Fame — Get the Look by Catharine Bramkamp

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Catharine Bramkamp as she shares with us “Fame — Get the Look.” Enjoy!

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The Crowded World of Art

Because art is both important and fun, the publishing spaces, the gallery walls, the music venues are very crowded.

There is always a line waiting to get in.  

Yet we still fantasize about making it big.

About the accolades and the attention.

We persist in focusing on those toxic goals.

We can do this, all by ourselves.

The Truth About Success in the Arts

Except, no artist succeeds alone.

• A successful career in the arts requires teams of people devoted full time to making the artist’s dream come true.
• Editors improve your novel.
• Volunteers raise funds for your first concert.
• The backup dancers enhance and support your performance.
• Friends rent the gallery space and promote the opening.

That is how it works. 

And it’s fun, it’s glorious.

It may work, it may not.

Why Keep Making Art?

But if you don’t have a team willing to make you famous, why keep making art?

Or as Jennifer Louden says — Why Bother?

We bother because our art contributes to the universe — the bigger picture, the larger space.

Your art may well be more important than the famous stuff.

The Real Value of Art

Why?

Because a day creating art is a day well spent.  

Your art is successful because you shared it to delight a child, or comfort an elderly friend.

These days, you can’t bake a great cupcake without someone telling you to open a shop.

Sing a beautiful song and you’ll be encouraged to audition for America’s Got Talent.

This pressure to turn everything you like to do into a paid engagement may beckon as success but it can be counterproductive.

When Fame Gets in the Way

The brilliant and famous Fran Lebowitz loved writing until she was paid for it.

The legend is the day she made money on her writing was the day she stopped writing.

She suffered writer’s block for the rest of her life.

Moving On from Finished Work

Another fun fact, by the time you perform the concert, construct and lecture the gallery show, publish the poetry collection, you’ve moved on.

I see it all the time.  

I point out a sculpture I admire, and the artist squints at it as if they don’t remember they made it.

This may leave the impression that the artist is indifferent to your praise but what really happened is the artist has moved on.

Showing, selling, publication, all stop the process — freezes the design —  there is no more energy in that work.

This is fine.

It’s a great way to finish and abandon your work.

But talking about it?  

Looking at it again?

Nope.

We’ve moved on, there is much more excitement in a working, living art project.

That’s why authors squint at their newly produced books at readings.

They are wondering: who wrote this?

Because the book was so two years ago, and we forgot what we said.

Why We Still Bother

One or two times, a reader has approached me and thanked me for an essay or a poem they read.

They tell me I helped them, that I gave them words to express an emotion they had no words for.

Once I remember what I said, I’m glad I bothered.

Getting the Look — At Any Age

By the second half of our lives, the opportunity to make those important friends in the freshman dorm of college has passed.

The opportunity to be discovered at an all-night rave in Saint Tropez has disappeared.

Touring with a rock band may no longer be compelling.

However, even if you don’t have the fame, you can still get the look.

Travel to the French Riviera and crash a party.

Hook up with a struggling rock band and yes, hit the road.

Return to college, take classes, make younger friends.

Wear the look, live the life you initially thought art would provide.

The Promise of Art

Art does provide, just not in a form we expect.

Art will bring us satisfaction; it is a conduit to another person’s heart.

And it can launch you into the unexpected.

Maybe you end up signing back up at a rock concert.

Maybe you do show your work in a gallery.

All you need is the outfit.  

All you need is the look.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catharine Bramkamp is a successful writing coach, Chief Storytelling Officer, former co-producer of Newbie Writers Podcast, and author of a dozen books including the Real Estate Diva Mysteries series, and The Future Girls series. She holds two degrees in English and is an adjunct university professor. After fracturing her wrist, she has figured out there is very little she is able to do with one hand tied behind her back. She delights in inspiring her readers.