When I was first starting out, the friend of a friend wanted to write about me for a new publication. The issue was all about labor and she wanted to write about an artist who was making art full time. I agreed to participate, but I warned her that I was living with my parents rent-free and that, while I was proud of that fact and grateful to my parents for their support, I wasn’t sure that I was a good fit for her story. She insisted I was, but then wrote a very convoluted piece, trying to avoid revealing that I was living with my parents but trying not to lie about it either.
As soon as the article came I out, I wished I’d said no to the invitation. But in the end, it worked out. I learned right from the start that writers make portraits of their subjects, and, much like how the subjects of my painted portraits don’t always like the piece, I might not like everything that’s written about me. I learned that it was up to me to control the narrative about my work as much as possible, but also that I needed to let go once I’d done an interview and let it be the writer’s work.
Jacqueline
on May 16, 2017 at 11:03 am
Thanks for your response, Gwenn! I’m glad the prompt resonated with you. Your situation with the article sounds complex, so I’m glad it worked out in the end. Artists/writers seldom create work that pleases everyone, but authenticity is key!
Personally, I’m not necessarily worried about over exposure as much as I am of over saturation of myself in one creative work of mine over another. This is more an internal foreshadowing since I’m not famous lol. I don’t want to be known for just one thing and have my creative juice and work be saturated in just once space of recognition or creativity. So when I do get over exposed, I want to be able to take a break from whatever is overexposed and let myself navigate different forms and produce creative works on diverse platforms – articles, books, podcast, documentaries, poems. poetry album etc. Over exposure might actually open me up to a huge audience and lend itself to fragmenting my audience in determining who buys into the different platforms I engage on. People who love my book may not necessarily be drawn to my poetry album. I hope I’m making sense…
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Interesting questions!
When I was first starting out, the friend of a friend wanted to write about me for a new publication. The issue was all about labor and she wanted to write about an artist who was making art full time. I agreed to participate, but I warned her that I was living with my parents rent-free and that, while I was proud of that fact and grateful to my parents for their support, I wasn’t sure that I was a good fit for her story. She insisted I was, but then wrote a very convoluted piece, trying to avoid revealing that I was living with my parents but trying not to lie about it either.
As soon as the article came I out, I wished I’d said no to the invitation. But in the end, it worked out. I learned right from the start that writers make portraits of their subjects, and, much like how the subjects of my painted portraits don’t always like the piece, I might not like everything that’s written about me. I learned that it was up to me to control the narrative about my work as much as possible, but also that I needed to let go once I’d done an interview and let it be the writer’s work.
Thanks for your response, Gwenn! I’m glad the prompt resonated with you. Your situation with the article sounds complex, so I’m glad it worked out in the end. Artists/writers seldom create work that pleases everyone, but authenticity is key!
Personally, I’m not necessarily worried about over exposure as much as I am of over saturation of myself in one creative work of mine over another. This is more an internal foreshadowing since I’m not famous lol. I don’t want to be known for just one thing and have my creative juice and work be saturated in just once space of recognition or creativity. So when I do get over exposed, I want to be able to take a break from whatever is overexposed and let myself navigate different forms and produce creative works on diverse platforms – articles, books, podcast, documentaries, poems. poetry album etc. Over exposure might actually open me up to a huge audience and lend itself to fragmenting my audience in determining who buys into the different platforms I engage on. People who love my book may not necessarily be drawn to my poetry album. I hope I’m making sense…