Welcome Private Viewers - and a warm welcome to new subscribers. Thank you for subscribing, it means the world to me that you support my art writing.
The first newsletter of every month is dedicated to my own studio practice but invariably includes themes of an artistic nature which some artists may find interesting/hilarious/boring ;)
Today, I unpacked a tiger. A vintage ceramic tiger planter, to be precise. It was in a box marked “Studio Stuff - HANDLE WITH CARE!” and was hidden underneath a vintage quilt that I found in the airing cupboard when we moved into our house in the UK over twenty years ago and has served as packing material ever since.
The tiger sometimes holds a plant, but more often than not, he’s a vessel for small paintbrushes - we artists know that all vases eventually become brush or pen holders, right?
I’ve been thinking a lot about everything I carry around from place to place: ceramic tigers, found quilts, vintage pottery, a collection of English cups and saucers that I never use but keep “just in case.”
I’ve also been contemplating all the stuff kept in my brain that moves with me: fear of never fully expressing myself, guilt at spending so much time making art, confusion at how I’m meant to present myself as an artist in an art world that is dominated by ego and social-media popularity contests.
I hate to say it, but I’ve been feeling a bit…old. Like the world has moved on and I’m stuck in the days of writing notes in a paper book with a pencil. Nowadays, that’s the equivalent of writing with a feather quill and dipping ink (which I happen to love of course!) Does anybody else feel this way?
Maybe a better description is that I’m feeling “out of place” or perhaps better still, that I’m searching for a place where I belong. Artistically, I mean, I’m struggling to find that place of belonging on social media and to be completely honest, here on Substack too.
Everything I want to do runs counter to the commonly given advice of how to “grow your followers/subscribers” and I feel my voice being pushed to the sidelines because I refuse to comply.
Would ee cummings have agreed to the formatting restrictions of Substack?
Would Louise Bourgois have used a reel template?
I suppose the question that bounces back from my pondering is: Why be on social media then if it makes you feel like an outsider? If I’m not prepared to abide by the rules of the game then what’s the point of playing? I don’t have a robust answer to that yet, but I’m actively seeking out artists who use Instagram in a subversive way because I think they may be my guides.
Why are you on social media?
Or maybe you’re not, in which case I really want to hear from you!
If you expect an eloquent, well-reasoned conclusion to my self-questioning, I’ll disappoint - I don’t have one. I just know that I am FEELING this struggle between wanting to create but not wanting to create like everybody else wants me to create. And it’s stifling my creativity!
Self-expression is the hill I will die on.
That’s where I’m at in my practice right now. No answers, only questions. I’m feeling vulnerable; like I should be wearing a sign that says, “Artist Stuff - HANDLE WITH CARE!”
All advice and comments are welcome. If you read this in the substack app you can write in the comments box below, or if you read via your inbox, simply hit reply.
Until next time.
JC
This video of Louise Bourgeois drawing:
The Stuckist’s Art Group manifesto, which you can read HERE
Stuckism is the quest for authenticity. By removing the mask of cleverness and admitting where we are, the Stuckist allows him/herself uncensored expression.
Currently reading:
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well. i do do the stuff in the places with the algorythms. it's a nuisance and time consuming and you aren't alone. i also don't necessarily think its about age. i think it's temperament and also us artists are often too immersed in our work to bother with "documenting for advertising" sakes. we hate self-promotion. which is why my latest post in patreon is about promoting the work, not the self. but yes! subvert! in all the ways possible. we need so much more of this.
O, my dear Jacqui, thouest not alone! :p social media is exhausting to keep up with but I feel, for me, it's the only way to stay in touch with "my people (photography peeps"
I need to concentrate more on "doing the work" than "socializing" via apps and learning new ways to "promote" (looking at you, Reels).
Honestly, it truly is amazing that my background is PR/Marketing because I can't keep up with any of this(!) and I don't want to.