When I started the series, I decided to ask every artist I interviewed the same four questions:
1. What or who inspired you to begin your work as an artist?
2. Did you have mentors to guide you (or favorite artists/teachers)
3. What difference does creating art make to the quality of your life?
4. What legacy as an artist would you like to leave future generations?
I intended to use their answers as direct quotes "in the artist's own words." I also posed another question to help provide a focus for me in describing their work:
In a few words, how would you describe your art?
Along with the questions, I gathered information "About the Artist" (birthplace, arts education, shows, etc.) to include in each blog posting.
My goal of "50 Artists" interviewed in one year (the Emerald Art Center's 50th Anniversary year) turned out to be too aggressive to achieve. Even so, I expect to reach the goal of 50 stories yet this year.
The interviewing and writing experience has been very inspiring for me -- meeting so many creative people and learning about their art, their mentors, and their lives as artists. It has also challenged me, especially when I didn't "connect" with the art or the artist.
Overall, I've received positive feedback about the articles and in only one case did the artist protest to me that "I didn't get it" (what he was trying to convey to the world with his art). I invited his comments for publication but he chose not to respond.
The "50 Artists" blog has generated 4669 visits by 3385 unique visitors since its inception in May 2007 and has generated 10,298 page views to date. In addition, the newspaper had a readership of 8000+ people each week and the new city magazine's online and print readership tops 5000 people in just its fourth month.
My goal of "50 Artists" interviewed in one year (the Emerald Art Center's 50th Anniversary year) turned out to be too aggressive to achieve. Even so, I expect to reach the goal of 50 stories yet this year.
The interviewing and writing experience has been very inspiring for me -- meeting so many creative people and learning about their art, their mentors, and their lives as artists. It has also challenged me, especially when I didn't "connect" with the art or the artist.
Overall, I've received positive feedback about the articles and in only one case did the artist protest to me that "I didn't get it" (what he was trying to convey to the world with his art). I invited his comments for publication but he chose not to respond.
The "50 Artists" blog has generated 4669 visits by 3385 unique visitors since its inception in May 2007 and has generated 10,298 page views to date. In addition, the newspaper had a readership of 8000+ people each week and the new city magazine's online and print readership tops 5000 people in just its fourth month.
The experience of writing (and photographing art) has kept me focused on "creativity" and continues to energize my work as a writer. And it led me into a new business venture creating websites for artists!
For writers seeking an inspiring outlet for their creative energy and a focus for their work, I encourage you to visit your local arts organizations and art galleries to find an artist (or 50!) to write about for a year or more. Let me know about your experience.
For writers seeking an inspiring outlet for their creative energy and a focus for their work, I encourage you to visit your local arts organizations and art galleries to find an artist (or 50!) to write about for a year or more. Let me know about your experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment