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February 04 Contents

I. Feature Article: Do You Have Artist Identity Syndrome?
II. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
III. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room, and the Shrink’s Couch
IV. Creative Links: Sites for visual artists
V. Newsletter and Info: Sharing this newsletter, subscribing, and unsubscribing
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I. Feature Article: Do You Have Artist Identity Syndrome?
My niece was pretty excited when she arrived with trunks of costumes that she’d shown at her first costumer’s convention. “Aunt DD, I’ve finally found my tribe!”

It seems that a lot of artists I’m talking to lately are wondering if they’re in the right tribe, questioning their identity as a particular kind of artist. It comes out in questions about what groups to join, about the words and labels to used tell the world what you do, and about how to dress while doing all this.*.

Sometimes, these questions are about a social identity as an artist – how you want to be perceived by others in the outer world. At other times, identity is an inner state, welded to your sources of creativity and the essence of who you are.

But here’s the thing. You can’t always predict how these outer and inner faces of your identity affect each other. For example, a sculptor may take inventory of who he hangs out with and join a new tribe, the world of photography, purely as a marketing maneuver. And   then end up triggering a major landslide of new creative work that changes his deepest identity as an artist. Or a painter, following a great personal loss, could undergo to a major shift in her work, without a thought of her social artist identity. And then trigger both unexpected commercial opportunities and a new circle of friends.

An artist’s identity is both social and essential and what my coaching clients are teaching me is that we start off thinking we’re operating at one level and end up at another, much like Joseph Campbell describes in the Hero’s Adventure (see Friends in Print below). Keeping this paradox in mind, you might want to sharpen your artistic identity by taking stock of what tribes you are in, how you describe your work, and what, if any, artist presence your clothes convey.

What creative people do you see regularly? Meet with in organizations? Meet with on-line? What tribes are they from? Art school or self-taught? Have you ever been with artists and been able to wholeheartedly say, “This is my tribe?”

You suggest a “tribe” in the words and labels you use in describing your work; “watercolorist” implies membership in that watercolorist tribe. It’s an interesting exercise to take a large art center catalog and read how teachers describe their work. Notice who you identify with. Notice which labels you are prejudiced against. You can take a class in crafting your artist statement and a one-line description of the art you make (an elevator speech). Just remember that what starts out as a business exercise may deeply affect your creative process.

*As for dressing like an artist, I’m finding that the tribe of artists includes both the attention-loving extraverts and shy introverts. For a lighter approach and advice on dressing like an artist, click to Ask Aunt Artemesia (www.dianereardon.com/AskAunt.htm) , our new guest columnist.

(Group coaching is yet another kind of tribe to enjoy. Learn more about three different telephone coaching series at www.dianereardon.com/grps.htm.)
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II. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
Click on amazon link for book details and to support breakTHROUGHArts.
Campbell, Joseph. The Power of Myth.1988.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385418868/breakthroug00-20
This is the companion book to the classic PBS series of Bill Moyers interviewing Joseph Campbell on how myths permeate our lives. Chapter 3 – The Hero’s Adventure focuses in on the interplay of inner and outer worlds in our journeys:
 “Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world.” Joseph Campbell.

Olsen, Marti. The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World. 2002.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761123695/breakthroug00-20  Even though introverts aren’t always the same as the highly sensitive people (below), they often feel disadvantaged in our outer-focused world. This is a quick read where the author’s sharing of her own experiences gives a sense of validity, if not actual advantage, to the introvert.

Aron, Elaine. The Highly Sensitive Person. 1997. See below.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553062182/breakthroug00-20
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III. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room and the Shrink’s Couch
How Can I Go to the Opening When I Don’t Like Crowds
There’s a hidden “tribe” of people that affects how some artists operate in the world. It’s the tribe of highly sensitive people. About 15 to 20% of the general population are highly sensitive to input of all kinds: sights, sounds, textures, emotional intensity. But since our culture devalues this pattern in favor of more rough-and-tumble toughness, HSP’s, as they can now call themselves, learn very early on to hide this. The sad result is that HSPs can feel like they’re totally alone in this and that there’s something shamefully wrong with them.

Elaine Aron wrote The Highly Sensitive Person in 1997, and each person I know who is a member of this hidden group has described reading the book as a kind of homecoming. Since she herself is an HSP, she presents a clear idea of what it’s like so those of us who are not HSP can understand our more sensitive friends. She provides good solid information in a well-written guide.
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IV. Creative Links.
www.fine-art.com  A site for artists who like to connect with or discuss other artists in on-line forums. Unlike many other artist “chat” sites that are mostly artist’s portfolios, this includes the Café d’art, a general forum, and about 10 others with specific themes.

www.hsperson.com  This is the site set up by Elaine Aron, author of Highly Sensitive People. It offers tips for living and how to connect to other HSP’s in both online listserve groups and real life gatherings. If you want even more links than offered here you can find them by typing in ‘highly sensitive person’ on yahoo or google.
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V. Newsletter Info 
E-mail changes. To change your e-mail address, subscribe, or unsubscribe please e-mail connect@dianereardon.com. If you use a spam filter, please add this e-mail address to your list of approved senders. This material is included on the breakTHROUGH Creativity Coaching website (www.dianereardon.com). All material is copyrighted ©, 31 January 2004, Diane Reardon. All rights reserved. Visit the website for back issues and details on scheduling a complimentary one-hour coaching session.
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