Kickstarter

I’m feeling frustrated.  

An artist fucking ships. What does this mean to me? 

. . . . 

The artist who ships knows the thing she’s making can’t do anyone any good if it never reaches their hands.  

She knows that if she lets herself get in the way too much, it will ruin everything. If she gives in to the defeating thoughts, the weary emotions, the self-criticism. Instead of revamping things one more time or thinking of a different way to say things, she pushes publish. 

The artist who ships comes through on the things she says she’s going to produce.  She practices what she preaches.  And that means fighting back every single negative thought that rears its ugly head.  It means, when she feels like not creating at all because she fears, no matter how unfoundedly, that no one will care, that it won’t be appreciated, that she sits down, focusses with every bit of her strength, and writes to herself. Writes her story into the universe. 

Because she knows. 

She knows it needs to be told. It will be told. And it is her story to tell. 

The world cares about that. And she believes it. So she writes anyways. 

I think, when an artist REALLY believes in their work, that scenario well describes them. 

Today, that artist is me, as I ponder what it means to be an artist who ships. Or, fucking ships, if we’re being particular. 

It’s something I tell myself often, this year, as I learn to become an artist. To do what I do mindfully and unashamedly. And to trust that by doing so, and by constantly improving, I will reach people. With what? That will come in many forms. 

But I think I’ve had to remind myself that artists ship a good 60 times in the last several months, and so I wanted to dissect just what I really take this powerful statement to mean, for me. 

 . . . .

The artist who ships focusses on fulfilling a need. She pays close attention to her own UNfelt needs, because she knows these are the ones that art in any form most often appeals to. And she is out to appeal to others through her art. To tell her story, uniquely and powerfully. So she knows she must connect through her art on an emotional level. Luckily, she’s got emotion to spare, and her art form is writing. 

But not all artists produce words in their art. Some are creating fashion, paintings, designs, music. More specifically, they’re designing jewelry and screen prints and visual art and nifty headbands and bizarre porcelain circus characters . . . . 

But the bizarre circus sculptor still needs to find a way to connect, to fill a need (usually an emotional need) in the viewer of her art. There are many ways to fill needs, what’s important is that she understands her art, in some form, as needs fulfillment and markets to those needs.

The artist who ships realizes the value of her work. When she ships her product, puts her art into the world, it’s a sign that she knows what it’s worth. That it’s valuable. The harder she pushes, the more confidence she gains. So she goes with that. And every time she’s tempted to devalue her own work, she takes pause to disallow it.  She’s dedicated to her art form, to her work, to her mission.

The artist who ships can be counted on to show up, regularly. She sets expectations and meets them. This is one of the few constants in her life. 

. . . . 

So artists who ship have at least five characteristics from my perspective :

1. She knows the necessity of marketing and spends the time necessary to get her work - her solution - into people’s hands.

2. She’s sets expectations and meets them (strategizes)

3. She knows the value of her work.  She fights off her negative / self-critical thoughts in order to continue doing the work.

4. She understands and can articulate how her art fills or aims to fill a need of viewers/clients.

5.  She shows up, regularly, without fail.

What does it mean to be an artist who ships from your perspective? 

Let me know in the comments. I’d love to chat about this topic!