The Art Hoarder

I remember going to art school, and having it drilled into my head, that everything I create could be valuable one day. I was told to sign everything, and keep good documentation of all my work. 

This is crazy talk, I was determining the current value of my work, like a hoarder determines the value of garbage. MAYBE someone somewhere will pay MILLIONS of dollars for this scribble on a napkin. Maybe yes, likely no. All I ended up doing was hoarding tons of bad drawings, paintings, and studies; stuff that I didn't even care about. Wasting my time taking pictures, and pretending I was doing something productive.

I would go to art shows and attempt to talk to gallery owners/artists (at their own shows mind you) about MY unprofessional art, in an unprofessional way. I realized I really looked desperate carrying around a hard copy of my portfolio, even if it was only in my car. I would have done anything just to say that I was represented by someone. 

When I dropped out of school, you know what I discovered, NO ONE CARES about my portfolio! They only care that I have one. What I did in art school, is not what I want to be showing off anyways. Going to school only proves that you are dedicated enough to do something with your life. It's a sentence on first dates. 

I see this nearly every day. I fell for this trap too. When I started off in the artworld. I was conditioned to think that someone somewhere is buying art. When you can't sell your work, or get into a gallery, you think that just haven't found the right person.... Though, you probably still have that derranged hoarder artist mindset, where all your work is worth millions...I personally have always had a good sense of time, my peers often try and get away with some ridiculous stories for why their work is priced so high. Trying to say that their charcoal portraits took some ridiculous amount of time to complete and that they can't sell it for less than two grand. Either a veteran or a brand new artist: the piece in question is a very personal piece, and the buyer is lucky that the artist isn't accounting for school, gas, and gallery fees.

Everything I made in art school was overpriced nonsense, valuable for learning, and at the time I thought it was pretty good. My recommendation is when you're done with artschool. Destroy burn or giveaway, all of your old artwork. That painting that I did in college that had so much "meaning" attached to it, is about as deep as a bathtub. 

When I attempt to create art that I'm not excited about, the art comes off as forced. This happens with all of my work eventually. It serves the purpose of being therapuetic during the time of creation, like the Greeks say, " Memento Mori", remember we will all die. 

As much as I like covering my house with my own artwork, and I think of all the hours that I've spent creating my artwork. I have to remember that I never created these works for money. Now while I would love to make a living to creating artwork. Often I find myself just attempting to recouperate costs so I can paint even more.

Thank you for your time,

Cedric C.