Artwork's Value
I’ve been busy the last month, as I’m sure everyone else has been in the last weeks (school, protests, a pandemic, 2nd degree sunburn...); it feels like months have gone by in a few weeks.
I’ve done my first non-school portfolio reviews. Because of COVID-19, these (like many events) had to be done online. Which worked out better for me. Typically, a photography portfolio review is done in person and you’re given a 20-minute slot. The reviewers are doing these back-to-back, which sounds absolutely exhausting. Instead, I sent my images digitally a few days before, so the actual time was much more communicative than I think it’d be in an in-person review.
Speaking with them, it became clear that the story behind my work—my story—was as important, if not more so, than the quality of the work itself. Reflecting on it, it seems both obvious and counterintuitive. How often have I heard “let the work stand on its own?”
With criticism (particularly negative), there’s an innate need to debate, explain, or justify artistic choices. But, art is subjective. You can’t argue against someone’s favorite ice cream flavor, so why try arguing about whether they like or dislike your work?
Are artists really more tortured than the rest of us? Let's consider this myth and the studies that assess whether there might be a link between creativity a...
Which isn’t the same as knowing the story behind the work. There’s numerous conscious and unconscious decisions made when you’re creating art. Your history influences these choices significantly. Which leads to the idea that artists must be tortured/starving/depressed to create.
But, you don’t need to be actively suffering to understand suffering.
The last few months, I’ve felt better emotionally than I have in years. And, I’ve been creating better work. Having less emotional and psychological work to do,
means I can use those mental resources to create.
In selling art, I’m selling myself and my story.
Portfolio Reviews
Michael Kirchoff, Editor in Chief of Analog Forever Magazine. Reviews via Zoom still available.
Ann Jastrab, Executive Director of the Center for Photographic Art. Reviews via Zoom still available (requires CPA membership).