New Years’ Resolution: Build A Body of Work
A guest article from the artist Kimberly Brooks!
It’s that time of year when we pledge to better ourselves in some way– lose the weight, exercise every morning, make more time for art. But for sure this year will be like no other because we’re in the middle of a pandemic and many of us are in a constant state of bargaining about how much contact we want to have, with whom and when and whether or not it will be safe. I predict that 10 years from now, we’re not going to talk about this time because we’re going to want to erase it from our memory like a bad relationship or just something that you just don’t want to remember because you want to pretend that it never happened.
But on the subject of art resolutions, Imagine what the product of this isolation could produce if we approached it with a focus and a determination that resulted and some bigger, more grand idea?
The difference between 99% of artists who stay students forever and artists who exhibit their work is their approach, commitment as evidenced by their ability to build a body of work.
Building a body of work requires chaos, tenacity, taking chances, making weird left turns and having faith that even if you have no idea where you’ll end up. By methodically producing you will have a body of work on the other side. That is what separates artists with a little “a” and Artists with a big “A”. During the years I’ve been teaching I have had so many talented and thoughtful students, but so many times I wanted them to “pick a lane” or stay on one subject long enough to pursue a vision and not be students forever. This is why I built a bridge to help them traverse that chasm.
Once a year I review applications for a Masterclass for serious working in any media for the sole purpose of helping them build a body of work.
Over the course of six months, we will meet twice monthly, receive and artists will receive guidance and critiques by myself and guest artist professionals.
We start in January and I accept applications until January 15th.
