Aspergers earning a living as freelance artists

[DuckRabbit]

It is well known that students who exhibit ‘odd’ behaviour tend to produce compelling, creative work and that the relatives of autistic people are more likely than others to hold creative jobs. The following advert for a conference on artistic production came to my attention and got me thinking:

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Creative Labour(er): Anthropological Perspectives on the Work of Art

This one-day international conference interrogates the relation between art and postfordist labour relations. How do artists work today? How does the increasing academisation of freelance creative work influence artistic production? How do precarious, project-based, flexible working modalities affect artists, and vice versa? As an Anthropologies of Art (A/A) Network research event, the conference also seeks to map out a range of contemporary approaches to the study of art. Contributors from France, The Netherlands, Germany, and the UK will be discussing case studies addressing artistic production from the perspectives of music, law, film, theatre, dance, and visual art.
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I was wondering how many Aspergers earn a living from freelance creative work. What do you find are the highlights and hardships?

 

[AsheSkyler]

I kinda do, I do it mostly during the autumn. I can't support us, but there was one season when we were both between jobs and I drew my hand into the ground to keep the bills paid. Biggest hurdle for me is marketing and advertising. I work in portraits, so my hunting grounds are much broader with the general public than if I was more stylistic like a cartoonist, and I don't limit myself to only children or only pets, but the art of marketing escapes me. I find advertisements very annoying and it's hard for me to make a good ad that catches your attention without me wanting to smack myself for it.

Best thing is that I'm in charge of the communication. Email or face-to-face, no phone calls if I can help it. I can dress comfortably. I can just step into my room to get to work instead of fighting traffic, although that changes when I have to mail artwork off. And I don't have to stick to a strict sleep schedule, that's also a help on my stress. I seem to do better under a rotating sleep schedule than the same thing day in and day out.

 

[capybara]

Oh wow, my Anthropologist side is very much interested in that conference.

My art is my only income, thankfully I live with my mum and get government support while I am studying, otherwise I would be living on the streets Hopefully that'll change, I'm planning to start working on marketing my commissions a bit more.

I think the hardest thing is to keep yourself from underpricing your art, and finding customers. The market is oversaturated, I think, and many people would rather have low quality art for a low price than good quality for a higher price. I do get a lot of interest in my art, but when I'm asked for commission prices I almost always get the whole "oh - that's a bit expensive, isn't it?" thing.

The best thing is being able to work at your own pace - no rushes, no pressure. Some customers get impatient, but most are pretty relaxed about it.

 

[Tom]

I don't think fine art is an easy field to make a living in. It may be one of the hardest. I considered it for a while when just out of High School, but came to the determination I wasn't that passionate about it enough to make it work, and also did not like the solitary aspects. I was afraid that coupled with the social difficulties I already had would not be good for me. It was the right decision for me, but is something each has to consider for themselves. Some may be fine with the solitude and also the field had evolved somewhat so that now I imagine there are more jobs that are just like any office jobs, where you are with a group of people. I also realized, objectively, I lacked the talent to be good enough to work in the field.

But if you wish to take that road, it seems the route is mostly taken is an art-related job, in graphics for business or entertainment industries. But these mostly involve projects not of your own creation/inspiration, tedious work and deadlines. I do not imagine these jobs are easy to come by either.

I would think if you want to be in this field you would have to have close to total motivation and determination, like in nothing else will do. You'll have to be willing to put as much time an effort in the job creation aspect as the art itself.

That said, there is potential for it as a side project. Not your main job for making a living, but something you keep alive in an irregular fashion.

 

[On the Inside]

I did creative freelance work for a number of years, as side work. I had a wood and metal shop and pottery studio. I made furniture, custom frames, sculpture mounts and a wide variety of what I called "useful objects", which were things that looked like tools, but served no direct purpose.

I sold my work at art fairs and open studio events, and that is where I got commissions for larger work, but I never earned enough to "quit my day job". I lacked the personal skills to really make a go at it, since a large part of my reason for hiding out in a studio working on my little obsessions was a result of HFA. Since I bought an old run down house and started a family, I have stopped doing this, but as time goes by, I'll pick it up again. I miss that active/contemplative time.

 

[DuckRabbit]

Biggest hurdle for me is marketing and advertising.

