Understanding Creative Vulnerability with Erica Eyres

Ceri speaks with artist Erica Eyres, whose work masterfully balances on the edge of discomfort and revelation. Erica shares her creative process, including how she transforms found images into haunting portraits and creates ceramic replicas of mundane objects. The conversation explores the delicate dance between artistic freedom and commercial success and how understanding and overcoming your creative vulnerability shapes you as an artist. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Erica embraces her compulsive need to make art constantly, choosing to produce abundantly and edit later rather than limiting her output. 
• Her unique approach to video work requires complete solitude. She plays all characters herself and can only perform when entirely alone, highlighting how some artists need specific conditions to access their creative depths.
• Through her international exhibition experience, Erica has observed how cultural context dramatically shapes audience reception, particularly noting how her work dealing with childhood themes received starkly different reactions in Denmark versus Glasgow.
• She views gallery relationships as having organic lifecycles, similar to dating, and has learned to navigate these professional partnerships with both commitment and acceptance of their natural evolution.
• Experience has taught her to be strategic with social media, sometimes keeping new work private until ready for specific exhibitions, maintaining a careful balance between visibility and preserving work for shows.
• Teaching at university level has become both a financial anchor and creative stimulus for Erica, keeping her connected to emerging perspectives while forcing efficient use of studio time.
• Her journey has shown her that success in art isn't about dramatic breakthroughs but rather sustained practice through inevitable ups and downs.

BEST MOMENTS

"I've definitely had people tell me that I make too much work... but I've sort of also tried to just accept that this is just how I work, is to make quite a lot of work and then eventually edit it down."

"It's almost compulsive, I suppose. I really just have this need to make stuff and I've always had that."

"I think everyone has a time where things are going really well, like you see really successful artists that have downtimes as well."

"The art world is so complicated and I still feel like I'm learning about it and all the kind of idiosyncrasies of it."

"Most galleries want to show the best work that an artist could possibly make. That's what they're really looking for."

"You never know who's looking... but it also doesn't matter. Do you love what you do enough whether someone's looking or not?"

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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