[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, everybody.
Today, we're answering more questions from our art hotline.
Bling.
We actually had a great suggestion from comments
in the last video, just to call it Artline Bling.
That's a good idea.
All right.
So our first question is about pencil holding.
[BEEP]
So I like lots of different kinds of drawings.
I like scribbly drawings and strange
looking drawings as well as really precise, realistic
drawings.
So I don't necessarily agree with your teacher that
following her lead results in more professional looking
drawings.
Yeah.
I mean, I think what your teacher's probably
trying to do is to get you to use more muscles
so that you have better fine motor
skills when you're drawing.
I'm not sure that that's really the key to drawing
well or professionally.
There's a lot to be said for trying out
different drying styles before you discover your own.
I mean, even Matisse used attach chalk
to the end of a long stick or dowel and then draw that way,
just to change the quality of his line.
And that was a fruitful exercise.
[BEEP]
That's what the internet's for, Novella.
Yeah, I mean, the internet is sort
of a way of being free from the judgments of adults
as young creators.
At least for now.
I think, in most cases, children
shouldn't feel pressure to professionalize
their creative work.
I think that they should be allowed
to be creative without trying to necessarily fit that creativity
into a marketplace.
And I think also because if you're a minor,
you're much more likely to be taken advantage
of by your parents, or a dealer, or an agent,
or whatever it may be, I think there's a reason why it's
kind of good to develop your own artistic voice on your own
before you take it public.
As for judging an artist based on their age, I mean,
we're always inserting biography into our readings
of art in lots of ways that make me uncomfortable.
And I am uncomfortable with all of it.
And if I'm judging a student art exhibition,
I think it's important information
that they're students.
I mean, there could be a lot of raw talent there,
but they're just not quite there yet.
[BEEP]
I think this is totally and completely normal.
I felt this way.
I remember people in school calling me "artsy,"
and it made me want to die.
I don't know why I cringe, but I still
cringe whenever people call me a writer or an artist.
I cringe when the word "art" is used in the context of anything
I do.
It's like they're calling you an artiste.
Yeah.
It's like you're taking yourself too seriously.
Yeah.
It's like your pronouncing Renaissance, "ren-AY-sance."
It's OK cringe, just keep making art anyway.
Yeah, I mean, we're all kind of working together
to build better definitions of art and artist.
[BEEP]
JOHN GREEN: Yeah, I quite like Shia Labeouf as an artist,
actually.
I mean, he's not my favorite artist,
but he's also not my least favorite.
He's a bit of a buffoon at times,
but so are lots of artists.
Actors often struggle when they try
to cross into other disciplines.
Yeah, but I mean, there is precedent for this stuff,
right?
Like Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen both became respected poets.
SARAH GREEN: That's true.
And Dennis Hopper became a respected photographer.
You know who's actually a pretty good artist?
Spock.
Leonard Nimoy.
SARAH GREEN: Oh.
What'd he make?
JOHN GREEN: Paintings, I think.
SARAH GREEN: You can also think about James Franco, who's
been working as an artist for a while.
Actually, there's a really interesting interview
between him and Jerry Salts that I just
read that's about how actors-turned-artists can use
this fame as their material.
So I don't think the tendency of the art world
to exclude actors is all pretension though.
I think some of it is sort of an unfair advantage.
Like most people who become famous artists
have to start out from nothing.
It's like celebrities who write children's books,
it's kind of not fair.
It isn't fair.
But much like celebrities who write children's books, when
the books aren't good, they tend not
to sell well in the long run.
Like there's a reason that Jamie Lee Curtis
is a well-established picture book writer.
It's because her picture books are good.
Whereas for instance, Jimmy Fallon, wonderful comedian,
I'm sure a lovely person, not a great picture book author.
So in sum, I think we start to take celebrities seriously
when they cross into other boundaries and they do it well.
[BEEP]
So I don't believe that all responses to an artwork
are created equal.
I don't believe that all responses
are equally legitimate.
I believe there are right and wrong answers
when it comes to art.
Sometimes, you can laugh at an artwork
because you're laughing with it, which I think is good.
There's lots of art that's funny.
But I'm not sure that laughing at serious artwork
is the best possible reaction.
Right.
Are you laughing because you're uncomfortable?
Why are you laughing?
I think you have to ask yourself that.
That said, a lot of times you might be laughing
because the art seems to you ludicrous
and you don't have much art historical knowledge
to contextualize it.
And I have to confess that I have laughed at some fairly
serious artwork over the years.
But I do you think you need to respect the experience
of the art viewers around you.
And that means not talking super loudly or laughing or egregious
selfie-ing.
I think you can laugh as long as you're
laughing to yourself quietly.
Like I'll give you an example.
If you're just like [CHUCKLE] Picasso.
That's OK.
[GIGGLING]
[BEEP]
So my first tip would be to not actually network
at art openings in London.
The walls of the art world in London are super high.
And even though you sound really lovely,
you're not just going to walk up to somebody and charm them
and they're going to give you an amazing job.
Yeah.
I think in general, my experience with this
has always been that you've got to try to work with people
who are at where you're at.
So when I was a student trying to write,
I mostly published in student-run magazines.
When I was in my early 20s, I was mostly
working with other people in their early 20s.
And I think building those networks can be very helpful.
But you're not going to be able to build a network
like tomorrow with Chuck Close.
Who doesn't live in London.
Apparently he doesn't live in London.
That's another reason you're probably not going to meet him.
I think right now you have to focus on being a good student,
maybe developing internships, developing
a good network of your peers as John suggested, and then go
from there.
And then eventually, you'll meet the right people.
The only other thing I'd say here
is that you never know what opportunities are
going to be available to you.
And that's always going to shape your experiences
in both your work and your personal life.
Like I had no idea when I graduated from college
that I was going to be a YouTuber
because there was no YouTube.
And I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer,
and I ended up a curator.
I think you have to play your hand as it lays
and see where it takes you.
That's a fascinating mixed metaphor.
[LAUGHTER]
[BEEP]
This is a legitimate question because you
do have to consider what part of the museum
you're going to work in.
Is it a public facing side of the museum?
Are you going to be constantly interacting with donors?
And are they going to ask you about it all the time?
They may judge you, or they may be
impressed by how cool you are.
I think in general, it's just like with any other career.
It's not so much about whether you
have a tattoo as how awesome your tattoo is.
So no pressure.
But pressure.
Really great questions.
Thank you so much for calling in.
And please continue to do so.
Yeah.
We're going to do more of these videos, so call our art
hotline, our artline.
Bling.
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