Defining my work
Since I’ve drummed up a little bit of courage and have described myself as an artist when people ask what I do, I have been faced with several follow up questions. What medium? What’s your personal style? Do you think people will buy it? Ah but did you find a niche? How do you make your work stand out? And many more questions that lead to me starting to spiral out about my self doubt.
Even my husband told me “okay well I think you should have a specific focus/style”. He is the most supportive partner anyone could have but he is also the least artistic partner too. To him having a specific focus means only making planters or only making mugs. He thinks often in black and white when it comes to things and encourages me to keep my scope narrow.
But my instinct is to broaden my output and create pieces for all different functions. The through-line of my work is the aesthetic. I focus less on form and much more on surface decorations. The way I see it, if you wanted cookie cutter pieces, you’d buy something mass produced. If you want work from an artist, you want something special and unique. Every single thing I make these days is of its own design. I could make 4 mugs and they would all be their own color scheme and vibe while all circling back to how I create. It’s like eyebrows “sisters not twins” but for my work it’s more like “cousins that you totally believe are cousins”.
It’s taken me years to be confident in my color work and accept that I do not make “perfect” creations. The imperfections are what make the work mine.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
