Be careful : Big Mother is watching you (Michèle Guieu)... It was funny to see you this morning in my little village of Toulouse : to much words my friend, in english... too much words !
Where is your rock and roll belgium attitude my friend, "patatas" freitas...
But i like your voice : your are my last beatnik mohican.
Amitiés from France
Guilaume Cherouac on the road again but near Tijuana and San Diego now, the end of my trip.
I didn't understand it all, but it looked like an alcoholic anymonous reunion...
éh hé

Patricia Frischer posted an excellent summary of the event at http://www.sdvisualarts.net/sdvan_new/Aplus.php , so if you missed it that would be a great place to start.

The panel discussion was a rare forum for all spokes of the wheel so to speak (artists, art advocates, dealers, gallery owners, art media...) to dialogue about what really motivates artists in San Diego and how our creative work functions in the community beyond our studio doors. I'm grateful to the organizers and participants for giving their time to allow such a dialogue to occur.

No consensus of direction was defined by the end of the meeting, but the questions raised were provocative enough to illuminate a few loose conclusions:

-Artists may see the current economic downturn as a source of freedom. Though sales and funding are essential scaffolding for the educational and community institutions and galleries that support artists, without financial reward, all the artists I know are still making work. We work an extra job. We live on less. We use cheaper materials or sacrifice other expenses to allow for our materials of choice, but we change everything else so we may continue working. We obviously have a drive to create that precedes the art's value in a market, and liberates art from being considered exclusively as a commodity. That being said, if our work doesn't depend on sales, we can do whatever we want. I'm reminded of Paul Newman playing poker, in jail, in "Cool Hand Luke" when he says "Sometimes nothin' is a real cool hand."

-On that premise, we also have a chance to redefine our value to the community. If artists never get rich, why does the assumption subsist that we do it for the money? The art world requires money to stay afloat, but the arts have inherent value to the larger community. Many artists just want their work to be seen and to share with others the sentiment they saw important enough to render.

-There was a real call to artists by several panelists to take control of more of what happens outside the studio door. If we want to be a creative community and not a handful of disconnected fringes, we can't passively wait for someone to discover our work and take over it's place and purpose. We have to get involved and get to know each other. This is where things got a bit fuzzy and inconclusive, but we mentioned artist-organized events, shows, and a lot of writing by artists as well as art writers as ways to start. We need to not see a separation between ourselves in the studio and the "art world", art education, or the the city and business development that should consider it a priority.

-One way to get involved might be to support the effort to create affordable live/work spaces for artists. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/12/20/people/950nickel122008.txt. We need affordable workspace, and working closely with other artists usually fosters quality work because we dialogue to resolve ideas and inspire each other to stay on it and expect higher standards of ourselves. I hate to say it but sometimes we all need to be told that something's just not working out... and that can push us to go to a higher level.

I hope we can continue the dialogue and organize our thoughts and energy.

I would like the opportunity to share my perspective just a bit more. I know my frustration comes out when I speak to you. When I went to school, there was an industry. It was called Graphic Design and Commercial Arts. That is the kind of Artist I am and the kind Sal Barajas is too. And, what we do, is to provide solutions for commerical situations. And, we do that, with a fundamental, technical, skillful, and knowledgable approach. There is a method to that approach. The same way a Fine Artist is taught fundamentals and skills. But, Sal and I are taught to work in industries and deal with demographics. We deal with different mediums. We deal with economics. We deal with the entire gamut of puzzle elements and create a product that has the correct "value."

And, what that is, is aesthetic proportioned to the economic investment being made. What that means, is that if there is a small of amount of money the client has, we determine how best to realize their vision appropriate to the cost, the reach, and the exposure of the communication being made. And, we get paid for our ideas. We get paid for our thumbnails, our sketches, our consultations and our work. We do not present any ideas without getting paid. That is called "work on
speculation" and is unethical in our industry and cuts the throats of the people in it. What we are supposed to do, is interview with you. Compete by showing you our portfolio, give you a written proposal and cost estimate and let you decide who you want to hire. The Graphic
ideas are submitted after contracts are signed, and the development of qualified ideas goes through an established process. We worked full time in Graphic Arts and we pay taxes, hold insurances, and conduct ourselves as complete professionals.

This is how we work(ed) ethically in our industry. But, what has happened is that money got very tight and technology drastically changed in our time, and people have gotten very mixed up about what artists are. The market place got hungry and diluted and no one knows who they are dealing with anymore. No one understands the process (because the process has become lost.) New cottage industries are blossoming and no one knows who really belongs in those industries such as "Public Art." And, anyone can enter and compete. No formal
training, no specific history, no longevity, no reliability, no
understanding of what kind of commodity is being purchased. And the crazy part is that we sit around spending untold hours generating complete submissions and wasting untold amounts of our lives in competition for opportunities that when finally contracted allow us to
earn $5.00 per hour when you consider the proposal time and the preparation to get to the contract.

So we "scrounge" for work. We give it away for free to get something. We are expected to keep insurances, pay taxes, hold licenses and be proper. This excludes, being able to pay health care, put kids thru college and pay our mortgage. My attorney has racked up an $11,000 bill for so little work on my legal separation over the past year....I
am simply amazed. And, if I call to say I don't understand something, they bill me to explain it. They get paid for everything. No estimates on services, no contracts that protect the buyer of services, it's all stacked in their direction. No guarantee of service. I tell, you, next
life I'm going to be an attorney!

On your Vista Library mural....No one should be allowed to compete that isn't a PROFESSIONAL artist. It should be qualified in the bid. Someone who holds a qualification of some predetermination. For God's Sake, would you ever hire an architect that didn't have "A.R.C.A." at the end of his name?! Or an interior designer that didn't have "A.S.I.D." at the end of her name? Or a building contractor, electrician, tile installer, building painter that doesn't hold a contractors license?

Why is what I am competing for any different?!

What is so "magical" about the artist that no one wants to take a look at "specifying" the qualifications for professional services as an artist.

Then, on the other side of the coin...you have "Fine Artists." A good of who? People that do work in different mediums, different levels, for different reasons and there is no qualification ....except the product! And, is it one product that makes one an artist or 1000 products? It is someone who is totally irresponsible but put out one
cool piece and doesn't have his shit together and is selfish, but has charisma?

...and you want me to advocate for that asshole? The one who won't invest the time I do. Who won't pay their taxes like I do. Who won't contribute in dollars or volunteerism for their community like I do? The one who rides on the coattails of others and society - like I don't? You want me to support and advocate for a bunch of self interested, self focus, narcissistic, dense individuals who have
NOTHING in common? Nope. I am busy putting together an art exhibit for this Saturday for 4 artists. I wrote the proposal, I provided the venue, I did the publicity, I arranged for EVERYTHING... comparatively, they have done little to make this happen and plan this event. They get to practice their "craft" while I am pounding the pavement to bring life to their art and community. They keep the money they make for sales. What do I get?
It's certainly NOT financial reward.

I AM an artist. And I have a great breath of experience and quality that I bring to my craft. But, I'm just not sure what that means sometimes, anymore, when I see others getting away with so much, knowing so little. And, all I get are excuses from those who buy the art in industries that used to really pay well. Anyway, I don't want this to turn into "poor me" but I do want you to understand why I feel
the way I do about some of this in a little more depth.