8 Reasons Why Artists Don’t Need To Move To A Big City

[@ToySeeker]

I suffer from multiple mental disorders, feeling quite alone and desperate. Desperation is a killer. Avoid being alone at all costs, connect with people you love. This is the key to succeed. Art is a beauty of life, and death itself. I started making art actively in 2023. I am in my 30’s and have never felt so alone in my life, even around people. If I could get a studio instead of being in my apartment, that would honestly be a life saver for me. I have multiple skills from technical creativity to traditional art. My town is quite small but very conservative. I love this place, I love your channel. Thank you for everything you do! Maestro!

[@carolinamay8328]

Thank you so much for this video. I was one of the people who requested it, and I found it to be very helpful and encouraging. In regard to small cities that provide artistic opportunity, in the western part of the U.S. there is Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2003, this city decided to focus on arts and culture, and it has now become an international destination for collectors. The population in 2020 was only 87,505, yet the city has over 200 art galleries. I don't live there but have visited. Exploring the galleries on Canyon Road in the warm southwest sunshine, with the occasional stop for a margarita, was a delightful experience. I have identified that city as a future target for gallery representation.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Thank you very much for tuning in and requesting this video. Interesting video about Santa Fe, it has indeed a great amount of galleries, a handful of really, really good ones, and then a great list of entry-level art galleries. Sounds like a perfect place for some first steps. Go for it and enjoy the occasional margaritas!

[@DanielLopes-jt8yl]

The support you provide through your advice has tremendous benefit. Always positive, always insightful, always practical. An inspiration to me for sure there is always something I can take away from your content I pick and choose from your videos. Something there in the library for what helps. Much I am unable at this time to fully apply do to money constraints but when the time is right it’s there. Keep’ em coming Julien!

[@contemporaryartissue]

Wonderful! Thank you so much Daniel, I greatly appreciate your support here 🙏🙌

[@AngelaLochCross]

Thank you for sharing this. I love my small town. I have room and light to create art and the cost of living is less than a major art city so I can actually afford art supplies and not have everything going toward rent. 😅 There is an art center and a park by the river within walking distance, so I have opportunities to network and workshop with other artists as well as getting out in nature for inspiration. The main difference for me is the mindset. When you are in a large city things tend to feel like a struggle and a scramble for success and money, while if you're a bit off the beaten path your art is about the ART. You have the space and resources to separate the creation of art from the business of art.

[@sheilatanart9874]

I agree, studio space and storage works wonders for creativity and productivity!

[@alokasiablackmagic3444]

I’m a 33 yo artist from a small city, struggling under the pressure of my actual non-artistic job. Thanks for the inspo

[@clintatk]

Another very good video. Thanks

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is completely mine. Thank you so much for tuning in 🙏

[@hmorban]

Most of these only apply if you are from the global north. Being from the Caribbean it’s near impossible to gain recognition or network only working locally. What you “save” by avoiding to move to an art city you lose in shipping artworks and paying expensive travel tickets. Also most galleries (unless is an international/bluechip) avoid you for these same reasons: it’s cheaper to invest on an artist already living on the so called center than one in the “periphery”.

[@peterossartanddesign]

Thankyou for another outstanding presentation. (From an artist that lives a long way from everywhere😊)

[@SureshBabu-tt2fg]

This is a fascinating topic that you took sir, thank you.

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is all mine!

[@aandreiws2]

This is valuable as a motivational tool. Whenever I think "I'm not in the right place, I don't have the right education, I don't have enough money", you remind me that there are people who started with way less and got very far indeed.

[@margaritapr1868]

Wow! this is a great video, since highlights the bright side of rural America cities. This video inspire! Thank you, Julian.

[@ltwig476]

My thing is that I don't really have use for the money and would hate the stress of being a super star. I love creating art. Unless someone wants to come and handle selling and showing of my work. I will just keep storing it. Don't want to be bothered with people. My life is perfect the way it is. It would make sense to me if 3 or 4 artist got together in a smaller city and rented studio space. Except humans have yet to figure out to use their social media for community networking. They don't even know the artist exist right down the street from them. LOL

[@robsmith588]

From the standpoint of Art, living in a small town creates the best work. The two great masters of Modernism, Van Gogh and Cezanne, both lived in small towns. From the standpoint of success, you have to attend one of the select east coast universities to get an MFA and be picked up by a major gallery before you are 30, or you can just forget about being an Art world superstar.