I know a few Aspergers who have no problem producing their creative work, but others (NTs?) have to do the marketing aspects for them. I wonder if this because these are the most political and social aspects of doing creative work. Also, NTs are more likely to be susceptible to advertising, marketing and trends than are Asperger individuals, possibly due to Aspergers having a greater capacity for non-mainstream thought.

On the other hand, I have heard of Aspergers who cannot have a 'filter' between their creative work and the dissemination of it; they have to disseminate it directly. Others who get involved either misunderstand the creative work that the Asperger is producing or hijack it for their own political purposes.

Interesting what you say about a rotating sleep schedule. Autism author William Stillman says that ASD individuals are more "harmoniously attuned". I imagine this is aligned with working to one's own rhythms and inspirations - which suggests how toxic a mainstream environment can be to Asperger productivity, with so many NT customs and practices getting in the way of creative thinking and producing work (e.g., 9-5, open-plan office, dress code, phone calls etc.).

 

[DuckRabbit]

Oh wow, my Anthropologist side is very much interested in that conference.

I believe this conference took place on 8 June 2015

many people would rather have low quality art for a low price than good quality for a higher price

Agree. It can also depend on who the artist is: if it's someone well-known (Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin), many people are happy to pay through the nose for it. Many people do not judge the quality of the art but rather its commercial value/ who it is signed by. As art critic Roger Fry observed: "nearly all our ‘art’ is made, bought, and sold merely for its value as an indication of social status". I actually wrote an essay on this principle, "the institutional theory of art":
Asperger Syndrome, Hybrid Souls and Hybrid Selves: The institutional theory of art
Apparently Vincent van Gogh never sold a single painting; his brother managed to sell one for him. Now look at what his paintings are worth! I think there's an argument there for leaving all names off all artworks so that people are forced to judge their intrinsic qualities. The Royal College of Art does this with its 'Secret' postcard exhibition:
RCA Secret 2015

 

[DuckRabbit]

and also did not like the solitary aspects. I was afraid that coupled with the social difficulties I already had would not be good for me. It was the right decision for me, but is something each has to consider for themselves. Some may be fine with the solitude

Because creative work is so private and solitary, I agree it can be good to counter-balance it with a more social activity. Artist and poet Frieda Hughes decided to train as a bereavement counsellor, saying: "I realised that if I stayed at home painting and writing I could actually disappear. If I dropped dead on the floor nobody would know for weeks - or months come to think of that." Source: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes's daughter Frieda: Why I'm becoming a counsellor - BBC News

That said, there is potential for it as a side project. Not your main job for making a living, but something you keep alive in an irregular fashion.

This is my conclusion also. Art is so subject to mood and inspiration, it could be counter-productive to systematise it too much.

 

[DuckRabbit]

I miss that active/contemplative time.

Definitely the best aspect of art - you can just think away to yourself while your body is occupied (hands, eyes, ears, muscles etc). This reminds me of that writer's quote:

“Writing’s the only thing that stops the thinking, you know”
― David Mamet in James Hillman.

As soon as you put the pen down, you start thinking and worrying again! While you're writing, you're occupied.

 

[capybara]

I believe this conference took place on 8 June 2015

It did I wouldn't have been able to attend anyway, not without flying over! I wish I could find a transcript or something of the like, though.

It can also depend on who the artist is: if it's someone well-known (Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin), many people are happy to pay through the nose for it. Many people do not judge the quality of the art but rather its commercial value/ who it is signed by.

Very true. I was actually talking to a professor about this the other day; we both were quite baffled at the fact people pay so much money for those red-canvas-with-a-few-streaks-of-black paintings, only because the artist is famous, heh. Then again, maybe some people do find meaning on them. I think they look quite empty.

(Hirst's work creeps me out, but there's something so peaceful about it at the same time.)

I'll have to read your essay when I have the time, it sounds very interesting!

 

[DuckRabbit]

Then again, maybe some people do find meaning on them. I think they look quite empty.

