Surprise, surprise: I’ve only just realised that my a-n blog (made up of more personal and sporadic reflections on the academic and creative life than my website here) was selected as an Artists Talking ‘choice blog’ a month or so ago. I didn’t even think that anyone read it, so I’m really touched by the comments I’ve copied below. A true motivation to keep writing in a spirit of honesty…
Choice blogs April/May 2010: Jewellery and Visual Artist Hazel Evans selects Becky Hunter’s Diary of an Art Historian
To sell or not to sell your soul, that is the question…
Someone recently told me that (in their opinion) to be a commercial artist would be to sell your soul, as art should only be for art’s sake. Needless to say this person was in full time employment and was not trying to make a living as a professional artist either! In response to this person’s bold statement, I found that the blog, Diary of an Art Historian, by Becky Hunter, brings to the surface the continuing question of lifestyle choices as an artist. Hunter says “I sometimes feel as if I’m betraying myself in some way by focusing on how to earn a living rather than on creative flow”. An honest declaration that hits the paintbrush on the bristles about how many artists compromise their creativity in order to make a living.
Determined never to be a ‘hobby time’ artist I have learned that earning a living as a creative person also involves getting skilled in business, being a multi-tasking extraordinaire, as well finding time to get in the ‘creative zone’, and this is something that many artists find challenging. Hunter raises questions about finding professional direction and even gives a handy link to making a start on a business plan.
Hunter’s blog blends accounts of her progress in further education studying an MA in History of Art with engaging documentation of her own work and studies from drawings to “Yesterday I took my cardboard grid out for a walk through the nature reserve near my flat”. This appeals to me as I enjoy the journey into my own work through the written word, historical reference and humour mixed with a touch of glamour and magic. Finding time to follow my creative flow is not always easy but I enjoy what I do, and that is the question!
Hazel Evans is a Jewellery and Visual Artist
