Are You Telling Your Personal Story Enough:  What Makes You Different as an Artist?

There are seven billion people on the planet, and it is said that every snowflake is different. As they fall from the sky and journey toward earth, each flake, side by side, is changing on their journey. There are also approximately 17 million artists in the world. There are a staggering number of creatives out there all trying to make their way in their studio lives.

No two of us are the same. Just like the snowflakes, when we think of ourselves in this way, it gives us all a GOOD place to start forming our "artists’ story." We must start with our authentic beginnings, regardless of where we are in our lives and careers. If there’s a single part of this writing that is the most important to remember is that we start at "our own beginnings." If we do, our stories will remain original and intriguing to us and to us only. These are our creative fingerprints. When we stay true to what we believe and feel as makers and artists, we will always have a “true north."

I do not have to tell anyone reading this about the never-ending challenges of "making a life" as an artist. I have written about this in other articles over the past few months. What is important to know is that we increase our chances of “making it," so to speak, if we stay true to the “why” of our intentions.


Hopi Maiden Grinding Corn.


In these new times of “instant success” on social media channels, it could be very easy to re-assemble our stories from bits and pieces of someone else’s. I’m encouraging us not to consider this. Why? If our snowflake is one in 17 million, that makes us already an original, even before we have even put pencil to paper or solder a simple piece of silver to another.

It’s a long-time proven, marketing fact that authentic stories help increase the value of almost any product. We have all heard of the famous saying by Fredrick Barnard that talks about a picture and a 1000 words. At the time that he coined that phrase, most advertisers were only using words to sell things. With the advent of photography, that changed everything, as did the world of advertising. Now we have millions of pictures every minute being uploaded on the internet, a 360-degree change. Now we struggle with over-visual stimulation.

Regardless of where you are in your career, great authentic, original stories about your artistic world are never boring. In fact, you could make the case that they are more refreshing than 1,000 images that we can swipe from left to right at a rapid pace.

Words require taking more time to read them. And, yes, you can tell authentic stories with the addition of images. Yet profound, life changing, words with intimate feeling have such huge power. Your story can come from your own one-in-17-million hearts and minds of stories told about what you do and make. What you say can bring you closer to your customer and your audience. The closer we can get to our audience, the more intimate the experience will be for them as well as ourselves.

In 1971, I opened my first, humble studio in the rolling, rural hills of Pennsylvania, German-Amish country, a few hours west of Philadelphia. I was a young artist fresh out of art college. It was to my advantage that I grew up hearing stories from artists from the time I was a boy, so I knew first-hand the power that they could have. The stories that we may take for granted are the ones that can capture our audience's attention. Imagine sitting in your parents living room listening to an American bullfighter telling his story of working as Peter O'Toole's stand in for the famous film Lawrence of Arabia! That's five decades ago, and I remember that evening like it was yesterday.


Rod Stewart.


This was the same year that the famous English rocker Rod Stewart released his album, Every Picture Tells A Story. I was firing up my wood stove in MY FIRST small studio and I had my radio blasting British invasion rock and roll. Rod Stewart’s words were so vivid that I thought I was reliving his life in the four minutes that it took to listen to his hit song. This was a life-changing story from the singer and for me, the audience, a pivotal career moment for me. It was time to do things that moved me and still try to survive in the grown-up world where I had watched those family heroes already live and thrive in. The Ivan Barnett studio was born, and for the next five years, night and day, I pushed myself to limits that still boggle my mind. I wanted so badly to have someone “take notice. After nine months of making colored wax sculptures that echoed the stars, moon, mountains, and clouds, a series emerged, “Landscapes by Ivan Barnett."

I was facing a choice as to how to begin my career as an artist, and this is what I started within a five-year span of time when I launched myself into the American Craft Movement. I thought that if I could always tell my own honest, personal story of my creative journey, I’d stand a better chance of getting the attention of collectors and buyers. I wanted to hold their attention with the simple story of how I landed in farm country, living in a 300-year-old stone farmhouse. I would talk about how I got to that point and what did I “have” in mind. If I did all this, they would listen. My mantra was to tell the real story exactly as it was at the time. I told the story of growing up in a family of artists and being exposed to committed artists who had all made their mark as superior creatives.

I had little idea of what a press release was then, yet quickly learned. In my own words, this has not changed for me in many decades. Each time my story builds on the last studio story. As I developed and my practice developed, the stories got more interesting. They were mine, no one else’s story. How could I go wrong? Of course, my artmaking kept getting stronger and it had more "meat on the bone.” For a solid decade, at least two, if not three times in a year, I retold my artistic story with all my nuanced changes. Before long, others wanted me to tell them my story.

Back then, I was using a landline for phone calls, hand-written letters to spread my story, oh, and 35 mm slides. This was three decades before the internet, and almost 40 years before I sketched the name Patina Gallery on a napkin. And, as I relay to you my story above, in 2024 the essence of this important principle still holds true.

The story of your piece of art and why you made it can be profound and valuable. That said, a great story must support a work that has importance to it. Fancy "art speak" will not make a weak work better, so be selective. If it's experimental work, and it’s important to you and not fully "built out," simply be honest and tell that exact story. You will be respected for this. Overtime, your story will be noteworthy, and if you keep building on that last story, your audience will want to hear and see what is next!
“Your intimate and meaningful artist’s stories are communal currency to your audience and the world."


Ivan Barnett, 1979. Alexander Girard Museum Santa fe NM.


Closing Thoughts Suggestions and Resources
Great stories from the beginning of humankind have been told in whatever medium was available. The famous cave drawings of Lascaux are a stunning, lasting example. No, just any story will do. It must be your story and your story alone. You must bring detailed personal meaning to it, with intention. If it’s truly your story, it will set you apart. The reader and audience want to hear what makes you tick.
 

• Read Bernadette Jiwa’s best-selling book, The Story of Telling (it changed my life).
• Listen to past episodes of Prairie Home Companion from American public radio.
• Watch Harry Potter and see how the story keeps building and flows into the next sequel.
• Read any well-known artist’s life story, and you will see the power of a singular story.
• Use your story to help introduce your work to your public.
• Do not be afraid to be personal. That’s what makes your story “yours.”

About the author

Ivan Barnett
I stir souls. And I know, from decades of experience, how to scale an art business from good to great. I live and work in the oldest capital city in America - “the City Different.” After 25 years, I have stepped down from being the founder and creative director of Santa Fe’s world-renowned Patina Gallery, best known for its soul-stirring works and “Beauty over Time” exhibitions. In my 25 years, I grew Patina from an unknown brand to a global storyteller, exhibiting the works of the most talented artisans in the world.
Here’s what I’d like you to know about me: - I’m a man of my word. - I deliver on my promises. - I’ve produced and directed exhibitions and events that have never been done before. - I have collaborated with some of the world’s most famous opera stars. - I love the Pareto 80/20 principle created by Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto. - My favorite quote is “Less is more.” - I’m an INTJ. - My favorite movie is Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn. - My best ideas come at 3 am. - I like taking the long way around and do not believe in shortcuts. - I was taught to arrive at all meetings seven minutes early. - I make friends for life. - My forte is connecting dots and telling stories about artists.

creativemornings.com/individuals/ivanbarnett
seriousplaysf@gmail.com