Hello there! It's Jocelyn Mathewes from my studio in Appalachia. And I’m here to talk about how I’m evaluating my artistic concepts.
Last year was a lot of rejection. After having a fruitful season of lots of "yes," I applied to many things I really wanted and came up empty-handed.
I have a brain trust I reach out to occasionally, but there's nothing like putting applications out there and getting a lot of "no" responses to make you wonder if you're barking up the wrong tree (creatively speaking). That's not to say that you can't make good work that just doesn't catch on! That’s a thing too.
To make good art, to nail down the essence of it you sometimes have to pick it apart. So I looked at the problem of evaluating work in pieces, each one working towards the core of the work itself.
The timing wasn’t right. (Well, you can’t control that much. Onward!)
The location was a bad fit. (Sometimes it’s just hard to tell if opportunities are a good fit, and you only get better at choosing the more you try, so, onward!)
The presentation was lackluster. (Well, maybe—there’s always room for improvement.)
The execution was poorly done. (Always learning here, so there’s something to explore.)
The ideas are boring. (Time to hang up the artist apron! Kidding. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.)
So at the end of it all the year of mostly rejections drove me to explore if the problem was presentation/execution. My rationale was: I won't know for sure that they're bad if I don't solve for the other problems. (And in the end, it's OK if my ideas are bad — live and learn and grow and all that.)
Along with all that rejection, I received some feedback in my application processes that led me to think that presentation was more of an issue than I previously thought. Since that was a concrete thread with real evidence, I started to tug at it.
A phrase from my previous career kept coming to me, “Show what you want to sell,” kept coming to mind—meaning that if you want your work to be in a certain space or top of mind, you have select the work carefully and design the experience of showing it to make it super obvious.
So I hired a photographer and videographer to capture three of my pieces that I had previously tried to document on my own: Decadron (Hypervigilance), Medicine Threshold, and Symptoms/Side-Effects.
medicine threshold
Specifically for Medicine Threshold, I had received juror feedback that made it clear they were distracted by my attempt at photographing it in my backyard, as opposed to in a doorway.
This made sense, since part of the piece is that you’re supposed to be forced to move through it instead of walking around it; a doorway is the right place for it—
And then movement is key to the piece as well—not easily captured in still frame:
decadron (hypervigilance)
Here’s my attempt to document Decadron (Hypervigilance) on my own:
It’s the scale of the piece that matters, since that accentuates the discomfort I’m going for. While my bare legs might give you a sense of that, it’s pretty janky and certainly doesn’t scream put me in a fancy art show! So I never applied to anything with it, ever.
So let’s make it look like a fancy art show—
symptoms/side-effects
For Symptoms/Side-Effects, I knew that suspending it in space was part of how I wanted it to be experienced, and I simply didn’t have enough space in any room of my house to get a clear shot while it was hanging from the ceiling. (This was the piece that finally prompted me to hire someone.)
It is a little thrilling to get in front of a camera, but it’s not easy. What’s even harder is getting and investing in help (mostly from a “giving up control” and humility standpoint).
Even if in the end my ideas and execution are bad, it was worth the learning experience to put this together and get closer to the personal vision I have for my pieces.
xo,
jocelyn
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My initial feedback for submitting work was “if it’s not professionally photographed on a big white wall don’t bother.” I get it, but I also find that really frustrating especially when I think about the barriers this puts up for people who can’t afford to hire a pro. Or those who simply want to display their work differently.
I watched these videos with Davy and he says “Medicine Threshold is beautiful.” He was entranced by seeing it in motion.
I really loved is how you looked at all things that you may, or may not, have control over: Timing, Location and Presentation. The first two are totally out of your control. Presentation, though, was a goldmine! I was left touched, moved and inspired when I saw the before and after presentations. Brilliant idea to let go of your work, and let another professional use their vision to create your presentation. It's amazing what can happen when we let go and let others contribute to our success. Beautiful video's!!!