Do they actually find meaning or do they just perceive it as fashionable? Personally, an artwork has meaning for me if it looks like it was labour-intensive and I stand there in awe: "How did they do that? How long must that have taken?" That's what impresses me

Maybe that's why I dislike Hirst's work - because he has people doing it for him or he relies on killing animals e.g., when something went wrong with the preservation of his shark, he put out an advert for someone to hunt another one. Sure enough, someone obliged. I dislike animal cruelty and I dislike that many of his artworks hinge on animals dying. He's not so much putting his heart and soul into his artwork as putting another living being's heart and soul in to it. It's warped.

Hirst's work creeps me out

I think he intends for us to be creeped out - like a rockstar biting the head off a live bird. I'm more creeped out by the mentality that would aim for such shock value. Now if he could make us stop in our tracks through a means that didn't involve animal abuse, that would be clever. Apologies for going off-topic

 

[On the Inside]

Because creative work is so private and solitary, I agree it can be good to counter-balance it with a more social activity.

The period of my life when I was active with my art/work was one of the most social times of my life. I liked hanging out with people who were doing similar things and/or appreciated what was going on. The other times when I was the most social were also when I was most actively engaged in my special interests.

Personally, an artwork has meaning for me if it looks like it was labour-intensive and I stand there in awe: "How did they do that? How long must that have taken?" That's what impresses me

I have similar requirements in order for me to be impressed with someones work, not just in a craft sense, but in the way something is worked out intellectually, or if there is something in the work that sparks a line of thought or inspiration in me. It may not even be the intended "meaning", just that it moves me in some way. I've found it is rather unpredictable.

 

[Tom]

Artist and poet Frieda Hughes decided to train as a bereavement counsellor, saying: "I realised that if I stayed at home painting and writing I could actually disappear.

That expresses very much how I felt. I did a 5-6 month stint doing nothing but art to make a portfolio for a college application and at the end felt it would not be a mentally healthy choice for me.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Hrm. Hirst goes on my list with Jackson Pollock and the crazy cat lady who likes to sell curtains that her pet shredded. It's really insulting that you put years of study into anatomy, biology, geometry, meteorology, and many other fields along with countless hours of practice to hone your fine motor skills, and then people go out and by cow patties that are shaped odd. I can stand competition from people who weld together junk and photographers that roam all over the place, those people are putting effort and thought into it and they can have some pretty wicked results. I feel stock artists are under appreciated by the general public because they can be so invaluable to those of us needing a good reference or starting point. But being beat by a canvas covered in sloppy paint slinging because the artist was having a tantrum? Ugh.

I know a few Aspergers who have no problem producing their creative work, but others (NTs?) have to do the marketing aspects for them. I wonder if this because these are the most political and social aspects of doing creative work. Also, NTs are more likely to be susceptible to advertising, marketing and trends than are Asperger individuals, possibly due to Aspergers having a greater capacity for non-mainstream thought.

It's hard to do standard marketing anyway. The trend is to be ridiculously egotistic and insulting. "I'm the best artist that ever existed and not only will your life be empty without me you will also be the worst social reject of all time." I just can't live with myself pulling those kind of stunts. I don't get many hits with "I enjoy drawing and if you like my work, you're welcome to order a custom piece of your own or buy one of my prints", but at least I can sleep at night.

 

[DuckRabbit]

Hrm. Hirst goes on my list with Jackson Pollock and the crazy cat lady who likes to sell curtains that her pet shredded. It's really insulting that you put years of study into anatomy, biology, geometry, meteorology, and many other fields along with countless hours of practice to hone your fine motor skills, and then people go out and by cow patties that are shaped odd. I can stand competition from people who weld together junk and photographers that roam all over the place, those people are putting effort and thought into it and they can have some pretty wicked results. I feel stock artists are under appreciated by the general public because they can be so invaluable to those of us needing a good reference or starting point. But being beat by a canvas covered in sloppy paint slinging because the artist was having a tantrum? Ugh.


It's hard to do standard marketing anyway. The trend is to be ridiculously egotistic and insulting. "I'm the best artist that ever existed and not only will your life be empty without me you will also be the worst social reject of all time." I just can't live with myself pulling those kind of stunts. I don't get many hits with "I enjoy drawing and if you like my work, you're welcome to order a custom piece of your own or buy one of my prints", but at least I can sleep at night.

