The Artist is Naked! Confessions of a Creative Professional

By Giuseppe Cristiano

Embark on a captivating biographical manual exploring the tumultuous yet triumphant journey of an artist navigating the labyrinth of creativity. This intimate narrative unveils the struggles of a modern artist, entwining the challenges of technological evolution and the timeless pursuit of passion. From the delicate dance with digitization to the echoes of age-old artistic yearnings, the pages resonate with the artist's unwavering commitment to their craft. Fueled by an indomitable spirit, this journey mirrors the universal struggles and triumphs of those who dare to create. A philosophical testament to the enduring power of passion and resilience, this manual invites readers into the vibrant palette of an artist's life, offering inspiration and insights for anyone navigating the unpredictable terrain of creativity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seagull Editions
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224185276

Book preview

Introduction

Imagine yourself on a boat on a river or better at the sea. It's wider and more dangerous, that might be a better picture. That's how I imagined myself over all these years.

Me on a boat aka the journey of the hero artist, because if you decide to live life as an artist you can be considered a hero in some eyes, or a fool in others. But, there is always a but. Like my son, only 8, used to say, I can't swim. If I fall overboard, I drown, that's how difficult this journey has been so far. The boat is my art, what I can do, is my safety, my whole world. It's dangerous, exciting, adventurous, scary, difficult, and never easy and it needs continuous attention. I can't let it go or the boat will sink, crash against rocks, and take me down with it.

I love the sea, the ocean and I consider myself adventurous. As I look back to what has this journey been let me take you on board and tell you my secrets.

Motivation

In the canvas that is life, strokes of passion color the masterpiece of our existence. On a journey through the vibrant palette of an artist's life, where the brush of motivation paints every twist and turn with hues of dreams, resilience, and love. This memoir and manual is the captivating story of an artist, who has lived tales that mirror the tapestry of a slightly biographical adventure. Picture a whimsical dance between colors, considering them emotions, fueled by a relentless pursuit of creativity and self-discovery. Asking difficult questions.

Financial struggles may cast shadows, but the artist embraces the dance of uncertainty with grace, turning every hurdle into a stepping stone toward artistic fulfillment. In the pursuit of passions, we'll explore the delicate balance between the artist's wallet and their yearning for self-expression. As we navigate life, don't be surprised if you find yourself reflecting on your motivations, pondering the intricate dance between dreams and the practicalities of life.

Through the lens of personal relationships, discover how the journey is interwoven with the threads of love, family, and friendships, creating a canvas enriched with the profound impact of human connections. Let this journey serve as a guide, inviting you to introspect and celebrate the kaleidoscope of motivations that shape our very essence.

The Artist As I See Myself

Greetings, I am JC and I have been an artist for over 30 years. Did I know I would be an artist? Yes, I knew it because I always wanted it to be my career. Did I know it would have worked out? No, I had no idea.

I would describe my life and career as a young man in front of the unknown for example the open sea. Without experience and a boat, I want to venture into a journey.

I had a poster in my room when I was a kid. It was the Thor Heyerdahl's wooden raft Kon-Tiki in the open sea. It was the last thing I would look at before falling asleep. The ocean always fascinated me and because I grew up with those images in my head, and the adventure books I read, and the movies I watched I would say that all that was a total inspiration for my following life. About 20 years later I went to visit the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo as I was living and working in Scandinavia at that time.

So the boat is my experience growing professionally, the tools I picked up on the journey. As it's not easy to seal the ocean in a boat the same has been done for me to navigate my profession all by myself. The countless times I got stranded and had to rebuild the boat and try again.

Has it been easy? Not at all. At times very hard and difficult and I must admit very scary as well. To the point that one would be close to giving up if it wasn't for my epic and very well-known stubbornness.

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The Artist as Other People See Me

Unfortunately, most people only see where you are today, they ignore where you come from, and the journey you made but also they have no idea what's going on with your life today. They see only what you show and more than ever today everyone is in the public eye. The social media have a way into everyone's apparent life. It's necessary today to have an open door to the world, to let people know what you do.

Doing that creates an image that might just be misleading. As an artist I don't live a normal life, I don't do much according to other people, I hang around, I have lots of time. My life is easy. You can never talk about your problem, you don't have any. That's what everyone likes to believe. I was in a crisis at one point, things weren't going well and I was afraid to be in a real seriously bad position economically and professionally. It was when the business suddenly had a sudden halt due to several unpredictable events.

I was afraid and I confided with a friend, someone that I thought knew me well but his reply left me speechless. He just told me you have experience, you'll get out of it and will be on your feet again. He probably meant that I knew my ways but it's like my boat is sinking, oh but you have had that boat for so long you'll survive. No really, it is sinking and I am in the middle of the ocean. Well, one thing I learned for sure is to not open up again about personal life and struggle, noone would understand, and by no-one I mean everyone outside my line of work.

Why We Do What We Do

The need to express art. The hell if I know it, many times I have been telling myself, why don't you find another hobby man? Because at times something that is supposed to be leisure becomes such a torture. Is it me making it so? Or is it other than putting some sort of pressure on me? When I look into many things I do I know for a fact that nobody cares, I don't have an audience, I do it for me. To prove to myself that I can? To enjoy the making it? To finally hold something and be proud of it.

Well to a certain extent some of the things I have done over the years where necessary for me to establish myself in the industry. They were all elements of the big picture. That is quite logical. If I pursue a career, for example, drawing storyboards for films I must prove my skills, set some goals, build a solid reputation job after job, and so on. Some other times it's all about closure, I always must finish what I start. Sometimes dragging a project for many years but in the end, I will complete it, this is something that can keep me awake at night.

Other times is just an obsession, a search for something, a challenge, an experiment. There is excitement in the process, to know that someone close to you will ultimately see what you have been working on and you don't want to disappoint that person, you must make it great.

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What We Do

Don't be afraid of selling yourself out, it's what we do. For the most, we are work-for-hire artists. We produce art for others. Working in advertising it's our bread and butter, it's the most direct and faster income. Jobs are usually starting and ending in the arc of a day, two days perhaps.

Some artists might not like this, producing work that way might feel degrading, and might be telling themselves a lot of excuses such as too little time to produce good art, ideas against their principles, working for the man or supporting products one does not like. The reality is that when you draw a storyboard