critiques at Art&Critique.com
Where there is light, there is shadow
We all know how daily and frequent painting can benefit artists. It helps to develop commitment and self-discipline, it can prompt the systematic study of one particular theme, it can prove to be financially profitable and, it generally teaches about the sacrifices involved in constant creative labor. However, each one of these advantageous consequences withholds a darker side, which could potentially become more and more dominant and eventually transform the advantage into a disadvantage.
In this series of articles I would like to focus on the pitfalls of the One Painting a Day movement, and hopefully mark them as thought provoking — and avoidable.
The nature of success
Apparently, it may take up to a year, and usually less, to make it in the Internet art world. This is an incredibly short amount of time, especially considering that it will often take decades for an artist to build him or herself a reputation in the real world. It seems that it is easier, at least for now, to launch a painting career on the web. Basically, if you make good art and market it effectively, sooner or later you will begin to sell, receive compliments and even invitations to real tangible galleries — all of the indications of success.
Once achieved, it can inspire, but it can also dishearten. It may sound odd, but some artists may have real difficulties coping with success. It may pose psychological barriers that arise just as high as those of its opposite, the failure. Many artists are sensitive souls by nature, and sudden massive recognition may stifle a blooming career just as a continuous lack of attention would. But this doesn’t mean that one should avoid success: on the contrary, one only needs to keep the sense of proportion — something that shouldn’t be a problem for a painter.
What’s next?
I would like to take a closer look at those obstacles and suggest strategies on how to break them down, or walk around them, when possible. We will discuss the trickiness of financial success, the problems involved in mastering and exploiting a single niche, the addictiveness of One Painting a Day, the compatibility of the practice with the artist’s individuality, and so on and so forth. We will examine known examples not only from painting, but also from other creative spheres, because, after all, all artists make up a single great community.
Although not a painter myself, as an aspiring art critic and writer I draw from personal experience in relation to these fields. To familiarize myself with the topic, I took part in a “One Short Story a Day” initiative, which although lasted only for a week, gave me insight, perspective and a general deeper understanding of the subject. I hope that my detachment from painting will bring a touch of objectivity and dispassionate credibility to the reached conclusions. Though, I will be the first to admit, passion is what drives us all in this complicated thing called “art.”
