Scott
Erb loves creating art for his own pleasure.
His love of beauty and light are evident in
his figurative work. If he did not have to
make
a living from his art, that would be
more than enough to keep him going. Being a
true professional, Scott understands that a
thriving art career depends on many people,
but the results produced are all driven by
his actions.
"I am a sole proprietor. It's all on me
all of the time. I have help, support, and a
plan. But I have to make it happen. I teach
at the local museum, I run a commercial
photography business, I create and teach
workshops several times a year, and I have my
art making. All bring in money. "
It wasn't always so! First he had to overcome
a few inner obstacles common to many of us.
"I got in my own way. I needed to get
organized and didn't know how to do it. I had
a very bad attitude and needed to change. So
I told other artists I knew what I wanted,
needed and I found out others were feeling
that same way. So we joined together and
figured out we needed help. And we got it.
It's all about your outlook on things. You
can make things happen for yourself if you
work for it. Set goals and figure out how to
make these things happen."
Then Scott encountered an outer obstacle -
the kind that can make you stop dead in your
tracks if you are taking the art world too
personally.
"I hit a few setbacks too. I got gallery
representation. I sold some work and got
paid. I gave them more work and guess what. I
did not get paid. I even had the paper work
and the signatures, but when I confronted the
gallery owner, I was told they just did not
have the money to pay me. I took the rest of
my work and left. I had a lawyer write a
letter. It got me no where. That was a hard
one to recover from. But not all galleries
are like this. You just need to find ones
that you can trust that have good
reputations. I have not lost hope about
this."
Scott is not just waiting around in the
meantime. He follows his bliss and stays
curious until he finds the pot of gold at the
end of the rainbow.
"I've just received a grant to work on a book
project that is near and dear to my heart.
The book's working title is '20 Artists of
Worcester'. My goal is to photograph twenty
of the most talented, creative, and
established artists of the Central New
England area. Mostly in their work spaces and
studios. My goal is to have the book complete
and a show of the pieces finished by the end
of the year 2008.
"... I've found that meeting and networking
with these artists, has given me such insight
into what is going on in their lives. We
discuss what issues they have to deal with in
the art world. I also get to hear all the
wonderful things they are working on and they
share with me some of their accomplishments.
When I see these people at openings or about
the city, there are smiles and warm
greetings. It's opened my eyes to a truly
wonderful community of artists. I am loving
this side effect!!"
Scott admits that he came late to understand
the power of goals. Since taking action on 5
- 7 goals and monitoring progress daily,
Scott's business
has been better. That's the
payoff.
"Get organized and have goals. Without
goals, what are you working for? I find
having weekly, monthly, 6 month and yearly
goals helps me get my work done when I need
to and keeps me on track. If something
doesn't fit into my goals, then I know that I
should put it aside for another time or
create anew goal to fit it in. Goals can
change, but it's important to create them and
do the necessary behavior to achieve them.
Understanding that there will be setback and
addressing the setbacks when they happen.
Then move on. Move forward and create new
work."
Scott's many sources of guidance include
Artist Career Training's audio
recordings and art
marketing teleclasses.
"Have a support system, a place you can go
for inspiration, answers, and encouragement.
The A.C.T. community is just that place. I
don't always know what I am doing or how to
do something the right way - so it's an
important resource I am very grateful to have
at my fingertips. For example, I would not
have ever thought to build my contact
database the way Aletta recommends, but it's
been a very valuable resource for me. I also
read about Lee Silber on the ACT website and
bought his book. It's packed with things I
needed to hear. The amount of valuable
information at Artist Career Training is
astonishing. You may not be able to get
through it all at once. But is there when you
need it."
