Whose Rules are You Playing By? And when did you agree to them?
I find it ironic that so many creatives assume that they must compete in the marketplace based on the same competitive factors, finding representation and critical acclaim.
Why? Because this does not equal getting paid.
The rules of the traditional art market are completely permission and scarcity based. I for one don’t want any part of it.
Why? I enjoy freedom, financial and creative. And lets face it, these freedoms walk hand in hand.
No money, no art supplies. No money, no time to create.
So what do you do? Question the rules. Isn’t this what artists do best?!
What is your measure of success? Gallery representation? Okay. If that’s working for you and you’re making money hand over fist, go for it.
But if that is not working? Then you, like any other person peddling their wares in an overcrowded market, must find a target market and compel them to buy from you by offering them unique value. That, my friends, is the Blue Ocean Strategy.
The first business profiled in the book the Blue Ocean Strategy, Cirque du Soleil, ironically, is a theater company. Cirque du Soleil reexamined the competitive factors of their industry.
Then they looked at what they could subtract and what they could add to a circus. They asked themselves, “Do we really need animals? They are messy and animal rights activists are on our case.” So they subtracted the animals.
Then they looked at the multiple performances. Then they added an elevated quality to the performance and got rid of the three-ring circus, adding focus.
What can you subtract? What value can you add? Are you looking for approval or for a market that will support your creativity and your financial well-being? That is the business of art. And that is the best business I know of.
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