Recently I spent some time with two very talented artist and designers. As we talked about business opportunities I noticed a theme was repeating itself, it was something that I had heard my other creative friends talk about TIME as in not enough of it, fleeting and frustrating. What they feel like they are missing is the ability to create what I call “slow art.” Artists work often falls under what is considered a service industry. I create art and whether I am doing editorial, publishing, or art for products I often get art directed. The faster I can work and the more I have to offer, the more money I can make, right? Suddenly my talents and expertise are in overdrive and I am forced to become an art machine. Both of the artists I was with had decided to make a radical change in their business, they felt like they wanted to design fabulous, inspired, deep (as in fairly large) quality art collections 2 times a year. Several weeks ago, I encouraged an extremely talented friend of mine to go back to doing fine art. She layers paint with vivid painstaking detail and the results are phenomenal. I think the world needs more phenomenal and inspired slow art. But in our industry, that is radical thought, what if we don’t make as much money? But what if you end up making MORE money? Fashion designers create 3 collections a year and resort collections are heavily edited. What if we edit what we did as artists and waited for real honest to goodness inspiration?
I am fascinated with the slow art makers in the world. Creative people who can successfully shut out the fast paced noise around them, who don’t succumb to the pressure of a world that believes faster equals better and better means cheaper.
