The artist's success formula

by S. Welz

The artist's success formula

In '98, what seems to me like ages ago, I graduated school, including arts. Having loved drawing and painting since I could chew on a pencil it is quite understandable for me how my friends got into music. Not into music like you and me, blessed with the ability to point out the 'play' button on a cd/mp3 player. More like into music as, producing dancetracks which go through the clubs worldwide like Michael Schumacher on speed.
Well not all of them are that famous, but the majority of them can live from what they're doing. Unlike the painters I know.
Nevertheless my art teacher taught me a valuable lesson at the time. I would like to share this message with you, because I hope it will give somebody the inspiration it gave me. The beautiful thing is, it applies to all artists, canvas or turntable.

My art teacher took me aside one day, and it occurred to me that I may have tested his patience, as I freely used any given school time to perfect certain drawing skills or to invent a story for a comic. But instead of warning me that my behavior was partly responsible for a few messed up tests and so on, he instead managed it to grasp my attention with a shot in the other direction.

We both, my teacher and I, probably knew that my girlfriend and a decent marjuhana consumption on my behalf were more likely the reasons behind temporary stagnating efforts towards school. All I have or need to say in my defense is: "I was seventeen."
But I had a feeling that we shared more than this knowledge. Before he even said one word, a feeling of deeper understanding overcame me. You've most likely had one too in your life. I talk about these moments, where you are in a room full of people. Everybody is talking jibberish, voices mix with each other, trying to follow a conversation ends in chaos, it is what can be best described as a "Nietzsche high": You feel like a bug.
Until suddenly somebody says your name.
And in the blink of an eye, time seems to slow down, vision becomes sharper and you hear every word that is said. And then you realize that what bothered you a minute ago is forgotten. The bubble did somehow burst, and you wonder how it got there in the first place. Even to talk seems pathetic.
This relationship can only take place between an artist and his or her creation. It is the reaction of a mind whose only boundary is fantasy.
Some of you may think now, the guy got one or two screws loose, but i refer to the aforementioned described experience as a hard aquired skill. The ability to shut out every thought that is not your project.
I have to say here that I belong to a small minority regarding to the described actions as a skill, but in my opinion, it depends what you are doing. Commitment and devotion are highly rated values and a great part of it. Virtue being another keystone, without virtue everything becomes senseless.

But in this story I wasn't the artist. I was the creation. When he the spoke to me it felt somehow equal. Not like talking to a teacher, it was like talking with somebody likeminded. However I listened for the greatest part, because i felt the gravity of the moment.
The story he told me went like this:
"Sebastian." he said. "do you know what all great artists have in common?" A seventeen year old know it all like I was, I answered: "They're all famous." And I had given more of the right answer than I could have imagined at this point.
"Yes." He continued."But the very reason why they are famous is interesting for us." He gave me a little time to think about what he just said and went on.
"Now we look at the examples of lets say Van Gogh, and Andy Warhol. The first one was a pioneer for a new painting style called pointillism and sold a single painting during his whole life, and the one he'd sold was bought by his brother. The second one is a pioneer for a new painting style called pop art and his artworks are sold like warm bread. Museums buying your works while you're still alive ain't normailty."
I sensed there was more to it and said nothing.
"Thing is, you are not the one to make yourself famous. You can give it a push, kickstart it, but for the task to be complete you need other people. Preferably people whos voices carry weight. Journalists, Critics, Gallery owners. You can be a good artist, or a Good artist. Having mastered a certain style, doesn't make you necessarily a good artist, but more a good duplicator. Never forget that you are the artist and you decide when your picture is finished or not. What somebody else calls it doesn't matter as you have been out to bring the beauty of your mind onto canvas, paper, an elephant, whatever you like. It will even help you if you don't fit in a ready made box. Here we come to the kickstart." He said, smiling at me. And i smiled back, deep inside knowing that my teacher passed on an adamant truth to me that not everybody would or could fully comprehend. But i also felt a bit of pity as i believe to have heard an unfulfilled dream of youth.
"The best thing that can happen to you as an artist is to create controversy. Controversy generates attention, and that is exactly what you want. And a controversy in its purest form would be a scandal. The Bigger, the Better, in this case."
He looked me in the eyes and continued slowly, speaking out the main message. "Boy, if you want to get anywhere with your talent, then what you need is three scandals!"
"First, a regional scandal. Probably the one most easily created, as it will be far easier to upset a town or county than it will be nationwide or even internationally. Look out there." He pointed out the window towards the village in the valley, overlooked by the school buildings enthroning a neighboring hill. "I'd say you will have a lifetime of talking if you hang yourself naked one foot from the churchtower while drawing bugs bunny on the roof with chalk jammed between your buttcheeks." He didn't flinch. I fought hard to suppress laughter.
"Second one will be a bit trickier, as you have to pull a nationwide shocker. The groundwork is laid, the regional scandal. So the national media has somebody to talk to about you. But you've got to shock. Keep in mind that you are competing with national news. Death, Murder, Lottery winners and supermodels are now your competition. You will have to break a taboo as well if you want to stay longer than five minutes in the public's eye. I'd say the most obvious choices being, nudism and sex, violence and children, as well as death in all of its incarnations. These are themes that disturb people in their neat little world. One of my favorites is the birth - death connection. A deeply troubling issue for many people. But other approaches may be successful as well. Get people at their necessities and see how they struggle without them. A simple everyday item such as coffee removed and the whole day will become an experience for many. Imagine passing fifty instead of three traffic lights on your way to work. All the signs giving way for everything but cars or humans. STOP signs saying START. Upset the system."
He paused, and glanced at me, obviously struck by another thought. "No i don't want you rampaging the streets boy, but some messages need the right canvas. And don't forget to vaguely outline your position, so that all the Critics and Journalists can spread your work and word. What they write doesn't matter. Negative publicity is still publicity and the fact that it is art makes it somehow unquestionable, and you should not underestimate the power of human interactions. One man's rubbish is another man's gold. Important is that at this stage is that you have a unique style or you are a virtuoso in your field of expertise. A copycat will have to surrender here as they'll be uncovered as such."
"Ok so far." I said, eager to hear the rest of his story.
"All right. Having mastered these two steps it is time for the final, the international scandal. I remember an artist who let two hundred naked people walk through cadavers, guts and blood of hundreds of slaughtered animals. He got attention at the time...but as i said, copycat. Just make sure that your international scandal tops everything that was benchmark before. Think outside the box. If you make it through these scandals alive, you've made it, in artist terms that is."
"What would be a third scandal?" I wanted to know. I needed a happy ending for this enormous story that unveiled in my head.
"I've pushed you. I'm not gonna carry you there." He said with a smile and left me with my thoughts.

This happened more than a decade ago, and I can still remember everything like it was yesterday.

I've discussed this theory with friends of mine, DJ's and Producers by profession and they have supported what I've already claimed. This recipe can be cooked on a lot of different occasions. You'll have to season it differently, depending on who you serve it to. But the overall strategy remains a planned headstart over your competition. Take control today!

I hope I could express what my teacher expressed to me at the time, and give hope where there is reason to hope. Good luck to all you artists out there, and I am looking forward to seeing and hearing your scandals!...