Fake it Till You Make It: and other lessons by strong women

I have a love-hate relationship with the phrase "fake it till you make it". I have heard it repeated by many incredible ladies, in my life and beyond, who are making things happen in a very real way. I have heard senators say it, I have heard businesswomen and teachers say it. I have even heard Gloria Steinem say it! It has become an articulated catch-all for that feeling you get when you dive into something without total confidence in the result. There is some insane statistic I heard on the Riveters Podcast, it is my favorite go listen to it because it's amazing, that women are less likely to act or make a decision unless they are 80% sure they will be successful as a result. That number is around 40% for most men. Shocking.

In reality, we are all just a bunch of bumbling bags of water making it up as we go along, however, I know a handful of women who are doing a much better job at it then they give themselves credit for. To them I say, let this be one less thing you have to fake.

Growing up alongside powerful women was challenging. When I was younger and a lot less self-aware I would always say, "I prefer hanging out with guys, girls just don't like me". Women are complex creatures with impeccable intuition, fierce competition, and usually an incredible radar for bullshit. While these can be empowering traits they can often drive a wedge between friends when not properly understood. However, I am one of the lucky ones. My best friends push me, they inspire me, they make fun of me, and I love them for it. So when one of my nearest and dearests asked me if I wanted to come on board as a director and help coordinate the first ever small press fair in Fort Lauderdale, FL I said, "I don't think I am qualified to do that...", to which she replied, "fake it till you make it!"

Ingrid Schindall is not your average female go-getter. She is an independent risk-taker who can operate on an average of four hours of sleep and whose only weakness is a hungry stomach. Her "hell yes" attitude is infectious and her storytelling skills are unmatched. In 2014 she left the safe confines of Baltimore's established printmaking community to set off on her own in South Florida, whos print scene was still in its infancy. She founded IS Projects in September 2014 as a space to not only educate the curious about the art of print and bookmaking but to serve as a pillar for growth and action in Fort Lauderdale's creative community. She is also a beautiful steamroller driving Viking goddess that I am lucky enough to call my best friend.

Small Press Fair Fort Lauderdale, appropriately referred to as SPF, serves as an opportunity for independent printers, book artists, and zinesters to come together and celebrate their independent community for the unique conglomerate it is. The fair features everything from a retail market for handmade goods to printing technique demonstrations, including the steamroller event that turns hand-carved wood blocks into monumental relief prints. This event was the brainchild of Ingrid and Sarah Michelle Rupert, the current gallery director of Girls' Club and another shining example of female poise and prowess. Between Ingrid's vast knowledge in the world of multiples and Sarah's uncanny ability to check off an entire to-do list in an afternoon, the fair was destined to be a whopping success. I was just happy to be along for the ride. (I literally get to ride the steamroller around at the end of the fair and let me tell you, it is pretty great.)

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The first edition of the fair, SPF'16, was an incredible learning opportunity and while I didn't know it at the time, the experience would help solidify my decision to enter the field of marketing. I wrote my first successful grant, learned to write a press release, and helped to build a social media following from the ground up. All while having zero idea as to what I was doing. In following years the planning process has taken place alongside grad school work and I realized what a unique position I was in. Not only was I receiving hypothetical academic training on the basic functionalities of being a marketing practitioner, I was simultaneously getting to practice what I learned and apply it to a very real event. I also had the luxury of watching Sarah work her communication magic as someone who was deeply plugged into South Florida's art and community networks. As a result of all this awesomeness, the subsequent SPF'17 nearly doubled in size! By 2023 the small grassroots event outgrew its original location and extends over two days in Miami’s Mecca for the arts.

It wasn't intentional but looking around at the team of SPF's directors, coordinators, and support staff you will notice a common theme. They are women with a plan and a passion who have taught me so much. Three of my favorite lessons are...

1. Never take no for an answer!

2. You don't have to ask for permission if you are the one in charge.

3. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, but always be prepared to pivot.

I am honored to be a part of this team. There is nothing fake about it because ladies, we made it!

The Art of Failure

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. 