[@robsmith588]

@@RachelJacksonArt Van Gogh's best work was done in Arles. I can name lots of Artists who live in cities as well. I don't see your point.

[@contemporaryartissue]

I wholeheartedly disagree you need to have an MFA to become an art world superstar-20 of the top 100 artists of today have no art education whatsoever. Thank you for tuning in!

[@dyeskesatou5378]

In Japan, the contemporary art industry itself is still very small and functions almost only in large cities such as Tokyo or Kyoto. In regional cities, it is difficult to even find other contemporary artists or contemporary art galleries. There is almost no contemporary art community in the rural areas of Japan. And even in rural areas, it is very difficult to have a large studio, and in most cases, one must work alone in a small room of a small Japanese house. So in Japan, the only answer seems to be to join the art scene in the big cities. (Perhaps the saving grace seems to be the creation of digital works and the use of social networking sites.) Thank you

[@irinapandeva6334]

this is crazy, I have just talked to a friend about this…. I live in a very small town and it feels suffocating sometimes

[@contemporaryartissue]

And sometimes the big city can be suffocating too. Don't let it bring you down and keep on going 💪

[@MostafaAboAly]

Hello I just moved to Cluj can you please mention the place where the artists are gathering so I can visit

[@lennyblandino]

Interesting points!

[@LindsayAnnChilcott]

Thank you for this video! This is one of my favourite videos you've created so far. Super helpful. Keep up the great work!! 🤗👏

[@weedo4269]

Great inspiring video as allways

[@contemporaryartissue]

Thank you very much 🙏

[@contemporaryartissue]

Thank you very much 🙏

[@mimomali8266]

I'm actually from a big city and I moved to a village but the village people are very difficult to surround myself with I miss the culture and the facilities to go out like museums and gallery's. It has its pluses and minuses. In big cities you can network. I just have one gallery here and the guy wanted to marry me. Not the ideal. It used to be cheap now the tourists are invating and there are no art collectors.

[@parimahavani]

Thanks so much, but what will happen for our networks, going frequently to opening exhibitions and make relationships?

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is all mine! We really need to work on our network consistently, via Instagram and in real life, in small towns and/or in the big cities. More networking advice coming soon!

[@paullynn473]

Donald Judd moving to Marfa Texas amuses me❤ Georgia O'keeffe also escaped New York, have talent you may find a way. 🌈

[@contemporaryartissue]

Absolutely! ❤🙌

[@phillblake6829]

We live in tiny rented places with no space to work. That’s the reality for artists that don’t come from wealthy families 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@nerys723]

So true...😊

[@ricomichel]

I don't think so, making it as an artist is not all about having talent. At least 50% of it is having people talk about your work, which can not easily be accomplished if you are not attending various openings, meet other artists and gallerists and collectors

[@contemporaryartissue]

Yes, you're right. I would say the key ingredients for the optimal chances for success consist of having great art (40%), a strong network (40%), and a professional appearance or profile (20%).

[@ricomichel]

Merci de votre réponse :-)

[@JamesSmith-f4o]

Hagrid is my favourite

[@mihailamarcel5201]

its interesting what you are saying,..but to be honest its not very helpful..i mean in theory all you say looks good but..... im an romanian living in Milano..in Milano there are around 190 galleries..some of them are having classical paintings...another abstract and its a mixture of everything you could call art ..but some of them are for me!!! not to excentric..not too classical not to modern etc..but when i go to them to propose my paintings the response is short but gentle,they say ,its not our style and its evident its a lie, i even have created an catalogue with my artworks one of the even refused it...they dont explain how to be part of their gallery ,or to say that we dont accept artists just like that! you enter our gallery and we accept you, one gallerist ,but only one sayed ..you see i need to explain who you are ,your biography..it was clear and honest ,but its an exeption!...one gallerist responded that we cant accept an everyone who comes ...i think there are prejudices..especially for people who has an accent... i mean i came to Italy and i can enrich culturally this country..but they dont think like that!..they take it like an invassion ...the came to steal our clients!)))) maybe you have an clasification of countries who are ore open to foreign artists and less..because Italians arent!