Alice Vol. 7 No. 3

Behind-the-Scenes:
an Artist’s Experience
By Cat Clinton
Every piece of art is different. This is because
every artist is different. The path to becoming
an artist has never been consistent. People differ
based on experiences and preferences. Many
would consider success in the art world more
difficult to achieve than most, because success
can be found through a range of outcomes and is
never strictly defined. The drive individuals have
pushing them towards creating appealing, sentimental
or impactful works of art can root from a
number of goals. The only thing all artists have in
common is the desire to create.
For Abigayle Waller, a Fine Arts senior
graduating from Birmingham Southern College,
and former intern at Buckhead Art & Company,
the art process can be described as, “a necessary
purging that leads to another idea that needs to
be explored. I hate looking at my old work, but
it is neat to see where I came from compared to
where I am now, creatively.”
Most artists measure success differently, but
everyone has the potential to show growth through
practice and experience. This is why consistency
is hard to establish, and not necessarily beneficial
for this scene.
Some artists are also born with such a high level of
natural ability it becomes increasingly difficult to
define the moment art and creation first captured
their interest, creating art for these individuals
can feel more like habit or second nature than a
developed skill.
“I grew up drawing constantly and found a niche
in high school where my potential was noticed
by my art teacher and was placed in higher
level classes despite not having any technical
experience,” said Lou Weinstein, a multimedia
artist currently located in Montréal. “Art has
always been a way of expressing myself, whether
by exploring the situational and circumstantial or
through performance in exploring my identity.”
Like most skills, an artist’s abilities grow with
encouragement and experience.
“My advice would be to take a step back from the
technicalities of art and focus on what feels good to
make,” said Lou, “Making art is so exciting and to
be able to also produce something that resonates
with you is important regardless of what society
expects from the visual exploration of subjects
and concepts. You deserve to feel in your element
and love what you do, it really comes through in
your art as a way of seeing as well.”
Having someone praise artists’ creations can
fuel the drive to improve, and makes the time
and effort invested in the skill worthy. Praise
or encouragement is a payoff, so strive to never
hold back from admiring and addressing how
impressive an artist and their work is; because
this field is one that is easily overlooked when it
comes to the time and dedication it requires to be
noticed or deemed successful.
“When I was little I used art as a way to calm
down, or when things broke I had to get creative to
fix them,” said Hannah Radney, a commissioned
and tattoo artist originating out of Fairhope,
Alabama. “I like having things that are different
from what everyone else has. I don’t like to be
wearing the same outfits as everyone or having
any art that you can get from Target.”
Art comes in many forms, ranging from oil
paintings to tattoos. The advice we received when
it comes to insights that may help other artists
who are considering the field?
“Just remember—don’t compare yourself to
others, both artistically and as a person. Art is
very subjective, and we are our own worst critics.
Dabble in everything that interests or inspires
you, even if you know it’s going to be difficult. If
a piece is starting to frustrate you, put it down.
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