The Bad News and the good

The more I give talks on the subject of being proactive as an artist the more bold I become in delivering the tougher messages. So here are a few of the things I'm now saying more directly:

The News:

• there's no-one to do it for you....do it yourself - you can't just offload writing and promoting your work to others, it matters that you do it yourself as you need to learn how to go about this before delegating it when successful enough to pay for it
• galleries and curators won't come looking, you have to take it to them - so put on your own shows and invite them. Demonstrate your commitment to being an artist by not just making the work but putting on the show, organising the pv, sending out invites etc etc
  
• sending slides (or cd's) unsolicited is a waste of time and money, they end up in a pile and may well get binned - get to know galleries and curators, find out their interests, chat to them, talk about what they are showing before asking them to look at your work
  
• if you don't put the name of the person you want to reach on the envelope it will go straight to the bin - if you can't be bothered to find out a name (and in doing so demonstrate that you've made some effort) then why would anyone come more than half way to meet a stranger like this?
  

Launching an art world mapping tool

Throughout the research I've conducted on the way art worlds work there have been a series of scribbled drawings mapping out connections between different elements. It's been a less than scientific process!
I'm keen to devise tools that deliver understanding both in their use and in their results and furthermore that benefit from repeated use by many people.
The art world mapping process is one such tool.
It was launched at Static in Liverpool through the re:format programme of events organised by Dark Horse Projects. I worked with performance artist Rebecca Reid and we focussed on an experimentational approach where the challenges faced in the Liverpool and International arenas played out in the responses to the mapping processes.
In other situations I will use this game-like tool as a show and tell approach or to lead groups through a learning route. This diversity of uses and applicability to a wide range of groups is intended to contribute to my ongoing research into the analysis of art world structures.