In the early hours of March 18th, 1990, two thieves posing as police officers were admitted into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. In 81 minutes they stole 13 pieces of artwork, among ...

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.

#MeToo, She Too, and Also Her

I am not usually one for perpetuating trendy hashtags. It may have something to do with my disdain for conformity. More likely it is a lasting resentment for the amount of time I spent in the early days of MySpace reposting chain letters to ensure I didn't end up an old spinster or dead by the hands of Bloody Mary. (She and I have since become brunch buddies)

Regardless, there is something different about #MeToo.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal actress, Alyssa Milano posted a tweet empowering women to write 'me too' if they had experienced sexual harassment or assault in order to provide the issue a sense of scale. The social response was a resounding hell yes this is an issue and women deal with it every damn day.

#MeToo created an opportunity for women to show solidarity but also to voice their personal stories about sexual harassment and assault. The speed in which messaging moves through social media outlets, in turn, created a powerful platform to demonstrate the scale of this problem, across industries, countries, cultures, and communities. While this visual illustration of the sheer number of sexual harassment and assault victims was enlightening for some, I wish I could say I was surprised by the plethora of posts I saw across my social media streams. Or say I was shocked by the statuses my friends shared about their experiences. To be honest, my response to this movement, like so many other women, was more along the lines of, "who hasn't?". It has happened on a packed train in a foreign country, on an empty street at home, on my phone, online, on my birthday, just yesterday, and so on.

Sexual harassment is not just physical or verbal, it is institutional. Which is how an established man working in a patriarchal industry could get away with it for so long. As a woman who strives to break into an industry whose major leadership is dominated by established men, this concerns me. Not only are women underrepresented in leadership roles in the arts, and as exhibiting artists in general, they are also making about 81 cents for every dollar made by a male. According to a study just released by the Association of Art Museum Directors. “The Ongoing Gender Gap in Art Museum Directorships” shows that just one of the nation’s 13 largest museums is run by a woman. This stands in stark contrast to the fact that over half of those graduating from art-centric programs are women.

Now I am not saying women are being sexually harassed out of the building, or that sexual harassment or assault is the cause of the gender gap in the leadership of the art industry. I am, however, concerned about the implications that come with reserving the highest positions just for men. The fact a line has been drawn that says 'no women beyond this point' creates a power structure that breeds a dangerous sense entitlement.

But fear not bad ass ladies of the art world, for our time has come! With the untimely departure of Metropolitan Museum of Art Director, Thomas P. Campbell the top job at the largest art museum in the country is ours for the taking. In its nearly 150 years of existence, The Met has never had a female director, and in its current state of duress, maybe it is time. For in the words of Georgia O'Keeffe, "You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare."

The Art of Craft Beer

There are some truly dynamic duos in this world. Things that just go together, like friends and food, sun and sand, potato chips and ketchup, cats and the internet, sleep and more sleep.

But there is no more perfect pairing than that of art and craft beer.

And this is not just an excuse on my part to talk endlessly about two of my favorite things on earth, it's a relationship that has been brewing since the inception of the industry. The two have organic chemistry, and more importantly, share similar missions and goals for the members of their communities. The tenants that have governed the independent art world for ages are almost identical those practiced by the craft beer industry, one of America's fastest-growing consumer products. Authenticity, creativity, celebrating the new and the innovative all while still paying homage to and respecting tradition. These principles weave seamlessly through both industries making an otherwise unlikely pair quite copacetic, and in some cases mutually beneficial. Both art and beer embrace the unexpected and appreciate a level of irreverence and creative chaos in the name of a final product that bears evidence of its maker.

The most obvious and immediate connection between the art and craft beer industry is through their collaborative visual communication strategies. The art and craft beer worlds are congested and competition among those trying to make it is fierce. Visibility plays an important role for both artists trying to get their name out there, and breweries trying to make their products stand out on shelves lined with similar selections. Creative labels and packaging are crucial in helping a product stand out from its competitors, and beer is no exception. In fact, 66% of consumers say labels play a major role in their selection process. However, the way in which the industry is approaching the issue can often be unique.

