Quick - What art career question should you never ask?

"Mama's Kitchen"
5" x 7", oil on gessoed bristol
@Sue Favinger Smith 2008

Influenced by the Russian Impressionists and the Daily Painting Movement, painted from life, using my own personal color preferences, my habitual brush marks, and inspired by my own memories.)

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Quick -- what art career question should you never ask?

Answer:  "How did you do that?"

I'm not talking about the simple curiosity question, "Gee, that's beautiful, how did you do it?"  I'm talking about the standing at the art opening, walking up to the artist and saying something like "I'm an artist, too, so how did you do that ?"

In the corporate world, asking a competitor how they made their secret sauce would be considered corporate espionage.  So why is it any different for artists?

I was asked this question recently, and my answer was, "I've spent several years experimenting and pushing the envelope on what I could do with the materials I'm using.  Even if you copied me, it wouldn't turn out the same for you.  You need to experiment and find your own way."

The funny thing is, this person is a highly respected artist in her own right, working in a different medium, of course, but she's "thinking about a change."

Being artists, we operate in an extremely competitive environment, and there's a fine line between being "influenced" by a particular artistic style, and "appropriating" what someone else is doing. 

If you are influenced, you have responded to a larger trend and applied it to your own exploration, using your own visual style. 

If you are appropriating, you're not only taking someone else's creative output, but you're stifling your own.  And one day, you may realize that you've "stifled" your creative abilities into oblivion.

So what's the real question behind "How did you do that?"

It goes directly to the heart of the issue of developing a signature style.  We're told that in order to succeed we must have a signature style, a consistent body of work that is immediately identifiable as "ours."  In Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist, the Business Plan for Mature Artists that I am currently working on, I will go into this subject in more depth.  But until then, here are some suggestions:

• A Signature Style can be developed through your choice of subject matter, a specific technique, color choices, or anything that occurs repeatedly - either through a subconscious approach or a deliberate design - that is uniquely yours.

• Paint every day and your stylistic mannerisms will quickly emerge.

• Choose a medium (oil, acrylic, watercolor, photography) and stick with it.

• Choose a format, or a limited number of formats (square, a 2.5 to 3.5 ratio, on custom sized panel) that you use consistently.  If you are a potter, choose several types of vessels.  A photographer might choose B&W, or focus on Large Format work. 

• Push yourself to innovate, to take risks in doing what you've never seen done before. Use materials in "totally inappropriate ways" - which is what I once told an interviewer when she asked about how I created some of my work - or focus on doing one specific thing very, very well. 

You will know when you're on to your Signature Style.  Everything will flow.  You won't be forcing yourself to emulate someone else's style when you don't feel the same inspiration they felt.  Your work won't feel stilted or stuck, but liberating and pure joy.

And the best part?

Knowing that you have a Signature Style is a huge confidence builder.  It is what you should strive for, struggle for...so why would you ever deny yourself that by copying others?

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If you would like to republish this article on your blog or e-zine, please do.  Just be sure to add this complete blurb:

Sue Favinger Smith is a professional artist who began her art career at the age of 50.  She writes Ancient Artist: Developing an Art Career After 50, a blog dedicated to empowering artists seeking to reinvent themselves at mid-life.  You can subscribe by visiting http://ancientartist.typepad.com.

As always, I appreciate your comments and interaction.  And if you know someone who might enjoy this blog, please forward it to them. 

Comments

[cooper]

Hi Sue,
This is a great article. I will need to disagree with the writer who thinks only females ask the question--I've had both ask:)
However, I have two local art groups I participate in, one mostly social, the other is life drawing. Conversations about technique happen at both, and I think that's an appropriate time.
Cooper
http://karencooperpaintings.com

[cooper]

Hi Sue,
This is a great article. I will need to disagree with the writer who thinks only females ask the question--I've had both ask:)
However, I have two local art groups I participate in, one mostly social, the other is life drawing. Conversations about technique happen at both, and I think that's an appropriate time.
Cooper
http://karencooperpaintings.com

[sue]

What about that idea of technique? Does technique mean the medium an artist is using, or could there be more involved in an artist's technique? What about the artist who comes up with a unique way to imprint photographs onto brushed metal in the creation of large contemporary pieces? If there is no copyright on technique, should she have to tell the world how she does it or ask them to discover it on their own?

[Mona Diane Conner]

I disagree that this is a question to avoid answering. I don't have any secret recipe except my unique hand, which no one can ultimately steal from me, as you are also pointing out in saying "it wouldn't come out the same anyway". If it's about technique, or about the materials you use in a special way, that is not style, but technique, and no one owns copyright over a technique. And as for copycats-- one of my teachers, Robert Weaver, who had a copycat for a while once said to us: the copycat is the one that eventually falls through the cracks due to sheer lack of originality. He ignored his copycat, and without any fuss, legal or otherwise, the copier soon disappeared.

[Martin]

Hi,
this question is typical for females ! I never heard such a question from a male. A certain breed of females ask such questions and they have no mercy to copy what ever they can. This is my experience as male and I never ever answer that question anymore because I am fed up with it.

[Sherry]

I imagine you are right. I try so many media, in so many formats, that my collection looks like it came from a whole crowd, instead of one person. Trouble is, my excitement and energy comes from variety. My goal this next year may be to produce work in one size only, and see if that unifies my output. I enjoy reading your insights here.

[vicki Ross]

Sue, you also struck a chord with me! In fact, I copied you line for line in my newest blog. This issue has happened on a local level to the point that everyone is aghast at the balls of the copying artist. And how can she hold her head up and not know that her concepts are recognized for what they are? Cheap copies.

thanks for letting me 'crib' you. I did give you credit, as asked.

vickilou

[Margret Short]

Hello Sue,
Your story about "what questions you should never ask" struck a chord with me. It is a curious thing to think that artists could feel comfortable asking this question so freely and expect an answer. The question that I find interesting also is, "how long did it take you to paint that?" My stock answer is, "well it took me 35 years" (or whatever the actual number happens to be that year).

Your blog dialogue is terrific and on target. Thanks for astute and esoteric thoughts which stimulate intelligent discussions.
Margret Short

[sue]

You're absolutely right- stealing is a more accurate word to use when someone takes an artist's output rather than doing the hard work for themselves. It's so rampant today - the unspoken scandal that we all seem to know about. And yet - I came across an artist once who I was sure was duplicating me, until I read the listing of obscure books she used for inspiration and realized they were the same books on my bookshelf and which I had never publicized. So is it sometimes just a case of coincidence?

[JoAnn Sanborn]

While it's great to admire the work of someone else, stealing is not OK! As an art teacher I always incorporate a segment on how important it is to do your own thing, and include some tips for getting started, but you've put the whole issue together beautifully. Nice painting, too!