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Artists and Imposter Syndrome
Kehinde Wiley, self-doubt and minimising art as an occupation
I saw this post on Instagram the other day. It said ‘Normalize art as a career. Stop asking people what they “really do” after they tell you they are an artist’. It absolutely nailed it for me in terms of highlighting a big assumption that people make about artists: that art is just a hobby or a pastime. Of course for some it is, but for thousands of artists it is their main occupation.
There are some few lucky artists who are supported by the commercial gallery system. But it’s a competitive field, and most practicing artists exist outside of that exclusive world. And it’s hard to sell art if you have to find the buyers yourself. For most artists it is an uphill struggle to survive financially on making art alone, so many are forced to find other sources of income. As a writer I totally understand this problem. I have what is nowadays called a ‘portfolio career’. In other words I do various jobs to make money. Writing is my profession but the reality is that it doesn’t cover my bills. Yet. I always live in hope.
The Instagram post made me think about the implications of minimising art as an occupation in this way. I wonder how many artists doubt themselves, their vision and voice when they experience their work as having little…
