Wednesday, January 11, 2012

THE ART OF TEACHING ART by Elgin SUBWAYSURFER Bolling


There comes a time in every professional artists life when you absolutely, positively MUST speak/teach in front of a group. That group may be a group of public school kids on career day, a continuing education course at The Learning Annex, or community college, or a seminar like I'm teaching in the above photo.

WHY MUST YOU DO THIS?

Actually there are a number of reasons why doing this is beneficial to your career. Among them are:

NOTORIETY AND VISIBILITY

Let's face it, no matter how good you are as an artist, in the public mind "artists are a dime a dozen." most people "know"someone who can draw, or think one artist, is just as good as another. Part of the reason for this erroneous public perception is due to the way most artists present themselves, or rather don't present themselves. For the most part, art is a solitary activity, which takes a lot of time to create. Because we artists spend a lot of tmrw focusing on our work, we may not spend an equal amount of time focusing on, and interacting with people. I've met artists whose work is brilliant, visually but whose personalities seem to evaporate when they have to explain it to someone. Most feel that their work should "speak for them". However, in the non artist world, people make themselves known by speaking for themselves.

In order to stand out from the art crowd, you must become adept at speaking for yourself. You must be able to transfer, and impart what you know to other people. So few artists are able to do this, that those who can, will be the ones who stand out and will be remembered.

A GREAT WAY TO GET NEW CLIENTS

Another benefit of teaching/public speaking is that it's a great way to get clients. Even if you give a free seminar,you never know who is in the audience listening. Often times another person will hear you speak and present, and will be impressed enough to hire you for a business venture they are involved in. This is precisely what landed me a job with EHOW.COM where I was commissioned to do 90 instructional videos entitled "drawing 101" for children. Potential clients are always on the lookout for people who can speak and present well.

FINANCIAL REWARD IN LEAN TIMES

It's great to have a client with deep pockets who keep you afloat, but all good things eventually come to an end, and you will be out of a job, wondering where the next one is coming from. Teaching fills in the gaps, and if you are popular, your teaching gig can last for months. Seminars and workshops can also be lucrative. The great thing about doing a workshop is that you Jacobs total control over what you want to present.

THIS ALL SOUND GOOD, BUT IM SCARED TO DEATH OF PUBLIC SPEAKING!! HOW CAN I TEACH WHEN IM AFRAID TO SPEAK?

I've read thar public speaking is the number one fear most people have and number two is the fear of DEATH! So speaking in front of a group for most people, is close to dying! Trust me, I feel your pain! I can assure you though, that it s possible to get over this fear even if you are an introvert like I was.

WANNA KNOW MORE?
Read part two of this article!

7 comments:

RAA: Writers Group said...

If you want folks to read your blog, you could do much better than putting my mug up there...my visage is like reader repellant.

To add to your discussion on teaching, I'd suggest a little reading too. Namely Gilbert Highet's "The Art of Teaching" Though not focused specifically on the Arts, there is much to be gleaned from this slender volume.

Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling said...

I'll take the risk of having readers look upon your grotesque visage and focus instead on my insightful scribbling.

Thanks for the tip. I'm always on the lookout for anything that will enhance my teaching.

Not to be outdone by your hilarious Wave editorial toon, wait until Fridays edition comes out. I've cooked up an image that you would never have guessed was coming! Stay tuned!

RAA: Writers Group said...

Well...I get it every week. I don't know about surprise...I don't do that one so well. BTW: Did you get to that Caricature show that is on at the Metropolitan Museum? It really is a first rate show with some of the greatest hits of caricature from over the last 400 years.

Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling said...

Didn't hear about THAT. Is it still there? I remember seeing a show at the society of illustrators a few years back during the Obama Mc Cain debates(which was directly responsible for my becoming an Editorial artist for The Wave, BTW)

Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling said...

Do museums like The Met allow artists to draw? I recall one year going to The Brooklyn Museum to see The Picasso exhibit and was forbidden to take photos, which is somewhat understandable, but also to do drawing! In fact I remember feeling that we couldn't even stand in front if a particular piece for too long! LOL! I hope this isn't the case of The Met! After all, for us artists, copying is how we learn!

Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling said...

Good Humor at the Met—Caricature and Satire Explored in Infinite Jest at the Metropolitan MuseumSeptember 13, 2011–March 4, 2012

Gotta love The Internet! I'm THERE!!!

RAA: Writers Group said...

I guess, you found out the particulars. The show is very good with only a couple of curatorial missteps. One being the inclusion--inexplicably--of a contemporary European caricaturist Sigfried Woldhek who is way out of his league, the other an inclusion of an Enrique Chagoya for much the same reason. I've seen much better work produced within the editorial circles I move within than those particular offerings. Still there is much to admire.