I'm back from Austin, where I attended the SxSW Interactive Festival (conference) for the first time. About 15,000 people came from around the world to hear talks on everything from managing tech people to the private vs public nature of the social web to my panel with Hugh MacLeod, MaryAnne Davis and John T. Unger on how to make a living as an artist and how the internet has changed the art market.
It was a fun filled, jam packed 4 days of brilliant conversations and great parties with new and old friends. Our panel was scheduled at the same time as two very popular speakers, but we managed to get about 100 people in the audience. As a moderator and participant, I had no idea how the conversation would flow, but we followed along 3 main topics:
1) How did each of us get to where we are and what influenced us along the way.
I told my usual story of how I went from being a tech marketer to a gallery owner, all because I stumbled across a space for sale. MaryAnne told great stories about her experiences in art school and the traditional gallery system. Hugh and John gave great anecdotes about why art called them and how they struggled to get to where they are today.
2) How has the art market changed and what does this mean for people who are making, buying or selling art.
One of the biggest changes we all spoke about was the diminishing role of the "gatekeepers", who traditionally were art dealers. The internet has collapsed this wall allowing artists and collectors to connect directly. But MaryAnne and I were quick to debate with the guys that many people still like to buy from dealers or galleries, and that system is unlikely to go away any time soon. And on the flip side, some artists don't want to handle the commercial side of their art careers. Hugh asked who in the audience was planning to wait to get discovered in Chelsea. I told him that was a ridiculous question (in more polite terms, if I recall correctly). I don't believe in the extremes of no galleries or all galleries - there is room for many different models to coexist in harmony.
3. What are some practical tips we can share with artists who want to make a living from their art.
John, MaryAnne and Hugh all had some really valuable points to make, some which may seem obvious but are often overlooked. Have good images on your site. Make it easy for buyers to buy - don't make them work to find out information on pricing and contacting you. Invest in the tools you need to have a web presence - don't cut corners by trying to build all this yourself (unless you happen to moonlight as a web designer). My advice was that artists need to network just like people in every other industry - get out and meet other artists, art school profs, gallery goers, etc... Who you know is important.
In the coming weeks there will be a podcast of our panel, which I will post here. I want to thank all of those who came to see me in person and are visiting my blog, perhaps for the first time. I learned a lot from the other sessions I saw, and hope to share more of my experience with you over the coming weeks.
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