I read a post yesterday by cartoonist, illustrator, and writer Summer Pierre, titled, “On Value and Being Seen.” She was asked to share her thoughts on how she could skate the inevitable line of doing work for work sake, and doing work to be seen.
To which I responded:
Thank you for sharing! This writing makes me put some ideas into perspective about creating my own work and what is relevant, or going for a trend that has a huge audience.
To be valued or to be seen. As I wrote this post, I found this subject to be a lot more complicated than I first thought, so there could be more to come. Thanks in advance for reading and please chime in! Don’t be afraid to rock the boat!
I am a jewelry designer and a graphic artist. Evoking emotion is my goal whether I’m working for a client or doing art for bliss. When I put together ideas for a design, I do consider my audience, and hope they value my hand-picked pearls and gemstones. As a graphic designer, I strive for what is relevant and hope they value my unique style. (or on some level, have artistic intelligence about concepts like, white space, font choice and composition.) All right now! Yes, when I have more artistic freedom to create what inspires me, and experiment on my own schedule — bringing beautiful materials to life in unexpected ways is very gratifying — as is having others notice my designs. Having something to say and the passion to create from an idea in a meaningful way is so cool. I think passion is the key word for me.
Having my relevant work be valued by relevant people is somewhat up to me by getting myself out there by navigating through unknown waters, learning from others, and sharing ideas. My social media accounts like Instagram and Pinterest are a blast and have value too because I have a few artsy friends and we help promote each another. However, sometimes attention is great but can be fleeting. So, to be noticed by buyers and to be respected by my peers takes time and dedication, while remaining consistent in my craft. Creating what is relevant is always a goal, but who decides what is relevant in the marketplace? To be valued or to be seen? Can we have both? I have a lot of work to do, but that is why I’m here!
This is a great subject. I plan on learning more about what other artists think and do.
Blessings,
Tresa
The original post can be found here. https://summerpierre.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/on-value-and-being-seen/
The original comment I left can be found here.
https://wordpress.com/read/post/id/8065817/8783/
meyerclarkstudio.com 
Such a compelling discussion. I’m only in the research phases of developing a crafting side gig. After starting my blog this month, I’m a little surprised to see how much crafting a page is similar to making something with my hands. In both cases, you find a way to balance what you love and what others respond to. To me, there’s an art to all of it. Here’s hoping I can keep it up, like you do!
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