I’m a broken record are this point but, I lost myself somewhere. Wrapped up in the people and pieces around me, trying to carve a way into the ever changing art world.
The latter requires more marketing and self hype than creative vision. And I’m so bad at fulfilling those requirements.
I’ve almost always made work for me (whether images or words), but in trying to fit challenges, calls for entry, assist others etc. I sometimes molded that work to the goals of others. It worked. I got more notice from other audiences, but I didn’t like what I made or the attention I got for it, so what was it for?
I’ve taken a step back. I’m not submitting my work anywhere, only placing it on channels I control. I’m not totally opposed to submitting, but I need to be fully versed on the location I’m entrusting with my work before I do. And I’m certainly not paying for submission unless I’m relatively certain there will be a return on my investment. More so, I’m not pouring out my creative energy to anything that is not fully me, or will not allow my work to remain fully mine or be framed in ways that fit my artistic narrative. I’ve gone this path and have learned my lesson.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about this, you’ll find similar posts linked below, but until I’m re-established in my new frame of mind, this will keep coming up when I think of things to write about. That being said, I have a strong feeling that I’ll be done with this conversation after this post.
I believe in myself as an artist. I make compelling pieces. I think I just need to keep growing as an artist and trust that I’ll know where I can entrust my work as I discover more outlets. Until then I’ll keep creating. Nothings stopped me so far.
(Note – I am back to posting on instagram regularly. I’ve found something that works for me for now and I’ve stopped following accounts that bring down my psyche.)
- The Year of Re-Finding my Artistic Voice
- Instagram wasn’t the problem
- Growth and Assurance in Self v. Instagram Clout
- Keep Doing You
- Own What You Do
- Fake It Til You Make It
- Creating Anyway
- Toy Photography | I don’t do this for fun
i wish you strength and confidence in this journey. thanks for sharing your thoughts. i am experiencing something similar in my own creative practices, and also struggle with self-promotion and the amount of energy it takes for both uncertain return and almost guaranteed emotional fallout. i have decided to create for myself at my own pace, and whether or not i put it out into the world will change from case to case. i love the idea of creating for yourself in the first instance. it’s a worldview I feel I can really get behind. thank you as always for sharing.
Thank you so much for this. I wish you all the best in your journey as well. We just gotta keep pushing, making our truly unique work, work that makes us proud personally regardless of the world.
Good for you!