Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Thick skinned

One of the only things that I don't like about the art world is that it seems to attract large numbers of inflated egos and ostentatious social outcasts who take it upon themselves to express their opinions based on nothing other than their desire to get create conflict and controversy in the hope of getting their mug in print.

I myself have been subjected to criticism by others which I am quite fine with as I have grown quite a thick skin but there are so many people in the art world, particularly artists, who do not have accept or ignore criticism. One negative remark can send an artist from confidence to complete devastation in the blink of an eye. Criticism is of course crucial in the art world and when correctly administered is a valuable tool for artists and the art market but when used by people as a means of self gratification, especially by people with influence, it becomes a powerfully destructive tool.

The art market is greatly influenced by opinion and criticism and is prone to a form of gullability when it comes to the acceptance of the opinions of some people as being honest, reliable and accurate. I am not saying that peoples opinions are not valid but in the art market where the value of an artwork can rest in the hands of a select few opinions, the opportunity (and temptation) for people to give an opinion to benefit themselves becomes an issue.

My advice is to develop your own opinion, compare the opinions of others and don't get caught up in any fads or trends created by controversy or conflict.

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