In turbulent times, how do artists survive and thrive? Over the course of a year, the writer Lydia Figes met more than 50 artists and asked them all one key question: “If you could give one piece of advice to a young, aspiring artist today, what would you say?” The result is a roadmap publication offering counsel and insights for creatives and artists.
Nine thematic chapters offer guidance on how to negotiate the realities of the art world, discussing topics such as the merits of art school, mental wellbeing, mentorship, engaging with politics and gallery representation. This last chapter provides practical advice, with the British artist Caroline Walker advising, for instance, that young artists should draw up their own consignment agreements when working with a new gallery. Interviews with the likes of Anish Kapoor, Shirin Neshat, Tracey Emin and Jesse Darling punctuate the narrative.
“The book encourages young artists to resist the pressures of finding ‘success’ and fame rapidly, especially if it compromises the overall integrity of their practice,” Figes says. “It’s OK to take your time. The sentiment stems from [the American conceptual artist] John Baldessari’s philosophy: ‘Art is long and so is life’.” Figes points to the increasing commodification of the art world and the financial pressures facing creatives today, especially for those without wealth or a financial safety net. “I think the older generation do really sympathise with what the younger generation are having to navigate now.”
Sharing personal struggles
The reflections of the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who moved to Paris in 1902 to write a monograph on the sculptor Auguste Rodin, anchor the book. Rilke was determined to lead an “aesthetic and artistically motivated life”, Figes says.
“He was happy to share his personal struggles and wisdom to those following in his footsteps. I began to look into his letters to his mentee [the Austrian journalist] Franz Xaver Kappus and I realised that his outlook resonates with the conversations I’m having with artists, especially on topics such as working in solitude, self-doubt and patience. I thought I could follow in that vein and help to be a conduit or a messenger between generations.”
Some issues seem to unite most art professionals. “Something to deduce from the conversations is that if you’re an artist and you don’t have any self-doubt, there’s probably something wrong with your practice. I wanted the book to be reassuring for young people, to reiterate that it’s OK not have figured it all out,” Figes says. What of the future? “Young people have that youthful energy, fresh ideas and a resistance to surrounding rules and structures. I think that needs to be celebrated rather than underfunded, punished or squashed,” she concludes.
Below is a selection of tips from the book.
Anish Kapoor Photo © Nicholas Sinclair
Advice for aspiring artists
Juno Calypso: “Don’t punish yourself for being too sensitive in response to other people’s feedback. Your sensitivity is what makes you an artist.”
Wolfgang Tillmans: “I think the most important quality to foster is curiosity. As long as you’re interested in something—as long as you have a passionate interest in finding out about something and looking into something, enquiring—you will have some interesting thought. Your work is only as interesting as your thought: if you’re boring, if you’re not interested in something—and it doesn’t matter if it’s highbrow or lowbrow, if it’s nuclear molecular science or if it’s cute puppies—if you’re really looking carefully into something with curiosity and not boredom, that is a gift you cannot buy.”
Eddie Peake Photo: Eva Vermandel
Eddie Peake: “Take your time.”
Ryan Gander: “Before deciding to become an artist, find an answer to this question: why do you want to be an artist?”
Jordan Casteel: “Make a lot of bad work for as long as possible. Give a lot of time to play. It will be beneficial in the long term.”
Grayson Perry: “What I always say to young artists is turn up on time, put in the hours and don’t be an arsehole. The most important skill is getting along with other people, particularly in the arts, which is a very social business.”
Christina Quarles: “Keep your day job! I knew that in order to make art, I would need time. And in order to have time, I would need money. So I worked for many years as a graphic designer. I think we often fall back on the idea that creativity comes from freedom, but I have found that creativity can just as easily come from restrictions. I had to work in order to afford to make my art, but that restriction led me to freelancing in graphic design, which necessitated learning Adobe Illustrator, a program that is now integral to my painting practice.”
Jesse Darling Photo: © Victor Frankowski
Jesse Darling: “Remember that the work knows better than you do and the best thing to do sometimes is to stop trying to make it. Wait a little while to see if it will come to you, and if not, let it go—sometimes an idea needs more time to find its form or you need information that you don’t have yet. Deglamorise the idea of work and instead find ways to play. Stay curious. Be brave. Try stuff.”
Issy Wood: “Work like a dog now because in your 30s you will have back pain.”
Louise Giovanelli: “Stick to what you really want to do. Don’t feel the need to follow the zeitgeist, because everything changes. The pendulum swings all the time.”
• Survival Notes: Life Lessons from Contemporary Artists, Lydia Figes, Thames & Hudson, 208pp, £14.99 (hb)
