Featured in June 2009 In Hollywood Magazine
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The Myth of the Artist – And Its Danger to Your Art
Our culture has deified the myth of the artist. It is a very seductive myth, that of the struggling, starving eccentric creator. Art is a unique form of communication, communication with oneself but also with others. Reading a poem in an empty room does not diminish the poem’s value, but sharing a poem with an audience, no matter how small, transforms the work and becomes a different form of creation and expression. There are no rules. Each artist must make his or her own path.
P.R. for Artists was created to help artists in any field reach their audience and share their work. The first step is to challenge your perceptions and redefine your relationship, not with the creative process, but with yourself and your art. The second is to give you the marketing information, tools and a P.R. roadmap.
Some deeply held beliefs that can stand in your way include:
1) I’m an artist, not a marketer
2) My work is so exemplary, I don’t need to market, the public will find me
3) A white knight (publisher, investor, producer, etc.) will see my extraordinary talent and take care of everything for me.
4) If I live the artist lifestyle and buy into the myth of the artist, I am an artist.
5) I am ahead of my time. Once I’m dead people will see how talented I am. Then they’ll be sorry.
6) Marketing is beneath me.
7) I’m not good with people. I’m too shy to market.
That’s not how my brain works. I don’t know where to start or what to do.
Most artists deal with one or more of these issues. The trick is to mover beyond them. These thoughts can spell the difference between you creating your art and you becoming a successful artist by reaching your market. Art is best shared; it is a form of communication unique to each particular artist. To communicate you need to find your audience, or more importantly, they need to find you.
