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William Mitchell was born in the early part
of 1960 to two educators in Phenix
City, Alabama. In 1976 he attended Auburn
University, majoring in commercial art,
learning to paint and design while also
maintaining a strong interest in English
Literature. In the 1980s at California State
University, Long Beach his interest in
drawing student dancers eventually led to his
MFA exhibition entitled "People Who
Dance".
After graduation he began working for a small independent publisher in Long Beach. Eventually economic necessity led him to move to Los Angeles and join the 9 to 5 professional world in downtown LA, where on a temporary basis he held most of the jobs recommended in his article (see below). He also worked as a freelance illustrator, with the available work fluctuating between robust and lean. During this time he showed paintings at The Los Angeles Dance Alliance, The Barnsdall Arts Center, and a MOCA staff exhibition. Later he found work at the LA Weekly, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the now defunct LA Herald Examiner, before settling in for a decade-long career at Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios in an office position that made full use of his good memory and excellent typing skills. During this time, employing the Studio's resources, he self-published a score of magazines and authored/ produced two plays, "Test Subject" and "Tales of Suspense", which were presented as part of the Downtown Arts Development Association festival. He then returned to a career as a full-time commercial artist and has gained enormous satisfaction from collaborating on storyboards, posters, and production illustrations with over fifty talented filmmakers. He also manages three properties for a real estate company and for a noted LA based photographer. An enthusiastic self-organizer, he fancies himself equally iconographer and iconoclast. Currently William Mitchell lives alone, just like everyone else in Los Angeles. To the readers of his article (see below), he offers these final words of advice: "Believe in your own abilities, and never ever give up. Just because you haven't succeeded yet doesn't mean you never will. You haven't really failed until you quit trying." |
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by William Mitchell
photo by Gary Leonard In these times of economic uncertainty we are all wondering what the future holds. For those of us with degrees in the arts that wonder may be largely composed of worry. Maybe that art director won't love your portfolio, maybe that blue-chip gallery's curator will pass on showing the promising work he or she saw in your graduate exhibit just now, maybe your style isn't the one everyone wants to see this year. As someone who graduated with an art degree over two decades ago and has had to do a lot of non-art jobs to keep afloat since then, I offer these words of encouragement to those joining the marketplace: you CAN get a job! However, I am compelled to follow those words with this caveat: it may not be a job in art. Nevertheless, life can be expensive, and we all need some resources to make life more enjoyable. How can these goals be achieved, how can these concerns be met, how can these needs be satisfied? While I don't presume to have the answer to those questions, I hope to present interested parties with some possibilities. My advice to those recently emerged from the halls of academia with degree in hand and hope in heart is, TRY to find that perfect art-related work you've been dreaming of for four-plus years, try hard and don't give up. Some time later, if you still haven't scored that dream job, don't give up, but do change your game plan. Take a deep breath, take a step back, and think about what else you'd like to be doing for a living. Then think about what else you're able to do for a living. Finally, think about what else you're willing to do to sustain yourself. Think hard, be honest, but be creative. These are some work options you might consider that require no additional post-college education or training. Remember those high school classes in economics, math, and typing? Perhaps you could use those math skills to pursue teaching. It's not easy and usually doesn't pay as well as it should, but it's very fulfilling. Perhaps you could use that economics aptitude to do people's taxes, perhaps even becoming a CPA. Anyone who's ever learned how to use a modern cash register can get work at a retail establishment. Unless, of course, they've previously been fired from someplace for shoplifting. A criminal record makes everything a little more challenging. Anyone who's a good typist (75 plus words a minute) can get work in some faceless office among hundreds of other office assistants. Got a good memory? You could probably get work in a library. If you're not getting auditions as an actor, you can still work in the movies - as an extra. No special skills required - except for a tremendous capacity to sit or stand around waiting for most of the day. Love animals? There are many wealthy owners who would pay good money to have someone reliable walking their dog or emptying their cat's litter box. Physically fit? Maybe you can get work painting houses while staying in shape. Good with people? Maybe you can be a building manager and get paid to live where you already do - merely