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“Make stuff happen”
for most artists, waiting for opportunities to come
their way isn’t an option – instead, they get onwith
it andmake stuff happen. With arts funding getting
ever tighter, the DIy approach is a great way tomake
connections and get things done. DIy canwork at any
level, from instigating your own art project, to setting
up an artist-led gallery or studio, to self-publishing.
Being active and providing opportunities for other artists as well as yourself
is a great way to get noticed and can bring its own opportunities. But you need
to be strategic about the connections you make and be clear on the direction
you are taking. running an artist-led project, for example, can take up a lot of
time and your own practice can suffer. The a-n Artist’s Development Toolkit can
help you with advice on how to keep focused on your career as an artist.
QuESTIoNS To ASk yourSElf, AND kEEp ASkINg
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ArTiST’S PAgE: KEvin HunT
Kevin Hunt is an artist and curator.
Between July 2007 and January
2011 he was a director of
, an artist-led gallery,
project space and social workspace in
Liverpool. He was nominated for the
Liverpool Art Prize 2013.
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What do I do?
.
What am I doing?
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What do I want to do?
.
How do I do more of what I
want to do, and less of what
I don’t want to do?
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Am I going in the right
direction, if not, how do I
change it?
.
What am I good at?
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What do I need to learn?
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Where do I need to go next?
.
What is/is not working for
me right now?
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Who do I need to meet?
Don’t just carry on blindly playing the game and doingwhat you think
you’remeant to. Really challenge yourself to think about what you
care about in theworld andwhatmakes you happy. Create situations
where you canwork towards these as your goals, rather than some
unattainable notion of ‘success’ that you’ve read about in amagazine
or seen on TV.
EllieHarrison
A F