…Iteration & Critique

SEASON 1 EP 02

Episode Transcript:

Hi, it's me Isotta. Welcome to Episode 2 of Art Is… a seven-part podcast for artists. Last episode, I laid the foundations by introducing you to the premise of the show, and today I'll be discussing art-based knowledge tools: Iteration and Critique. Thanks, and enjoy!

As emerging artists, it's imperative that we don't overlook the value of using art-based knowledge practices outside of the studio. Two of the core principles every artist relies on (1) are iteration–the ability to repeat processes and learn from our actions and (2) critique–the capacity to thoughtfully analyze and assess the work we and others make. 

Embracing these skills outside of our art practices will empower us to value our creative training and position ourselves as thought leaders pioneering the future art world.  

This is Art Is… An art podcast where we visualize the future art world. Understanding and recognizing the value of our base knowledge practices is something I've been thinking a lot about.

As artists, we rarely see our skills as something that can be useful outside of making art. But by nature, art-making is ideating, critiquing, developing, and iterating on many concepts. Then narrow it down, exploring that one idea psychologically, intellectually, perhaps even historically, and then visually bringing it into digital or physical space, whether in 2D, 3D, or other formats. 

This is a really cool thing and something most people don't or can't do because it's sort of mysterious to those who aren't creatives. The whole process lives behind a curtain. Artists go and work for weeks or months or years and produce a piece, and then it's put on display- if you're lucky- and it's a big surprise to everyone. But really, that piece didn't magically appear or just come out of your brain fully formed.

It was a painstakingly long process. Far from the whole idea of the lone artistic genius, because, just like anything, making artwork is work, and those great days when it doesn't feel like work are awesome. But if you're putting in the hours, the effort, and putting yourself out there, I bet it feels like a full-time job.

And the thing is that the art industry right now is just not designed to help and support our careers. There are a few fledgling opportunities out there, but many paths are now closed because of the pandemic. And the institutional support has dried up, and we find ourselves as recent grads or still students or early-career artists, pretty lost, waiting for things to line up.

I just don't want to wait anymore, so this podcast is an opportunity to start changing that.  The mission here is to throw out ideas, concepts, and themes, just like we do when starting new artwork. And then with those ideas, start talking to each other and begin visualizing this future art world. As if it were an artwork that we will realize collectively.

Before we dive in, we must ensure that the mindset we bring to this endeavor is coming from a place of curiosity and conviction. And by leaning into the knowledge practices that define art-making, I believe that we can harness the confidence and creativity we bring to our studio work and direct it at this new mission of visualizing the future art industry.  

Artists are often told that we need to reskill because society at large, doesn't seem to recognize the superpowers we creative folk have, and that's simply their loss. Because although each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses, whether it's time management, follow-through, and finishing the pieces we start or the critical writing skills needed for applications to exhibitions and residencies, all of these components are central to being an artist. And we don't really take time to learn them–we just live them by diving in headfirst. From everything that goes on at Uni and then the opportunities beyond academia.

But regardless, there are two fundamental skills that every artist has and we are forgetting about their intrinsic value beyond our studio practices. As analytical tools that can help drive decision-making and personal and professional development.

These are the skills of iteration and critique, which I believe to be at the heart of what art base knowledge means. We use these tools in our creative practice every day, and because they are intuitive facets of fine art practice, whether you're self-trained or institutionally taught, we seem to take them for granted.

A little over a year ago, I was in my studio at Edinburgh College of Art. I was working on a series of sculptures for the upcoming degree show. This was of course right before lockdown and the eminent cancellation of that show. But I had made these cement columns ranging in heights from 50 to 70 centimeters, and they were really heavy and I wanted them to be taller but also lighter. So I extended them by casting resin as a material instead of cement. I made molds out of plastic pipe and became obsessed with the visual parallel between the luminosity of the resin compared to the chalky finish of the cement.

Although I had never worked with resin before I immediately liked it and started forming a vision in my mind of what I wanted the final installation to look like. I was envisioning these columns in an exhibition, picturing how people would walk around and engage with them. And I was so excited because I finally knew what I wanted to make. I was iterating on my idea and critiquing the results. What was previously unclear became clear, but during the fabrication of these columns, I got to know the material better. I realized that maybe things weren't going to work out exactly as I planned.

So I embraced the uncertainty and experimented. Of course, this led to a lot of fails. Materials didn't bond correctly at some points and the molds started to leak… but that's the iterative process, right? Trial and error, creative experimentation...by embracing that I let go of a lot of fear.

I was able to observe and learn from my mistakes and ask for feedback from my peers without hesitation or fear of judgment. And when things did work out, I was delighted and quite surprised because the vision was slowly appearing in reality,  right before my eyes. 

Every day, a little closer in the right direction. But as I worked and trialed ideas, my end goal also shifted. The vision in my mind evolved with my increased comprehension of materials and things moved slowly at first and then all at once. I was seeking out progress, not perfection.

And I think the quote from Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle is the Way sums that up well: “where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.”

Every artist goes through this thought process when they make new work. First, things go slow and then they speed up and the puzzle pieces come together. And this mindset is often overlooked because once you get it right, you move on. You don't dwell on the challenges because you're happy with the results, but that creative iterative process is key.

And it's this mindset we need to bring to the big task of visualizing the future art world because we won't get it right on the first try. There will be lots of ideas to think through and assess, but we are prepared better than anyone for this challenge. 

Let's not forget how we will evaluate these ideas, which leads us to critique–another key tool in our belt. Anyone who's been to art school can tell you about crits. Good ones, bad ones, funny ones, tragic ones. But at the end of the day, good feedback or bad, you put yourself out there, and that takes guts. And there's always going to be things beyond our control. Opinions we don't respect, bad actors, idea thieves, and manipulators.

There is no shortage of them in the art world, as we all know, but we are stronger than that because by making artwork, we put ourselves out there every day. And when it comes to accepting a critique, that comes from a place of real strength and conviction because being vulnerable with your work and asking for feedback means that you care.

And we care about the future. So who is better equipped and trained to ideate and critique a vision for the future art world than us–early-career artists? And these knowledge tools are so important to the kind of unprecedented world-building we are doing. So value your skills. Trust your instincts. Share with your community, and don't be afraid because the future is at our fingertips.

We just need to visualize it first. 

This episode, I'd like to thank Eleonora Tucci. Thanks for making beautiful cover art for this podcast. I appreciate all that you do. 

Thanks for listening! And please check out the Art Is... Bookshop created through bookshop.org–an online platform built to financially support local, independent bookstores. It's important to me that this art podcast is a resource for you. So I've carefully curated a selection of books for your continued professional and personal development.

You can find links for both the US and UK bookshops in the episode description and on the Art Is... Instagram and Twitter (@artispodcast). Thanks and see you soon!