Hello dear readers and subscribers.
Welcome to another video with some career advice for artists, and in today's video, I would like to talk about the artist's studio, the studio practice, the space itself, where it should be, how big it should be and what its role is, because very often, your studio is actually a lot more important than you think and it can be a crucial link or a missing link or a key factor in breaking through or remaining unnoticed or unseen.
First things first.
The artist studio has, of course, a direct impact on the work you create.
You need to be able to have sufficient space or you need to be able to make a mess, if that's applicable to you.
For instance, if you would have a home studio.
Creating work like, for instance, Katarina Gross with her spray paint is not ideal.
Or if you use a lot of chemicals, then it's also not ideal to have it at home, especially if you have kids or pets, for instance.
As a result, one must make sure that your studio situation is the kind of the perfect setting that you can currently afford at this stage of your career to materialize your vision, to create what you want to create, but also to be able to do it in a headspace, a state of mind where You're not too worried nor have a lot of time getting lost into cleaning up or preparing to make a mess, for instance.
So that precious studio time that we most often have too little because one has to juggle a job, a family, studies or whatever that you can get the most out of it and that you can pick it up where you left it as soon as you enter that space.
Yet, beyond this obvious importance of a studio the place to work, the place to create art, the birthplace of the work there is also another often overlooked aspect to the studio that is actually very important from a career perspective, because your studio is also, in a certain way, your showroom.
It's a first place where the artwork can be seen or discovered.
Think of the importance of a studio visit.
Sooner or later in your career you'll have, let's say, a gallery director who is interested in working with you and to kind of make that collaboration happen.
A studio visit can be a key event in kind of convincing the gallery director to work with you.
The same can be said for a collector who is interested in your work.
Perhaps they have already acquired the work, but now are ready to completely immerse themselves into your artistic universe, and that experience visiting that studio and I think this is becoming more and more important can be the key link between gaining a new ambassador for your work who will open doors for you.
So we really need to make sure that that impression that we make when people visit our studio is professional.
A gallery owner wants to see that this is a place where the artist can be productive to produce but also to grow.
The same can also be said towards curators or press.
In short, this studio is a way to impress and appearances matter in the art world.
This is something we have discussed in another video as well.
And your studio is part of your appearance, especially when having such encounters with the studio visits.
But it actually goes beyond those studio visits.
You could say, well, I never do studio visits or I don't want to do them.
It's also kind of the stage for where your content of your work is being created.
First and foremost, documenting your works.
Having a nice white wall and perhaps a concrete floor that kind of reminisces the gallery setting is an ideal location to take professional photographs of your work, so that's also important, but even more as we live in this day and age where there is this battle for the attention and content, creation is becoming almost as important As the art itself.
Having an ideal stage, a good studio setting, is also very important to be successful in this endeavor.
If you have a nice studio, it's a lot easier to create good content about your work, so that we're not only making a good impression when we have a studio visit, but that you also have a good impression online, which is becoming Incredibly important, for instance, on social media.
If you want proof of this, Simply grab your phone, go to your Instagram feed and start scrolling, and you'll see that the artist with a good studio Are more likely to show up, because it's better content.
It's a lot more engaging and nice to watch when it's a spacious studio and you also have the idea like if there is a nice to do like okay, this is professional artists.
It kind of sets the tone.
Career growth for artists comes down to convincing people, and your studio can be a key factor in that process of convincing people.
It can simply be the difference between letting an opportunity slip through your hands if a collector or a gallery director fits your studio but it's sloppy and unprofessional versus seizing that opportunity.
And the same can be said with social media.
If you create good art but poor content, then your career will suffer.
Whether I think this is a good or bad thing well, that's an entirely different topic, but it is the reality and we have to accept that and also take matters into our own hands to make the most of it.
However, do not despair if you do not have the perfect studio right now.
Most artists will have had numerous studios across the years and, studio after studio, they improve themselves as their career grows and they're able to reinvest in themselves.
And I think, if you have a bit more resources, investing in your studio is absolutely one of the best investments.
It benefits you in so many different ways.
So if you can do it.
However, if you do not have your dreams to do right now, that's okay.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
Don't get into risky loans or big contracts that will come back to haunt you also.
Be patient here.
We want to go long as an artist, not fast.
Simply make sure that you have the best studio possible at your current stage of your career.
Next, a very important aspect is, of course, the location.
Where should your studio be?
And, of course, being in an art city would be the obvious answer.
You should be in New York, you should be in London, you should be in LA or Berlin or Paris.
However, we all know that these cities are incredibly expensive and most of us do not have unlimited resources, so compromises have to be made.
So we must look, and every artist has to do this for themselves.
Perhaps most important for me right now
If the size of your work is very, very important and you cannot afford a big studio in a big city, well then don't do it, because in the end the art comes first.
Then have a studio in a more remote place and try to make up for it by being a bit more present on social media, for instance, by having a lot of content about the work circulating online in this nice looking studio.
Whereas if, for instance, you would be an artist who is a so-called post-studio artist, so an artist that is predominantly doing a lot of research and project-based art, in which being in close connection to the art community is important, or having access to libraries universities, then being in the city is absolutely essential and a smaller studio is possible.
The same can be said for some artists who are either a natural in networking and that really want to be on top of the scene or that already have a network in a particular art scene because they studied there and their peers also graduated and are working and living in that particular city, or you have been working in the arts so you know a lot of people.
Then it can be useful to have your studio in the city and kind of make a compromise in terms of the space.
So then, maintaining those professional relations can actually be more important for your career growth than having a photogenic studio.
