Do You Need a Lot of Money to Make Art?
Do You Need Lots of Money to Make Successful Art?
In my humble opinion, no! Are you a creative person who feels artistically limited by a lack of your desired artistic resources - tools and materials - that you think are absolutely necessary to make your art? How can artists be positive, proactive, and creative with limited resources? If you're an artist, on any level, and you feel discouraged because you don't have all the tools and materials you want and need, I aim to be of inspiration to you.
One Tool at a Time
First, I would like to share advice that I got from Amy Tavern, a fellow interdisciplinary artist and metalsmith, when I approached her after her lecture in 2012 at East Carolina University's yearly, student-run Material Topics Symposium in Greenville, North Carolina. I was feeling the angst of struggling to make a living as an artist, while making it through graduate school at UT Austin as the only MFA metals candidate. She reassured me that one day, if I can purchase one tool a month, no matter how small, eventually I will have a shop full of tools. She was right! This was great encouragement for me, because during grad school I had very few metalsmithing tools in my personal studio and limited funds for materials to make my body of artwork. Now, almost a decade after receiving that uplifting feedback from another maker, I'm stocked up with an almost fully equipped metals studio.
Anything (Any Material) Goes in Contemporary Art
Secondly, don't be afraid to take wild explorations and try new things in your art! As a conventionally trained metalsmith, I used to have expectations that in order to be taken seriously in the metalsmithing field, that my jewelry needed to be make of precious metals. I’m not really sure why I had that idea, but the eventual paradigm shift and resulting material exploration was profound. Similar to the contemporary metalsmithing field, my concepts about jewelry and what gives it value have evolved and expanded over time with the zeitgeist.
Broader Material Exploration
When I was in graduate school, I underwent a huge material shift motivated by a scientific curiosity of the extraordinary potential of raw matter that I found in my surrounding environment. I primarily focused upon the use of found (a.k.a. free) objects and materials as a driving force in my artwork, incorporated with traditional metalsmithing techniques. I wanted to challenge conventional societal perceptions as well as my own perspective on preciousness in jewelry. For this body of work during my MFA, I utilized terrestrial materials like different powdered minerals and colors of earth.
What We Make As Artists Is Precious, but We Can’t Be Too Precious About It
I use found materials as a departure point in my work, but I don't simply choose them because they are offered by nature as free for the taking. I select them because I have a profound sense of connection with them. Whether I am collecting seeds, soil, or stones that I find, they're all quite precious to me and I have a deep sense of reverence towards my chosen art materials.
There is no right or wrong way to be an artist! Don't allow yourself to be limited. Try anything. Follow every whim. See what path it leads you on. Look around you and consider the unlimited potential for exploration of the materials that are in your surroundings.
SHALENA WHITE
Interdisciplinary artist, Shalena White is the founder of Shalena White Studios, a handmade art company that offers abstract watercolor paintings, intricate architectural adornments, finely crafted metal & gemstone art jewelry, found object sculpture, and artistic clothing & accessories. Shalena’s mission is to bring more beauty & joy into the lives of her clients.
