A Brief List of Self-Assignments for Artists
Mary Virginia Swanson
This is my interpretation of the list made by Mary Virginia Swanson, based on the principles of the creative industry.
1) YOURSELF - I believe that she is saying that organisation is key in this industry, you must always plan ahead, otherwise you may end up with a lack of success.
2) YOUR SOURCES OF INSPIRATION - Don't hesitate to take inspiration from other artists or sources, no work is truly original. Everyone uses ideas from elsewhere in their work, it is a regular practice.
3) YOUR VOICE - Take risks as it could pay off, show things in your own way rather than keeping it really basic.
4) YOUR INDUSTRY - Research the history behind your specific industry, it's good to know about your chosen field and how it originated. Find out about key figures and their practice, how they kickstarted a huge part of society today.
5) YOUR GOALS - Don't just focus on the financial success of your business, base your goals on the creative aspects too. If you become too hungry for money, you will lose your love for the art.
6) YOUR MARKET - Discover your audience, work in collaborative ways to engage with them, you can tailor your work towards their suggestions.
7) YOUR PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY - Keep all of your work, promotional material and your social media pages uniform. It makes you look more professional and more recognisable, due to the same colour schemes and logo being used.
8) YOUR TOOLKIT - Get your foot in the door of the industry by getting to know other professionals, having contacts in your field will help with future opportunities.
9) YOUR COMMUNITY - Become part of a social group with the same interests as you, and create an online community. You and others will be able to interact with each other, whilst increasing the size of the group as you go along.
10) YOUR GIFTS - Do good deeds in order to build a good reputation for yourself and your business, it can help with getting work. These are things such as voluntary work and donations.