for taking on and solving the problems of all your tenants. Catering offers a career option for people who are adroit enough not to drop a serving tray and vigorous enough to carry food and drinks around for long hours. This would be good resumé material should one decide to seek work at a restaurant. The advantage of the last two options is that you can usually eat for free at the beginning or end of the workday. Use your available resources: got a collection of records, clothes, or comic books you never look at any more? Sell 'em on Craigslist for a profit. We all need to learn to live contentedly with fewer possessions - and it creates more room in your living space. If you live in an urban area, don't rule out working as a personal assistant for a wealthy or famous person. If this seems unlikely, remember how many of both there are in many big cities; the odds are in your favour. It's important for the talented but unemployed to remember that they don't have less skills than their contemporaries - in fact they may have more - but also important to realize that some skills are more employable than others. In any case, their most useful talent will probably be imagination. Everyone looking for work needs a business card and a current resumé. Then, they need to get to work on getting to work. Regardless of what alternative career you choose to pursue til your paintings start selling, there are two things you simply must do to get past any interview successfully: make yourself presentable - freshly coiffed with clean clothes and shoes (because there is always time to show up messy and late after you get hired), and show up for the interview unflustered and on time! Anyone who can successfully get a handle on those two requisites is well on their way to prevailing in their quest for gainful employment. And the final crucial piece of advice: Don't give up on your ability to make a living. |
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At left, Kris Nataro's latest exhibit in
Italy
by AMPer Kris Nataro Italy is an art lover's paradise. It has been likened to one vast museum. No other country in the world has such a rich heritage of artistic creativity. A UNESCO study placed 40% of the art of the world in Italy. Is it correct to be so proud about our past, and what about our present? What is the current art scene in Italy like? In the present times I believe we are right up there with other countries, through public and private institutions, from sponsors to museums to Italian galleries. We currently have a great range of shows and exhibitions in many parts of the country, like Turin, Milan, and Rome, which has revealed itself as the new art capital (Gagosian decided to establish a branch of his famous gallery in Rome). Recently Northern Italy inaugurated "Twister", an interesting peoject of contemporary art networking involving the Gam di Gallarate, the foundation Stelline in Milan, the Premio Suzzara gallery, the GAMEC in Bergamo, the Mam Gazoldo degli Ippoliti in Mantova, the Floriano Bodini di Gemonio museum in Varese, the contemporary art museum in Lissone, the Premio Nazionale Arti Visive in Gallarate, and The Museo del Novecento e la Villa-Collezione in Panza. The number of both public and private spaces, as well as gallery spaces, has increased in response to the constantly expanding interest in contemporary art at the international level. Obviously, this art system becomes more and more interesting even from a qualitative perspective. Improved quality within this system makes it one of the most interesting in Europe. I find even the fair system to be outstanding, particularly in relation to the extraordinary quality of the last edition of Turin's Artissima. The many Italian galleries that work on an international scale represent the best offers of today's art market. These are the galleries that, in my opinion, have an international perspective on art, not a 'cool' attitude: Paolo Zani's Galleria Zero in Milan...and Paola Capata's Monitor in Rome. I believe the italian artist's work to be underpriced in comparison with the value credited to other artists on the international market, both young and established. Such artists are supported by powerful gallerists, who are able to influence the market and sell overpriced works to heedless collectors. We can really say that culturally we have a lot of art and cultural happenings offered to the public. Most of them are free of charge. But what about an Italian artist who does not have connections to this powerful and interesting art world? I must say the chances are very few, because Italy has a very straight connection system which does not permit just anybody to enter. The feeling is like having a beautiful Ferrari without having the keys... If you're visiting Italy soon, here are my suggestions:
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Getting involved with your local arts
community is good for you, on so many levels.
Start local, post your doings on AMP through
blogs, images, sounds, and videos, and check
back to see what other AMPers are doing.
Don't forget that with AMP, you share in an
amazing worldwide collective of artists and
art worlds.
all the best,
 Terri Anderson, Executive Director
AMP: Artists Meeting Place and Resource Collective
email:
pluginamp@gmail.com
web:
http://pluginamp.com
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