The competitive and rapidly growing craft beer industry creates a new niche market for artists, illustrators, and designers. In collaboration with breweries, they generate visually compelling works that travel domestically and abroad on the backs of bottles handled by millions. Philadelphia-based designer Keith Shore can attest to the power of labels after joining "gypsy" brewery Mikkeller as their Art Director. Gypsy breweries, unlike your traditional taprooms, are itinerant craftsmen, traveling around the world to make collaborative and innovative brews. Due to the varietal small batch nature of their beers, they are inherently more nimble with their designs and are not bound to a single iconic visual identity. Shore's labels begin as sketches or paintings that are eventually refined digitally. Influenced by his favorite artists like David Hockney and Henri Matisse, the works are enticing and cartoonish with eye-catching color pallets that help them stand out on crowded shelves. The open creative freedom afforded to Shore is a fun side effect of a rapid production schedule and an intra-indusry understanding that the label should be equally an act of creative expression as the beer inside. All you label peelers out there be warned, don't pick at the art.

In addition to a blatant visual exchange, the art and craft beer world also intersect when it comes to their community values and ideals. Authenticity and originality stand as important standards both communities strive for. Both independent artists and craft brewers evolve from the same grassroots circles of experimental entrepreneurs and rule benders looking for unique ways to express themselves outside the normative job market. For that reason, there is an innate sense of support and comradery between two groups that strive for similar goals of creative independence. Breweries are frequent sponsors of art events and concerts, supporting local while simultaneously building a strong base of loyal customers and engaging in word of mouth marketing strategies.

The Brooklyn Brewery is a prime example of the effective power of word of mouth marketing and art based sponsorship. As one of America's largest craft brewers, Brooklyn Brewery has never placed any traditional ads, initially because they couldn't afford to but ultimately because they didn't need to. Instead, they built their loyal following by engaging directly with consumers but simultaneously letting interested parties discover the beers themselves, providing a sense of ownership. This methodology has lead to relationships with institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum and other local arts organizations. An all-around win-win situation as those in attendance got tasty, and more importantly free beer, the event coordinators appreciated the local support, and the brewery garnered effective marketing.

At the end of the day, both the art and craft beer industries are fighting the same battle against the generic, the mundane and the uninspired. All in the pursuit of creating a world where people are able to freely express themselves, and most importantly enjoy some really great beer.

CHEERS!

5 Ways Art Institutions Are Getting with the Digital Times

What comes to mind when you think of a typical art institution? Do you imagine static museums where canvases hang limply on cold white walls? Or never ending hallways of sculptures whose eyes somehow follow you no matter where you go? Is the idea of art so abstract and archaic you don't even bother to think about, nonetheless visit these places at all?

If that is the case, for the love of god please, grab a friend, and get to your nearest museum and see some art! And bring your phone, you're probably going to need it. #artselfies

For many established art institutions, the dawn of the digital age was daunting, to say the least. For so long the art viewing experience was a passive one; a one-way street of viewer consumption that was often solitary and exclusive. New technology in its infancy felt invasive, museum visitors and gallery-goers were encouraged to silence their cellphones and respect tradition. But if you have ever tried to separate a millennial from their phone you know, this is a losing battle. Times are-a-changing, we now live with one foot in the real world and the other in our own virtual reality. Traditional institutions had to make a choice, evolve or go extinct.

The National Endowment for the Arts reported an 8 percent drop in museum attendance over the past decade. That, coupled with the fact I can't get a single member of my family to attend an art event with me, is a clear indication some changes need to be made. Institutions that decided to get with the times and join us in the future face a whole new set of problems, how to balance the needs of new audiences and old, infuse innovation with tradition. Art has always stood up to the challenge of connecting us with the world and those who inhabit it. What a better opportunity to demystify the medium and make it more relevant to larger and more diverse audiences than joining the digital revolution?

Here are 5 ways art institutions are adopting interactive technology to make art more Instagramable and accessible. Cellphone use is promoted, and please feel free to touch.

