Gita Joshi, the founder of The Curator’s Salon, is an independent art curator, writer, and podcast host, but more importantly a coach to artists looking to establish themselves and sell their art. Gita, who published ‘Show Your Art: How to Build an Art Career Without a Gallery’ earlier this year, empowers emerging artists to sell their art without the support of an art gallery.
In an exclusive interview with the newsweekly, Gita Joshi spoke about the future of art in the post-Covid world, how the government can help the sector, and should one pursue a career in arts after-all.
What according to you is the future of art in the post-Covid world?
I think that the pandemic has shown us the power of digital marketing, especially social media, and how this can help artists reach a global audience. The future of arts will continue to channel an international approach, as the artists who have embraced this during the last year have seen some great results; both in exposure and sales. The pandemic has also shown that artists have the power to be self-representing, which I think will in turn drive more artists in the future to create success for themselves.
How can aspiring artists and practicing ones learn to sell their art without being undervalued?
It starts with recognising that to be an artist, you also have to channel a business owner mindset. This means understanding your brand, your vision and how you should be marketing yourself. It is unrealistic to think you can be an artist and spend every day in the studio creating art without spending time or energy on marketing and sales if you want to make an income from your art. When it comes to ensuring you’re not undervalued, you should surround yourself with a community of ambitious artists, so that you don’t slip into the common ‘starving artist’ mindset.
What kind of help do artists need from the government and buyers in the current scenario?
I believe that artists are often overlooked when it comes to start-up resources and entrepreneurship training and funding. We need to start seeing artists as business owners and offer them inclusion and support, which would provide artists with more education resources and funding to establish themselves. Sadly, the art school system fails artists in this area and it’s often not something artists even realise until they are out in the world.
Please give some advice to our readers who’d want to pursue a career as an artist.
There is a section in my book, Show Your Art: How to Build an Art Career Without a Gallery, where I talk about ‘learning to be your own agent’. You have to believe in yourself and make great work, but you also have to ensure you don’t get fatigued by having to do your own marketing, although you can always hire help once you are established. Like many of those who are self-employed, you have to be your own everything at the beginning: whether that’s marketing and promoting; or HR and operations.
There are billions of people in the world, which means there is an audience for all types of art. Don’t give up too soon, you just need to find the right audience for your work.
