Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists

226 Pages·2013·10.911 MB·English

by  Sharon Louden

“ANYONE SERIOUS ABOUT A CAREER AS AN
ARTIST MUST READ THIS BOOK.” L EDITED BY SHARON LOUDEN
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Adam Sheffer, Partner, Cheim & Read Gallery D
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IN THIS DAY AND AGE, when art has “Sharon Louden has invaluably gathered together in this book
become more of a commodity and art school an exceptionally diverse range of artists’ experiences in order
graduates are convinced that they can only to illustrate, in a manner otherwise inaccessible, the inherent
make a living from their work by attaining tensions that artists face in constantly balancing their drive to
gallery representation, it is more important devote core time and energy to creating new work – and their
than ever to show the reality of how a wish to share that work with the world – with the complexities,
professional, contemporary artist sustains a as well as the joys, of their personal and family lives.”
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Living and Sustaining a Creative Life
creative practice over time. The forty essays Michael Straus, Chairman, The Andy Warhol Foundation for i
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collected in Living and Sustaining a Creative the Visual Arts i
n
Life are written in the artists’ own voices
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and take the form of narratives, statements, “I applaud artist Sharon Louden for assembling this fascinating a ESSAYS BY 40 WORKING ARTISTS
and interviews. Each story is different and compilation of artist testimonies. It provides a refreshing, n
unique, but the common thread is an ongoing honest look at the myriad ways that artists shape and feed d

commitment to creativity, inside and outside their lives and evolve authentic, generative practices in a S
the studio. Both day-to-day and big picture society that does not always make it easy for artists to subsist u
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details are revealed, showing examples of how and fully contribute. Living and Sustaining a Creative Life is t
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it is possible to sustain a creative practice thus an inspiring, unexpurgated resource for artists beginning i
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that contributes to the ongoing dialogue in their careers as well as any individual seeking to recalibrate his i
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contemporary art. These stories will inform or her daily life to pursue a more purpose-filled existence.”
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and inspire any student, young artist, and Olga Viso, Executive Director, Walker Art Center
a
art enthusiast and will help redefine what
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“success” means to a professional artist. “Too often the story of how an artist makes art and a living is r
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advertised as either a step into an abyss of debt and dementia a
SHARON LOUDEN is an artist who received t
or a glamorized Bohemia misunderstood by a general public. i
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a BFA from the School of the Art Institute
Yet, what these artists demonstrate in this valuable book is e
of Chicago and an MFA from Yale University,
that the common bond for everyone who aspires to a well- L
School of Art. Louden’s work has been
lived life is blood, sweat and tears. These are the elements all if
exhibited in many museums and galleries e
the dreams are made of. From artists living off sales of their
worldwide and is in the permanent collections
work, to those who teach, and those who search for paychecks
of the National Gallery of Art, Whitney
in odd jobs, the desire to create is never extinguished.”
Museum of American Art and Museum of Fine
Franklin Sirmans, Terri and Michael Smooke Curator
Arts, Houston, among other places. Louden
and Department Head, Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
County Museum of Art

“Doing it all – from surprisingly frank sharings on the struggles
of starting out as young artists to the challenges of making
time and space for creation, the artists in Living and Sustaining
a Creative Life share with candor and heart just what it takes
to be an artist today.”
Anne Pasternak, President and Artistic Director, Creative Time
intellect | www.intellectbooks.com
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life

Living and Sustaining a Creative Life
essays by 40 working artists
Edited by Sharon Louden
intellect Bristol, UK / Chicago, USA

This book is dedicated to my
loving husband, Vinson Valega
First published in the UK in 2013 by
Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK
First published in the USA in 2013 by
Intellect, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street,
Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Copyright © 2013 Sharon Louden and contributors
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library.
Cover image: George Stoll
Untitled (15 tumblers on a 36 inch shelf #3)
Beeswax, paraffin and pigment on a painted wooden shelf
83/4” x 36” x 7”
2012
Courtesy of the artist
photo by Ed Glendinning
Cover designer and typesetting: Holly Rose
Copy-editor: Michael Eckhardt
ISBN 978-1-78320-012-2
ePDF 978-1-78320-136-5
ePub 978-1-78320-135-8
Printed and bound by Gomer, Ceredigion.
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CONTENTS
PREFACE Sharon Louden 09
INTRODUCTION Carter E. Foster 13
ESSAYS
Adrienne Outlaw 14
Amanda Church 19
Amy Pleasant 23
Annette Lawrence 28
Austin Thomas 31
Beth Lipman 35
Blane De St. Croix 38
Brian Novatny 42
Brian Tolle 46
Carson Fox 50
David Humphrey 53
Ellen Harvey 57
Erik Hanson 60
George Stoll 64
Jay Davis 68
Jennifer Dalton 74
Jenny Marketou 79
Julie Blackmon 83
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LIVING AND SUSTAINING A CREATIVE LIFE
Julie Heffernan 88
Julie Langsam 93
Justin Quinn 97
Karin Davie 101
Kate Shepherd 106
Laurie Hogin 111
Maggie Michael
and Dan Steinhilber 117
Maureen Connor 124
Melissa Potter 134
Michael Waugh 139
Michelle Grabner 146
Peter Drake 152
Peter Newman 157
Richard Klein 162
Sean Mellyn 167
Sharon L. Butler 170
The Art Guys 174
Thomas Kilpper 178
Timothy Nolan 185
Tony Ingrisano 190
Will Cotton 194
CONCLUSION
Ed Winkleman and Bill Carroll 203
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 219
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PREFACE
IN 1991, I graduated with an MFA from Yale University,
School of Art, and was struggling to live with a mountain of
debt from school loans and credit card bills. I had taken a
job as an administrative assistant that did not pay enough to
make ends meet, and I was having difficulty striking a balance
between making my work and paying the bills. Then living in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I remember calling one of my former
professors and asking him what to do. His response was, “Just
do your work and it will carry you.” While I knew my work was
the priority in my life, the conversation left me at a loss. How
was I going to sustain a creative practice while trying to survive?
Leaving graduate school, I also faced your typical
expectations, desires and question marks. And I harbored
certain illusions. For instance, I thought that a gallery was going
to support me financially and emotionally, and that I didn’t have
to work for very long at other jobs before such a relationship was
established. I expected that the feeling of Utopia which flowed
from the fluid exchange and sharing of ideas among my fellow
students at graduate school would continue once I graduated. I
also hoped to create dialogue with the local art community as
I explored alternative ways to get my work seen. Over the
years, I’ve had to find my own path, and I only wish that I had
had artists to lean on and consult such as the contributors to
this book.
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