Too gritty, too edgy, too dark, too rock and roll…these are all things I’ve heard from people inside the art industry over the years. During my conversations with publishers and gallery owners over the years, it was a frequent occurrence to hear that they loved my talent level but wanted me to pursue a different vibe and subject matter to suit their clientele. I even had one publisher try to convince me that the path to expanding my footprint was to do golf themed art (I couldn’t imagine a worse hell). Now, I don’t begrudge artists that tailor their art to the geographic location of the gallery (making money in this business is tough), but to me, that always felt like doing gift shop/souvenir art. There is no way that painting Flamingos for a Florida gallery could ever come from my heart. I’ll always believe art from your heart and soul hits differently.
That being said, I am human and very ambitious, so the temptation to appease some high-volume galleries does creep in from time to time. When those thoughts cross my mind, I usually turn to my man Jack White, and more specifically, his song “The White Raven”. Although he is very successful, I feel that Jack has always put his art before commerce and mega stardom. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but this song is where I turn to remind myself that if you take care of the art, it will take care of you.
Thankfully, there are still many in the industry that subscribe to a different thought process and share the mindset of selling the artist and the ideas, not souvenirs. Not too long ago I had the privilege of spending an afternoon in L.A. tossing back drinks with a titan of the art industry and who has worked with some of the biggest music stars in the world, someone who I hold in high regard and whose opinion I take to heart. When he asked me why I was striving for galleries and events that wanted me to change my vibe, he profoundly stated…you don’t have the wrong art, you have the wrong dream.
-Stickman
