I am not a brand.
I am an artist.
I paint.
I draw.
I write.
I bind books.
I’m passionate about the things that are important to me: equal rights for all, sometimes politics, love, fairness, people being treated properly, and the list goes on. I’m not afraid to voice those opinions. I’m usually pretty direct about this fact. I don’t often mince words. I don’t see the point. I also don’t see the point in letting stuff build up until I can no longer tolerate it. I used to do that a lot and it got me nowhere. I’ve found that while it’s difficult the best things I’ve done are those where I’ve been the most direct.
I am not a brand.
I am not interested in protecting my brand. I don’t even get what that means*. I’ve gotten where I am today by being me. I’m honest. I’ll give the shirt off my back to the people I like and if I am forced I’ll give the people I don’t like my socks. I’ll forgive most transgressions after some time has passed. I believe in honor and integrity. I’ll stand up for people even if I don’t like them. I confront issues head on, once I’ve vented and figured out a way to word it properly.
I am not a brand.
I am an artist.
I don’t believe in art world competition. I think artists, by and large do best by working together in a collaborative manner. I learn from you and you learn from me. When I teach classes I expect those people to come out of that class, take the information and add themselves to it. I ask only that they not publish exact documentation of what is in the class- ie please don’t publish my PDF files or videos. The art made in the class is the possession of the artist. The knowledge they gain is a stepping stone into bigger and better things.
As a teacher I expect that all my students eventually surpass my skill. I’m not arrogant enough to think I’m the end all with art journaling. In fact I think that there is plenty of room out there for all of us who teach art journaling. We all fill a different niche. I don’t do “pretty girls” with their head tilted at unnatural angles or lead workshops on The Artist’s Way. No there are other people out there who do it better. I’ve done my fair share to help promote other sites, here on my blog, through the art journaling ning, and within the pages of the zine Art Journaling it’s all good. Why? Like I wrote above I believe strongly that we work better as a team and as a collective. What I won’t do is participate in some sort of internet pissing match over who is the best because we all fulfill specific roles in the community. We all have our own specific space.
I am not a brand.
I am an artist.
I got an email telling me that someone (and others) thinks I’m hurting my “brand” by being me. You see if you think that you don’t get it, or me. It did make me think, which is good. The conclusion that I came to is that I can’t be anyone but me, trying to be something else would lose the honesty and integrity I’ve built this blog around. I will continue to be me.
I am not a brand.
I am an artist.
I paint.
I draw.
I write.
I bind books.
*I *get* what that means but I think it’s an asinine concept that forces people into hiding who they really are behind false pretenses. It’s a marketing term that a lot of art “marketers” toss out there to make people feel like they should hide who why really are. For 3 examples of why this is dumb check out Jared Knight, Gary Reef and Hazel Dooney. (Dooney is NSFW ever) All are of the most honest artists I’ve read and followed on the internet. Their blogs, facebook or ning sites are treasure troves of information and not one of them holds back. Honesty is a selling point. All do well enough in sales to support themselves. So when someone tells me I’m hurting my brand I kind of want to laugh. Its corporate speak that people try to apply to human beings and artists. If I’m afraid of hurting my brand, I’m afraid of being me. If you don’t get that, then again, you don’t get me.