However, if you're naturally inclined to be very introverted, not having a network at all, and are good at building those digital connections, I would say so really networking a lot through Instagram then it can also perfectly work.
You do not have to be in a big city to make something happen.
And this is also something, it used to be different in the past, but today we see this a lot more.
I think, for instance, the Ray Klein suddenly was represented by Jessica Silverman Gallery, although she lived in a small town in Michigan.
But she had 100,000 plus Instagram followers and incredibly good art.
Earlier.
We also had a conversation with, for instance, Emily Weiner, who actually lived in New York, but it was actually moving away from New York that did the trick for her.
She moved to Nashville, which reduced the financial pressure, giving her more studio time, and that was the moment where everything started to click, and now she's having a thriving career in the art world while living outside of a major art city.
So don't cling on to the idea that you have to be in New York or wherever to make it work.
Today those digital opportunities can really make up a lot of ground and really focus on the art itself.
So simply play to your strengths and trying to find a balance between the size of your work, the nature of your work, your persona as well, and set those priorities, act upon them, take this into your own hands.
I would say there are a lot of artists that later on actually have a second studio and often if they have a second studio it is in a major art city.
Because they have become more established, they have more resources and, for instance, they have a gallery in that particular city, then it's very useful to have a presence there or to create work in that city, especially if you would especially to avoid, for instance, long distance shipping that way, but also to share this with other artists and to kind of have someone there if collectors want to see work of you that you have presence in that city.
So this setup can kind of combine the best of both worlds and you can split the costs with other artists.
Which brings us to the next important aspect the type of studio a home studio or isolated studio or a shared studio.
A home studio can be a very smart choice for those who do not have the financial resources but do have a, a decent space, for instance, if you have a shed in the garden or the ability to build a garden studio or you would have a lofty attic where you can work quite well.
But also if you are disciplined enough, for instance, to ignore your household tasks, and i think having a home studio is the ideal excuse to do exactly that.
But also, does your partner and your family respect your studio time?
Because this can also kind of start to interfere.
And are you still able to disconnect when you leave outside of the studio, knowing that there is a work still that needs to be finished?
And if you do work from home, can you really maximize your space?
Because very often when we work from home it is often in a space that is a lot smaller.
And when you are a sculptor, then it becomes even more difficult.
Of course, then you have to either work very, very small or you have to consider having a studio elsewhere.
This dedicated studio space is a great way also to kind of separate your work life and your personal life.
But also bear in mind that this can quickly become very costly if we have a look at commercial properties.
It is not cheap to own one and in a certain sense you remain quite isolated.
If you have to go for a dedicated space outside of your home, I strongly recommend you to look for real studio accommodation, which is often in a building with other studios, with other artists and with other gallery directors and collectors and curators visiting that building.
It can also be so rewarding for the work itself to be surrounded by other creative mind and you can pop in and kind of brainstorm and ping pong about your work.
And also it puts you in a position that chances are more likely that you are in the right place at the right time because more artful people are moving in the same circle as you are in.
So, this is something I strongly, strongly recommend.
Think of, for instance, the paintbrush factory in Cluj, which was a rather unexpected art city that rose to prominence with the so-called Cluj school and art world superstars such as Adrien Guigny and Victor Mann.
But also, for instance, Pouche in Paris at the moment, which is a large industrial complex which hosts 270 artists who have their studio there and also accompanying curatorial events.
So these are real creative hubs.
If there is no such hub nearby, then it could also be an idea to create one for yourself.
For instance, you graduated and you have five other artists who you studied with and you want to share the studio.
You want to share a building, share the rent to make it more affordable and perhaps even have some other artists join you and perhaps this can grow and become even a separate income stream, which is something other artists have done in the past.
Being creative and proactive here is also very important for these more strategic decisions, because you kind of create a reason for curators or collectors or gallery directors to visit your studio because there is this concentration of artists.
So definitely consider that option as well.
So to summarize, first, are you happy with your current studio situation?
Ask yourself this question.
Is my studio a professional environment?
Do I make a good impression if I share content about my work in this environment or when I invite curators, collectors or gallery directors?
If the answer is no, I strongly recommend you to do something about this because, as I mentioned, it can be a key factor between seeing something happen, seeing some career growth, or not.
In addition, ask yourself the following questions.
What budget do I have, if any, for my studio?
Do you have an existing work in an art city where perhaps you should be based with your studio?
How much space do you need?
Really important, try to actually write down the square meters or square foot that you need for your studio practice.
Make sure to have a minimum and a maximum here.
We can dream about a very big, spacious studio, but we also want to set that bare minimum that we require.
Do you have the space at home?
Ask yourself that question.
And if not, are there any shared studio spaces nearby?
Is there a city where there is this studio project nearby?
Or can you set up a shared studio space by yourself?
So, with these questions, really assess your own situation right now, look what you need based on your work, your persona, your budget, and make it happen.
Play to your strengths here.
Take matters into your own hands and make an impression that lasts.
Have a good appearance, be professional, be operational, be ready for business.
If you're looking for more industry approved and adequate career advice for artists, then I strongly recommend subscribing to our channel, but also having a look at contemporaryartissuecom at advice for artists.
For instance, have a look at our career bundle, which is a bundle of tools which is actually kind of a starter pack of all the career essentials and documents you need to be operational and to be ready for business as an artist, accompanied by articles and videos that explain you why and how to do this.
So definitely have a look at that section.
Thank you so much for tuning in today.
Feel free to watch our video on why most artists struggle in their career.
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