Why you are a bad painter
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 10:23 amWhy you, me, and almost everyone you know is a bad painter
1. You were better at art school because you got informal and formal feedback from tutors and students. Occasionally you listened to it.
2. You're not very successful, therefore you're not very successful. You remember the student who you thought was shit at art college, and then started showing with a big gallery, and got a whole lot better? Well, besides the financial and psychological boost of success, they actually started having to work for someone/some audience and get some feedback, that's why they got better.
3. You swallowed the bogus idea that if it doesn't all come from you, it's not authentic or good. The reason why groups of artists sometimes produce good moments in art history, is partly because of collective thought and criticism. You beavering away alone in your studio is wilful failure.
4. Because art's too damn clever and disconnected from everyday discourse (ie normal people don't know how to criticise it) you're left with no one willing or able to tell you how you can get better, or even what you're doing, or what they see in your paintings. And your artist friends are too scared to tell you the truth, because you might tell them it back.
5. You do something that pays really badly, so psychologically you need to believe that you are special to keep going with it. This may be true, but unfortunately it leads you to not listen or seek feedback or real change. as it might burst your bubble.
6. You can get better, ruthlessly seek negative and positive criticism from other artists, people, even facebook. You are the one being destroyed by the myth of the autonomous contemporary artist and only you can change this.
1. You were better at art school because you got informal and formal feedback from tutors and students. Occasionally you listened to it.
2. You're not very successful, therefore you're not very successful. You remember the student who you thought was shit at art college, and then started showing with a big gallery, and got a whole lot better? Well, besides the financial and psychological boost of success, they actually started having to work for someone/some audience and get some feedback, that's why they got better.
3. You swallowed the bogus idea that if it doesn't all come from you, it's not authentic or good. The reason why groups of artists sometimes produce good moments in art history, is partly because of collective thought and criticism. You beavering away alone in your studio is wilful failure.
4. Because art's too damn clever and disconnected from everyday discourse (ie normal people don't know how to criticise it) you're left with no one willing or able to tell you how you can get better, or even what you're doing, or what they see in your paintings. And your artist friends are too scared to tell you the truth, because you might tell them it back.
5. You do something that pays really badly, so psychologically you need to believe that you are special to keep going with it. This may be true, but unfortunately it leads you to not listen or seek feedback or real change. as it might burst your bubble.
6. You can get better, ruthlessly seek negative and positive criticism from other artists, people, even facebook. You are the one being destroyed by the myth of the autonomous contemporary artist and only you can change this.
