Introduction- the emerging artist

I'm starting this blog to chronicle my art making; my progress towards what? I'm not sure. I have particular goals in mind- landmarks and milestones. These things that can be defined in concrete terms: showing work, selling work, new images posted to my artist's website, new technical skills. But I also have more ephemeral aims- developing a depth in my work, a clarity of my message, a body of work that expresses my own journey as an artist and a person.  My aim is to make art every day and incorporate it into my life. Art is already central to my life- but I want to make more art- better art- get it out there- get it noticed.

People talk a lot about "emerging artists." That term is used most commonly to describe unrepresented artists, unnoticed artists, artists with potential- artists who are in their studios, their living rooms, making work that's ready to be noticed like a gem in a mine, like a treasure in a junk shop. In other ways- "emerging" visual artists are kin to "indy" musicians- unrepresented and outside of the mainstream. While "indy" musicians can assert their independence from the mainstream music world,  the verb "emerge" implies potential for further direction. Emerging artists are wannabes. Like little green sprouts- the emerging artists stretch their baby leaves and reach up towards the warm nurturing sunshine of the art world. Like a baby bird pecking it's way out of an egg- the emerging artist comes out into the world, rising from obscurity, evolving. This label assumes a lot. It implies that the artist is young. it assumes that there's actually some sunshine out there- some inevitable "discovery"- that "success" is only just around the corner. It's a term rich with potential energy. I'm not convinced that the art world- the part that has galleries, fellowships, fame and recognition to bestow- is quite as warm and nurturing as the sunshine, the air and water.

I have a friend on facebook, Muffy Bolding. She posted last night, "A genius is someone who shoots at something that no one else can see...and fucking hits it."

Is an emerging artist shooting for that invisible thing? What am I doing with all the hours I spend in my living room studio- target practice? What if the artist is not a genius? Our world has room for "average" lawyers, "average" accountants, plenty of merely passable administrative assistants- but there's not a lot of room in the (fine) art world for mediocricy. But the success in the art world isn't entirely based on meritocracy either.

Maybe I'm not a genius. Maybe I'll never see that invisible target. Or maybe I AM a genius (my mother tells me I am) and I just need to invent my own target and convince everyone else that I've hit the bull's eye. Maybe I already have, maybe I'm hitting it all the frickin' time, but nobody notices or cares.