1. Cooper Hewitt's "Immersion Room"

In 2011 the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum temporarily closed its doors in order to reimagine the role design plays in this contemporary and digital age. It reopened in 2014 more immersive and interactive than any other creative institution at the time. One such renovation that is changing the way visitors engage with the museum's collection and content is the Immersion Room, an interactive space powered by the Pen. More than just entertainment, the Immersion Room provides the first opportunity to discover Cooper Hewitt’s collection of wallcoverings as they were intended to be viewed, projected to scale on the walls around you. Visitors can listen to audio histories of the works and even create their own designs. Most importantly you can snap yourself a new profile pic as the exhibit is super photogenic.

2. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's "Send Me"

The SFMOMA understands not everyone can hop on a plane and take a trip to the west coast to see some art, so they will send their collection to you in the comfort of your own home! (Or, in the cold basement computer lab at your university because you're a graduate student and you live here now.) On average, museums can only exhibit about 10% or less of their collection at one time, in the case if SFMOMA, only about 5% is on view in their galleries at any given moment. This project is a unique way to both utilize their extensive collection while simultaneously reaching a wider more active audience. With over 2,400,000 results, responses range from predictable to political, sometimes even comical. Like a good man, the SMFOMA will never leave you on "read" and will even humor your sad attempts at flirting.

3. The British Museum's "Virtual Reality Tour"

Virtual and augmented reality is whats hot, its the next frontier of tech, and The British Museum has managed to marry the past with the future through its new virtual reality tours. Partnering up with Samsung through their Digital Discovery Centre initiative, the museum uses Oculus technology to bring ancient artifacts and sculptures to life. This digitally immersive experience adds new context to objects and makes history part of the present.

4. Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum's "social media"

What a time to be alive where institutions of cultural prominence can be just as irreverent and sarcastic as their publics. Where exhibits are being curated for Instagram and institutions like @LACMA and #brooklynmuseum are slaying on their social media accounts. LACMA was the first museum to join Snapchat back in 2014 with a mission to meld classic pieces from their collection with Mean Girls quotes and Avril Lavigne lyrics. This push to make art and art history more accessible was heard around the world by a following of over 200,000 people. The Brooklyn Museum's Twitter account also got on board with this trend with their participation in #ArtMemeMonday.

5. The Met and Guggenheim's "Beacon Systems"

You cant turn a cruise ship on a dime. Large institutions (in both physical size and prestige) like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum are having an especially hard time tacking in the direction of the digital age. One of the steps these behemoths have taken is the implementation of a beacon system in order to improve museum way-finding and make their collections more accessible and engaging. The beacons serve as digital docents using Bluetooth technology to generate rich two-way conversations between the artwork and the viewers, providing more interactive information than traditionally available in catalog guides.

Happy arting!

Why You Should Hire an Artist

You may be interested to know, that art degree you paid upwards of $100K for is more valuable than your parents may have lead you to believe. In addition to a deep understanding of visual culture and an addiction to black coffee and the words "aesthetic" and "ephemeral", a degree in the arts doubles as a study in business and marketing.

Now, this won't get you a job or any level of professional recognition in those fields, it may not even get you a job in your own field. (Unless you are applying to Procter & Gamble, who apparently is looking for, what former global marketing executive Jim Stengel calls, "business artists".) However, this knowledge and skillset can prove invaluable when it comes to artists maintaining ownership and control over their content. Because when it comes down to it, art really is about business.

This concept is not new, I am certainly not the first person to have the epiphany that the over 2 million people with art degrees living in the United States learned more applicable and coveted skills in school than just painting and hypothetical pondering. For years people have been drawing the connection between the unique way of thinking and problem solving acquired through an arts education, and the growing need for organizations to be more innovative and creative. To those organizations I say, hire an artist. Better yet, hire a millennial artist whose understanding of social media and the connecting power of the internet is almost innate.

Social media has changed the game for countless industries, the least of which is how we market and communicate with our publics. The art world is no exception. When released from the safe confines of higher-ed, trained artists are expected to know how to get their work out there. Visibility is key, it is livelihood. If you ask an artist these days to see their business card, they will likely first show you their Instagram. When they do finally handover their card, you will surely find links to their website, Tumblr, and other social media outlets. For so long, in order to be coined a "successful artist" you needed to be picked up and pimped out by a gallery. Notable gallery representation meant legitimacy, but it mostly meant you had someone to promote you to the right people through narrow and curated channels. This is no longer the case. It is an open market game now.

