Comments on: Is Your Art a Product?

By: Sari

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:49:25 +0000

Like, the product of two times three is six…? The product is just the result of sticking 2 & 3 together for a while…The product is just the result of some creative activity…? Good thought! Apology accepted on behalf of tablespoons & other spoons too…I am a fan of spoons…Lord knows I couldn’t make one myself…(How does one get metal to curve like that? Don’t answer, I am talking too much)…

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By: Teresa Dye

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:43:16 +0000

My apologies to tablespoons everywhere. 😉
But to answer your question, no, referring to your art as a product does not mean you are churning them out, which was part of the meaning of my last post. If our view of the word “product” does not match its definition, is it possible that we are shortchanging the word? Perhaps we are not giving it same credit that it should have per its definition. Poor “product.” Think of how it must feel! 😉

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By: Sari Grove

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:44:52 +0000

In reply to Teresa Dye.

http://artsconnected.org/resource/91491/spoonbridge-and-cherry Spoonbridge & Cherry, Claes Oldenburg…
Teresa, I take issue with the denigration of the tablespoon…Please, anyone else who chooses to look down upon this work of invention must look at the link I have provided…
In all seriousness, though, I wonder if the word product has come to be associated with mass production? I see now the acronym OOAK on profiles…OOAK stands for One of a Kind, as in OOAK artist…If you refer to your work of art as a product does this mean that you are churning them out?

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By: Teresa Dye

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 04:07:51 +0000

Now, now, must we be so harsh on the word “product?” “Product” has such a broad definition that it could be compared to the word “organism.” Just like a bird of paradise has far more complexity and aesthetic appeal than your run-of-the-mill earthworm, so does a piece of art have (usually) more amazing and unique qualities than a typical tablespoon.
Each of my paintings expresses myself in its own unique way. It is a vastly different product than a hum-drum spoon, and is regarded and created much differently.
“Product” is not a bad word. What if we railed in indignation each time our pet cat was referred to as an “organism?” Does she fit the definition of one? If so, then we must as ourselves why our idea of “organism” is does not match the definition.
What is a product, exactly? What does it encompass? If I am offended by my artwork being a “product,” then I might actually be shortchanging the definition of the word “product”. If the definition is a broad one, then my thinking of it should match that fact. I will acknowledge that my art is a product, and I will embrace the genre of products that includes beautiful, shimmering, unique expressions of the feeling and personalities of the artisans who so expertly and lovingly created them.
And I will not confuse them with spoons.

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By: Marketing Your Art vs Marketing Your Teaching — Art Biz Blog

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:00:56 +0000

[…] is a service and the other is, for lack of a better word, a product. You have to promote […]

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By: Vesna Jovanovic

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 02:43:25 +0000

I don’t think art is a product. I think it’s an intellectual pursuit; it belongs in the humanities, like philosophy. I think calling it a product creates various problems – in how artists are perceived, and how artwork is taken by the public. When it’s time to rent a studio in a space zoned for uses other than manufacturing, artists can run into problems (and this happens because art is viewed as a product)… It can also create various problems on a political and practical level, and it reduces the focus on the non-art part of the creation.

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By: Anthony Emmolo

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:42:31 +0000

In reply to Wendy Edsall-Kerwin.

Hello Nancy and Wendy,
Just a little thought here. If we go to the ancient Greek, Roman, Chinese Japanese sections (for example) of any of the great world museums, and look at the wonderful vases and jade objects (of China), etc. We are looking at crafts. Wonderful crafts that were made at a time when art was more pure than it is today. Ideals were higher, and in most cases their skill level is unattainable today. One didn’t have to be an philosopher/artist to be great. They were craftspeople loving what they were doing, and being valued for it.
I’ve had this discussion many times. I’m a painter. Call me a craftsman if you choose. It doesn’t matter. If I were lucky enough to become a great craftsman it would be a wonderful gift to myself and to anyone who appreciates what I can do. best of all, 2,000 years ago there was no distinction between artist and craftsperson. We have made that distinction.
Wendy, love your craft/art. It is wonderful to be able to do what you love to do without having to define it as one of the other.
Another thought Mozart and Bach turned out many, many pieces of music for a price. Does that make them craftsmen, and does a rapper who doesn’t churn out music on a monthly basis get the higher title of artist?
Maybe I am just old fashioned. (I just turned 49). 🙂

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By: catherine feeman

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 02:12:54 +0000

I believe that if it is for sale, yes it certainly is a product, and looking at those definitions, that is not an offensive thing! The nature of much art, however, is such a personal expression, that I believe many times the artist cannot think of it as a product until it is completed and the reality of selling it is presented. As one of the above comments pointed out, that may just be the dilemma for many artists in marketing and the business side of their art. When we’re not working and not in that emotional creative state we have to reconcile the product/business aspect, but let’s face it, that creative/emotional state is where the ideas and the art often originates so we can’t think we should eliminate it. It seems to be a balancing act for me, which is why I love these helpful posts!

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By: Roopa Dudley

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:44:06 +0000

In reply to Dave Stewart.

Amylee, your work indeed is awesome. I agree with Dave Stewart.

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By: Roopa Dudley

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:36:43 +0000

In reply to Vered Galor.

I agree with Galor.

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