How to Spot Your Best Work: A Guide to Seeing Your Art Objectively

Ceri talks about something that’s essential for every artist, how to spot your best work and see it objectively. She talks about why it is so important for your artistic career and how you can learn to make choices about your work, from submitting your work to group exhibitions.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Step back and create distance. If you are too close to your work then you will never be able to see it objectively. Time separation is a great way to practice this, put your work away for days or even weeks before you look at it again. You can also separate yourself by creating distance, hanging it up for example or seeing it in a different context.
• Look at your work as an image first. View your work as an image on a screen as in most cases this will be the first way people will see your work.
• Flip the question, what is the work trying to do? Ask yourself, What’s it really about? Where does the energy sit, where do your eyes go first? Does it surprise you, or does it feel predictable?
  Are you holding onto this piece because it’s genuinely strong, or just because it was a nightmare to make?
• Get clear on your core line of enquiry. If your work doesn’t align with what you care about most, it’s probably not your best!
• Ask for feedback and be realistic about it. Don’t just ask friends or people you know already like your work, ask people who will give honest and real feedback you can work with.
• Use your own best work to compare with. Stop comparing yourself to other artists. Your goal should be to keep pushing your own boundaries, rather than measuring up to someone else.
• Trust your body’s response, your instincts often know more than your rational brain, so don’t ignore them

BEST MOMENTS

"When you’re too close to your work, it’s impossible to see it objectively.”

“People are seeing your art as a digital image before they ever encounter it in person”

“If your work is driven by rage at the destruction of nature but it comes across as calm and decorative, it’s not hitting the mark.”

“You don’t need endless opinions that send you round in circles. But you do need to be prepared to hear something that challenges your assumptions.”

“Be ruthless with yourself, not in a self-critical way, but in a strategic way. You’re not just making work to tick boxes; you’re making work to move your practice somewhere new, somewhere you haven’t been before. That’s where the real progress happens.”

“Your body doesn’t lie. Even when your brain is trying to rationalise and talk you into liking something, your body’s reaction cuts straight through that noise.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 30 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

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