Friday, March 4, 2011

True Art Gathering: Artistic Exposure




How to make it as an artist?

As most important questions go, the answer comes through another question. What is making it to you? For some it is merely being able to express the essence of emotion to a small public, and for others it might involve economic satisfaction through your art. And even to others making it might merely be completing a work in progress or creating a new form of art. So in order to answer the question “How to make it as an artist” you must first define making it to your personal standard.

But I do realize that the majority of artist would rather be focused on being able to make a livelihood through their art. Meaning you can eat while doing what you love! This aspect of “making it as an artist” have many different facets to consider and later on I will expand on all the various different methods of actually making money off of your art. For now I will only refer to the first step, which could probably be the most important.

If you are a musician, writer, dancer, painter, sculptor etc. then the most important factor for you is exposure. There are two types of exposure required for an artist to be truly successful: Exposure to the public, Exposure to artists.

Exposure to the public:
There are truly many platforms that you can obtain this type of exposure, whether it is virtual or in real life. In regards to the virtual world make a public portfolio, facebook group, twitter account, myspace, reverbnation account and so forth to have a hub where people can learn more about you and what you do. In real life there are also many platforms where you can show off your work. Whether it is a café, or a bar, festival, park or anything really where many people gather, it is a good idea to get there.

The reason exposure to a public is so important is simply because you begin to read people more effectively. You can read a crowd and begin to learn to know what they want. You can receive constructive criticism on your blogs, and create a fan base as well. Since art is a very personal thing it can be difficult to throw yourself in front of a public, but it is something that you will definitely have to do if you want to make money from your art.

Just as important as public exposure is an exposure to a group of likeminded artists. Many people will find the excuse and say they don’t know any other artists. This friends, is the biggest lie on the planet, and nobody is buying it. If you claim to not know any other artist on the block then you have been living in a cave all your life. And it is about time that you take a walk or drive to a place where other artists might be hanging out. It is time to practice the ancient art of making friends! If still you are too afraid to approach complete strangers, you can always find online groups and make virtual friends. The point is that you need to get creative feedback.

The renaissance taught us one thing, that when artists come together…AMAZING STUFF HAPPENS! The collective power of artistic fellowship is the key to creating True Art. By being able to feed off of each other’s creativity you will in turn create a vast space of creation. This will then ignite the power of creation and will inspire you to make some completely unique forms of artistic expression. This is what True Art Gathering is all about. The essence of art in the collective creativity of independent artists!

If you can understand these important elements and keep them always in place; slowly but surely you will begin to see the way to make it as an artist. It’s not easy, and trust me it never will be. But it the moment that you sell your first CD, or painting, or book…there will be nothing to compare that feeling.

The world is waiting for the arts to whisper into its ear and guide it to peace and serenity. Artists have brought humanity out of the dark ages, and once more the need for artistic guidance is very apparent. Just take a look at the news and tell me what you see.

The machinery of society blinds the world; the glitter and gold have hypnotized us all. It is time that Art is manifested once more to create the new path for us to walk. This chapter in our history books will now end, and through the grassroots movements of independent artists will tomorrow be birthed. 



PS. In the future the blog will have less content to make it an easier read, thanks to those who stuck and read it all....

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The True.ART.Gig explained...


This is where everything gets a little bit more interesting. First of all I am compiling all of these blogs in a Manifesto, that soon will be available to download for free. For now we will dive a little bit deeper into what the True.ART.Gig really is about....Pay attention...

True Art Gig:

To my knowledge this concept of the True Art Gig as part of the True Art Gathering will be the first OPEN SOURCE event. What does this mean? The True Art Gig  in itself will only be a guideline for independent artists to create their very own and unique True Art Gig. This means that in essence they all the individual gigs will be the same, yet every single one of them will be manifested in their own unique way based on the group of artists that dare to make their own. The True Art Gathering will provide in the near future a manual that will guide any person willing to make their own event, yet at the same time leave a creative space to twist and shape the event to their liking and creative abilities. Now that's pretty nifty isn't it?

Secondly the True Art Gig is devided into 3 stages.


The first stage or event that is required to succesfully create your very own unique artistic gathering is called the "True Art Gathering: First Call". This step is probably just as important as the True Art Gig itself, and must be conducted to create the heart of the event. What this embarks is calling all the local artists in your community to a unique and exclusive event only dedicated to artists. There will be absolutely NO PUBLIC other than artists. The reason this step is so important is because it will begin to create the platform of artists involved in the main Gig. Also it will give a chance for all the local artists to get to know each other and create a space for collective works. In the Manifesto there will be more details regarding this step.



The second stage of the True Art Gig is called "True Art Gathering: Platform". This step is basically the building of the platform. This will embark everything from location, stage, acts, sound equipment, art pieces, video projection and so on. This also includes publicity and many other factors that the Manifesto will have more specific details on. This stage is just as important as this is where the entire event will be taking place.
Sold this painting for $1000 USD
Organic Art, all made from organic material


True Art Gig in all its glory



The third and final stage is called "True Art Gathering: True.ART.Gig". Obviously this is the fruit of your labor. In this stage you will actually be having the event. Everything should be planned to the utmost detail, all sound checks and installations done the day before and the main event should be progressing as the night continues...or day...or weekend...all depends on you!
Shh
Shh

Shh

In conclusion I don't believe that there has ever been a global open source artistic event. The philosophy behind this is that more input will create a greater global gathering. The idea is not to keep all the ideas to yourself, but rather share and experience collective growth. In order to promote the independent arts movement it is essential to create as many of these open source artistic events as possible. As was mentioned earlier I am currently working on the True Art Gathering Manifesto that will detail each and every step required to create a brilliant event of your own. I have done eight of these events on almost no budget what so ever, meaning...it all is possible. Just remember to use your creative powers to manifest your very own version of the True.ART.Gig

The power is in your hands....the world needs to listen once more to artistic direction. 
And Listen...
And Listen...
And Listen...














Till next time...