Issues About Content
I've been making a great effort to be productive as an artist. Even with all the organizing, planning, and research, I'm facing a fundamental issue with my content. What I mean by "content": everything I put out that represents me as an artist. It feels like everyone wants you to be focused, to be defined, and summed up. However annoying it may be to generalize someone, it makes sense because your audience may find it difficult to enjoy your content if they are confused about what you do overall. I think my art is a bit scattered and contains themes that don't really relate to each other. I don't want to come off as a mess, but I don't want to put myself in a position where I don't like what I do anymore.
To be honest, I wish I had something more interesting to write about, but this really affects how I move forward. So sorry, if it's a bore, but maybe this blog can give some insight about my thought process and bring awareness to some of the issues one may face as an artist.
The specifics of my issue
I primarily work with ceramics, but I like to work with other mediums. I have a background in drawing & painting and still love to do both. I like to play around and experiment. My work also swings between [comical, cute, silly, aloof] and [technical, craft, refinement, serious]. Since I use various mediums and incorporate different themes, I feel like my content is confusing for my audience. I'm not sure how to go about representing myself since I consider it all to be a part of me.
Some options to consider
Don't worry about it and continue as you are.
I could definitely settle with this option and focus on the positive aspects of what I'm doing rather than the doubts. But it feels careless. I don't think it's good to let your inner critic get the best of you, but I also think that it can be harmful to yourself if you keep the mentality that everything you do is fine as it is. You have to be able to recognize when something isn't going well and strive for something better, so that you can improve.
Only post ceramic related content.
This option deals with limiting my posts to my primary medium: ceramics. With this option, I would still be able to do everything, I just wouldn't share it with my audience. I worry that all my content would look the same and be very sparse.
Create separate artist identities.
It's difficult to wrap my head around the feasibility of this. My initial thought starts with two Instagram accounts- my current one and another for my more cutesy work. The problem with this is that my work isn't so clear cut; my dudes for example lean towards cutesy, but I am still able to put them in serious toned settings since they are a very neutral-looking being.
Make clear distinctions between casual and professional art.
Going off of the previous idea, I would continue with all aspects of my work, but make a distinction between works that I consider "casual" and "professional". I would put more emphasis on creating and presenting "professional" works. I'm not sure how else to make the distinction without explicitly noting so on every work.
Maintain the same theme.
I'm noticing a similar problem between my options: labeling. I'm having trouble labeling what my work is, so I'm not sure I would be able to do this option where I need to pick an aspect of my work to focus on. How would I mix a screaming dude and a moth reliquary?
I can't help but think that I'm just not a focused person and that's what really needs working on. I'm confused; so many thoughts are swirling in my head...
In the end, I'm still just beginning to figure out my artist identity. I hope you'll stick with me on this adventure and that we will have some good times along the way.
Shannon
