Networking: Ebb and Flow

Networking - Ebb and flow

Night part 2SpacerThis week I found myself thinking about how we network as artists and how we build relationships with other artists, galleries, curators, arts organisations and art writers. More often than not we find allies and supporters and can start a creative dialogue, but sometimes we are met by an outbreak of art snobbery and disdain.
SpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacer
Keep talking

I was privileged to be asked by a PHD student from the University of Kent to be interviewed as part of his dissertation research. His chosen topic is looking at how artists market/sell their work with a focus on online galleries and Saatchi Art in particular. The interview was conducted face to face and, once I had got over the awkwardness of having to hold a microphone, was a great experience and an opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge. He had very interesting insights on the experience of other artists when selling their work online and was full of ideas in term of how to make marketing work more efficient. I hope I will have been able to contribute some coherent material to his research and I certainly got a lot from our discussion.
SpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacer
Voltaire void - Is there anybody out there?

When doing an arts degree you are surrounded by people who give you feedback but once you are in the big bad world, you need to create new networks ,to get yourself known obviously, but also to share ideas with your peers. I don't really belong to any arts groups/organisation but decided to look into becoming an Associate Member of Studio Voltaire, an organisation that champions emerging and under-represented artists and always shows some really interesting work. This seemed to me yet another way to develop my network and meet like-minded people, as well as attend talks and shows. The Studio is also patroned by Valeria Napoleone, a collector whose interest in the work of female artists I always found refreshing. So far so good. When I submitted my application, well over a month ago, I also included a query about the process. As no reply was forthcoming, I sent another email two weeks after that, this time to the general Info address. I am still waiting to hear anything back. No news from my membership application itself either. Not a good start. I guess it might be the summer slump, but this just doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence in the process or how valuable this connection could be if it fails in term of communication at the first hurdle. So networking and dialogue are key, but that is only possible if both parties are actually listening...and although Voltaire himself said ''Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers'' I think in this case an answer will do just fine...