Yes, I think many Aspergers have the unexamined assumption that if their work is good, it will sell itself. Shockingly, that's not how it works in the NT world. In the NT world, people buy personas and personalities, more than aesthetic qualities or creative content. NTs won't look at what you've produced, they will sit back in their chair and ask you to "Sell yourself!" And they expect you to convey a winsome personality and on that basis they will decide to buy or work or not. Unbelievably false! I personally would pay more attention to quiet, unassuming artists such as yourself whose work is more important to them than their egos.

 

[capybara]

he relies on killing animals e.g., when something went wrong with the preservation of his shark, he put out an advert for someone to hunt another one.

I had no idea about this. That is definitely not okay; I thought the animals had been acquired ethically, as is the case with many taxidermists, but dead sharks aren't exactly easy to come by. Not that that excuses what he did.

Personally, an artwork has meaning for me if it looks like it was labour-intensive and I stand there in awe: "How did they do that? How long must that have taken?"

Yes, I agree - that, and symbolism in the pieces that have it, is what has the most value to me. I can look at a piece of art for a very very long time just taking in the details, before seeing it as a whole, if that makes sense. I do that a lot with poetry in particular, but I love to zoom in on Van Gogh's paintings and just see every stroke. It must have been fascinating to watch him paint. Da Vinci's sketches are beautiful too.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Yes, I think many Aspergers have the unexamined assumption that if their work is good, it will sell itself. Shockingly, that's not how it works I the NT world. In the NT world, people buy personas and personalities, more than aesthetic qualities or creative content. NTs won't look at what you've produced, they will sit back in their chair and ask you to "Sell yourself!" And they expect you to convey a winsome personality and on that basis they will decide to buy or work or not. Unbelievably false! I personally would pay more attention to quiet, unassuming artists such as yourself whose work is more important to them than their egos.

Aye, same here. I won't complain if the artist is polite and friendly, but they'd have to be really mean for me to swear off buying from them at all.

On a silly note, two of the artists I idolize paid me a kind compliment once each and I nearly had a giddy heart attack. Not very good for your sales if your potential customers keel over.

 

[DuckRabbit]

On a silly note, two of the artists I idolize paid me a kind compliment once each and I nearly had a giddy heart attack. Not very good for your sales if your potential customers keel over.

Were these compliments for your art?

 

[On the Inside]

Yes, I think many Aspergers have the unexamined assumption that if their work is good, it will sell itself. Shockingly, that's not how it works I the NT world.

That was both my source of strength as well as my greatest weakness. That assumption drove me to work hard and try to put out the best work I was able to, but it also made me feel that I must not be any good, because after many years of effort, no one was noticing me. It set up this strange need for validation of work and self that was very unlikely to appear. Kind of drove me nuts, and the anxiety brought on by this need made it very difficult to show my work and eventually made it hard to do the work.

 

[DuckRabbit]

That was both my source of strength as well as my greatest weakness. That assumption drove me to work hard and try to put out the best work I was able to, but it also made me feel that I must not be any good, because after many years of effort, no one was noticing me. It set up this strange need for validation of work and self that was very unlikely to appear. Kind of drove me nuts, and the anxiety brought on by this need made it very difficult to show my work and eventually made it hard to do the work.

The artworks that get bought and the books that get published are not always distinguishable from the ones that aren't bought/published. Social-political processes are involved such as how loud/ visible you are as a persona and who you know.

Popularity is not necessarily a measure of an artist's worth cf. the many famous people who made significant contributions to society and yet who ‘stood alone’. So many creators died unknown and unacknowledged.

I think the challenge is to do the creative work regardless. You could be stifling an important part of your psyche if you don't do it and that suppression could manifest as stress, illness etc - which may be more damaging than the anxiety from not getting recognition or validation. It is hard though - I completely identify with what you are saying. A good salve for artist/creator struggles, I've found, is the writer Thomas Moore - I've quoted some of his pearls of wisdom about the creative process here:
Asperger Syndrome, Hybrid Souls and Hybrid Selves: Quotes for creators and artists
e.g.,

"You don’t have to be an artist, but you do have to shape this world, at least in a small way, according to your talent and vision. If you don’t exercise this creativity, you might well feel depressed and unfulfilled. On the other hand, even as you try to be creative, you may find yourself in yet another tunnel of frustration and disillusionment."
― Thomas Moore​