THE ART OF FAILURE: HOW ART SCHOOL PREPARED ME FOR A CAREER IN COMMUNICATIONS
When you have a last name like “Arts” there is this unspoken assumption that you are born with some elevated level of creative ability. You can imagine the disappointment of my childhood art teachers when all my drawings were just uninspired copies of whatever the person next to me was making. I pretty much refused to even attempt finger painting because who wants sticky fingers. However, there was something about artists as people that kept drawing me back to a very basic concept. Why do people make art and how can I tell their stories? And so began an eleven-year art school adventure that ultimately helped to shape me into the cultural communicator I am today. It was during this time that I learned something very important about myself.
I am a failure.
Today, I am not afraid or ashamed to admit it because to be a failure is to also be fearless. Failure requires risk and resilience in equal parts; you have to risk the possibility that you will fail, and be resilient enough to try again when you do. Failure is disorienting and chaotic and can sometimes be crushing, however, it is a necessary byproduct of innovation. The act of failing is not the end of the road, it is the fork that forces you to stop and think, “where do I go now?”
The odds of becoming a “successful” artist are less than one percent, and that number is even smaller if you are a woman or a minority. For reference, the National Endowment for the Arts estimates there are over two million artists living in the United States. The probability that even one of those artists will receive a solo exhibition at the MoMA is about 0.0006 percent. Additionally, the average income of a practicing artist is less than $30,000 a year and yet seven of the most expensive colleges in this country are art schools.
As integrated as failure is through the process of making and studying art, it is equally as inevitable for arts institutions and organizations. The concept of art can be abstract and communicating the value and message of a work can become complicated. It can even lead to a full crisis when done poorly. However, it is important for communications professionals working in this sector to recognize the difference between a controversy and a crisis.
That being said, failure in its many forms is a learned art. Like any skill in a creative’s arsenal, it needs to be honed and practiced. Paralysis by fear inhibits progress and stifles creativity. Personally, my fear is frequently worn down by my own inherent curiosity so I have to weigh my options. How does one balance a constant need to be challenged with a crippling fear of failure? The answer is I have absolutely no idea. However, during my brief quarter century studying the topic I have come up with some steps to help manage the anxiety associated living somewhere between the two.
STEP ONE: MAKE A PLAN… AND THEN BREAK IT
One of the first lessons any artist learns when they set out to create work is that the final product seldom resembles what you envisioned in your head when you began. Predicting all the variables that could go wrong during the process art making proves impossible. While a plan can help provide a roadmap for the direction you want the work to take, detours are an inevitable and can often lead somewhere unexpected. This concept of flexibility can be applied to nearly any industry but is especially relevant when discussing how cultural communicators are expected to respond to a crisis.
In September of 2017, the Guggenheim Museum opened the exhibition, “Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World.” The much anticipated show was soured by three works that critics claimed promoted cruelty to animals. One of the offending videos entitled, “Dogs that Cannot Touch Each Other” showed two Pit Bulls forced to walk on treadmills inches from each other’s faces. While contention surrounding the subject matter in a work of art is not uncommon, the Guggenheim’s public response certainly was. The museum censored its own show.
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’, Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other.
The Guggenheim’s original response to the controversy came within 24 hours through a press release stating, “We recognize that the work may be upsetting. The curators of the exhibition hope that viewers will consider why the artists produced it and what they may be saying about the social conditions of globalization and the complex nature of the world we share."
Despite the museum’s rapid response and their attempt to control the messaging surrounding the exhibit, explicit and repeated threats of violence and an online petition forced the museum to adapt and ultimately change course. Unfortunately, the decision to cave to a small group of stakeholders and remove the works from the show set a dangerous precedent for all arts organizations in respect to freedom of speech and artistic expression. Decidedly, the museum lost out on an opportunity to engage the public in a conversation about how to discuss difficult art.
STEP TWO: TAKE A MISTAKE AND TURN IT INTO AN OPPORTUNITY
In the wise words of infamous painter Bob Ross, “In art, there are no mistakes, just happy accidents.” Countless times I have deemed art projects failures only to return to see what I thought were mistakes in a new and positive light. In any artistic process there comes a point where a certain methodology will fail you. As an artist, you are faced with the choice to give up or seize the opportunity and take a different approach. If Bob Ross can turn an unintentional paint smear into a happy little tree than organizations can find ways to capitalize on a crisis.
The 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist is still considered the biggest unsolved art theft in world history. In eighty-one minutes, two men dressed as police officers cut thirteen renowned paintings from their frames, never to be seen again. With names like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, and Degas the total value of the stole works is a resounding $500 million dollars. The crisis communications team at Wagner Associates were among some of the first people on the scene creating a crisis plan on the fly.
Prior to the art heist, the Gardner Museum was experiencing a lull in attendance thus looking to improve its visibility and relevance among existing and potential stakeholders. Working with Wagner Associates the museum seized the theft as an opportunity to turn the explosive media attention into a means of highlighting the museum’s collection. The team worked to incite coverage that would assure the public that the theft was an isolated incident and would in no way diminish the quality of the museum’s collection. They then set out to simultaneously pitch media stories that would spotlight the Gardner Museum as one of the most unique and important museums in the Boston area -- they succeeded.
STEP THREE: ACCEPTANCE, MOVE ON FROM FAILURE
My first pottery class in wheel throwing was mean to be an easy elective. Something fun to keep my hands busy during an especially rigorous semester. Predictably, I was very wrong. There is in fact nothing easy about trying to control a slippery wet ball of clay spinning upwards of eight miles per hour. That semester I spent more time crafting vessels that consistently collapsed in my hands than I did anything else. For one project, in particular, we were to throw a pot that measured 36 inches tall. I worked tirelessly for weeks perfecting my towering pot only to have to explode in the kiln. Through no fault of my own, I showed up to critique for the first time in my life without a final product. I was so dejected but my professor just looked at me and merely said, “So what are you going to make next?”
Even the best sometimes fail. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious art museums. The Met is the third most visited art museum with its two million works of art span nearly five thousand years of history. Despite the museum’s monumental size and success, the institution experienced a crisis of leadership in early 2017. This lead to the abrupt departure of the director and chief executive of the museum, Thomas P. Campbell. For the first time in The Met’s long and prosperous history the question was raised, was this powerful pillar of the art community failing?
In the last year, The Met has learned from its previous financial failures of overreaching. The museum is working to rebound by being very transparent about scaling back its initiatives and programming. The institution is now focused on its core mission in order to repair its reputation and once again be recognized as the pre-eminent museum for art collection, conservation, and education. Often times, in the face of failure the best course of action is perseverance and resilience, exactly what The Met has demonstrated as of late.
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU’RE A FAILURE!
Mastering the art of failing is not an easy or enjoyable task. It requires flexibility to recognize some failures as opportunities, and self-awareness in order to acknowledge when it is time change course and move on. In reality, my decision to pursue a career in communications was the result of countless failed attempts at getting a traditional job with my art school degree.
For over a year I submitted hundreds of applications to museums, galleries, auction houses, conservatories, art centers, and schools. In a final act of desperation, I even applied to work commission for a notoriously unconscionable gallery on a cruise ship. Fortunately, my acceptance into graduate school to pursue a master’s in public relations came on the same day. For once, I was the one who got to deny the job interview.
From my failures, I have learned how to create a well thought out plan. I can also identify where a plan went wrong and can articulate how to improve in the future. Afterall, it was countless acts of failure that lead me to a career as a successful communicator. Or at least that is what I am telling myself until I am inevitably forced to fail again.