I (like an army of artists I imagine) am watching 'Britain's Next Big Thing' and if you're not, I urge you to check it out. It covers an area of fear for me. The Pitch. Pitching your work seems like an inhuman thing to ask an artist. That's why they're in the visual arts, they can't talk. Or maybe I'm projecting...
Things to keep in mind when pitching? Don't pitch to someone who doesn't sell what you make. So for me that means, don't try and sell mugs to clothes stores.
Give room for people to ask questions was a criticism of one judgey panel member but I think MORE important would be- know the answers to those questions.
I learnt more lessons than that but lets just revel in the loveliness of Thomas Hopkins Gibson wood-grained porcelain for a minute.
He was successfully chosen by Liberty and Daniel and I saw his work when we popped in to London for Eileen's mother's day present. She got a candle, not one of these lovely delicate things. I didn't buy any ceramics in London after having a hideous bus ride home from Stoke with bags full of lovely Wedgwood and palpitations at every jolt on the road.
If I'm honest, Gibson's work isn't really chunky enough for me. If you forced me to buy some clay at the moment it would be from Jonathan Adler, his gorgeous figurative vessels and sculptures make me happy. I've spent a while in my work trying to make things that are all about being calm and subtle and I've learned that a bit of humour and 'maixmilism' has it's place.
Hope I never have to explain that in a pitch though...
I just watched the Boots episode of this, missed the Liberty one, shame.
ReplyDeleteThe pitch is the kind of thing, along with business plan that I always wished they'd taught us to handle at uni. It's like some secretive art, I didn't even realise these things existed in quite this way until recently.
I found the Liberty one on iPlayer but it was tucked away. here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010hgdt it was well worth a look.
ReplyDeleteI don't like any kind of presentation about my work. I guess it's something I have to get over but I end up just agreeing with anything anyone says and not being able to formulate an argument or thought. It's a nerves thing I think.