However, like with all things that seem too good to be true, social media platforms do have some downsides for artists especially. While the art that hangs in a gallery proclaims to be about continuously pushing boundaries and thinking outside the box, some social media platforms enforce strict rules on what content is allowed to be shown. Artists can often find themselves stuck between the sterile white cube that is blue-chip galleries, and the content controlled white box that is Instagram.

Censorship on platforms like Instagram and Facebook provide an annoying hurdle for artists producing provocative work. Digital artist @scientwehst creates "brazenly-feminine digital collages" who's erotic and suggestive subject matter often challenges the policies of social media platforms like Instagram, a primary source for sharing her work. When asked about the platform's benefits in an interview with PRØHBTD she responded, "The advantages: visibility, accessibility, and virality. The disadvantages: visibility, accessibility, and virality."

And it is not just contemporary art that gets shut down, photographs of century-old works of art that hang in prestigious museums are also at the mercy of appropriate content algorithms that scan social media outlets for a bare butt or exposed boob.

Despite its obvious limitations, social media and online visibility has flung the door open for artists to be the masters and marketers of their own destiny and freed them from their dependence on the gallery-industrial-complex. But while these online platforms may be new, artists have processed the skills to think outside the box and creatively solve problems since the dawn of the profession, they just now have the means to make you pay attention.

The Art of Communication

"Please tell the class a fun fact about yourself."

I dread this sentence. I know its coming and still, every single time, I feel unprepared. How hard is it to think of something interesting about oneself?! I don't consider myself a particularly boring person. I have done stuff, been places, seen some things. However, when it comes to sharing a single fun fact about my comings and goings over the last quarter century I go blank. I often find myself falling back on the excuses, this exchange is inauthentic, it's forced, who cares? So I, very uncreatively, say the same thing I always do when asked to summarize my identity in a single sentence... Hi, I'm Katherine and I was an art school student for over ten years, but I am not an artist.

Now, in the famous words of just about every liberal arts practitioner everywhere, "let's unpack that".

Being a product of a creative education is as much a part of my self-established identity as the fact I am a redhead or a female. It is always the first thing I want to tell people and it shapes the way I communicate with the world. Like most children who were a product of the 90's new wave of "not one size fits all" curriculum, I still remember taking the "what is your learning style?" test in elementary school. With just a handful of basic questions an algorithm was able to deduce I am in fact a visual learner. I took that information in my little 11-year-old hands and ran with it, and started my decade-long art adventure in sixth-grade at Bak Middle School of the Arts.

It is a fair question to ask, how does one attend art school without considering themselves an artist? Well, through an act of what I like to call, creative espionage.

As a student, I was always more interested in what everyone else was doing. I would complete my assigned projects with a detached sense of duty, but would then pour over the work of my fellow creative classmates. How did you do that, WHY did you do that, what does this mean, what were you thinking, where is this going? Under the guise of being one of them, they would candidly talk to me about their processes, their plans, and their problems under the assumption that this work came as naturally to me as it seemed to come to them. It did not. But the more time I spent in this environment the more I came to understand the minds of great artists. I recognized their strengths (creative problem solving and a unique perspective on just about everything) and their weaknesses (making their work accessible to the general public and trying to keep anything in their lives marginally organized.) The art world doesn't need another uninspired artist, it needs a translator. I have been training for that job. I want that job.

The choice to return to school was easy, it was one I had made long before I was forced out the doors of undergrad into the proverbial "real world". The question remained, return to school for what? Public relations may seem like an odd departure from the art world, however, at its essence PR is just the practical art of communicating. So while I may cringe at the thought of sharing a fun fact about myself, I cannot wait to make a career out of sharing, promoting, and bragging about the incredible artists and creators that make this world a more interesting place.

Me in my element during a curatorial internship at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum