“What does that get you?”
Amy Gaffey
Being an art student is hard enough without having to worry about life after college. The dreaded question of “what does that get you?” is a constant question asked by people outside the art community. This can lead to worry about what happens after college. When faced with this question, few of us know how to answer it, which is where I hope this article can help. I have interviewed 3 artists, Rob D’Eath, Ger Leslie and Amy Ui Neachtain, about how they navigated life after college, balancing creation and stability and some pointers for us art students today.
When did you realize you were an artist?
The answers I got from this varied from each artist. For Amy it was a natural thing, from her father’s welding workshop to her mother’s sewing room, she was surrounded by creativity. It was instinctive to create. Rob was traveling abroad when he came across an exhibition on Korean ceramics in Jakarta. He thought it was fantastic and began to think about life as a craftsperson. Ger was inspired by the first Apollo mission, sneaking down to watch it and drawing it out on the blackboard in school, it brought about the beginning of his journey into art. Each artist had a different path into their creativity, but it all came from the same place, being inspired by an experience and wanting to create more.
Education and experience
Amy began her education at Limerick School of Art and Design, studying painting, later progressing to Ceramics at Crawford College of Art and Design. She then did an additional year to earn her Higher Diploma in Art Education. Today Amy has her own studio (AUN Ceramics and AUN Bridal)
Rob started his artistic journey in Southhampton, doing a pottery diploma. In 1980 Rob set up his Pottery store on Quay Street, Galway, later moving out to Spiddal Craft Village where he is now based.
Ger took art classes for painting as a young boy. In 1981 he attended a foundation course at RTC, now ATU. After this, Ger went on to NCAD to study sculpture as there was none available in Galway at the time. While in Dublin he made sets for the Gaiety and Olympia Theaters. Other jobs he had over the years include a steel erector, fabricator, and welder. To add to his experience, he also trained in cutting and carving stone in France and Italy.
How do you balance the creation of art and financial stability?
Trying to be an artist while still trying to fund everyday life can be hard. As Amy said, “it's a bit of a balancing act.” The harsh reality is that if you rely on just your art, you have to produce work that people want, which doesn't necessarily feed the creative spark. For most artists, teaching is a reliable way to pay your bills while also giving you a break from the physicality of creating work. Rob views the teaching itself as a creative outlet, spinning ideas with colleagues and students while taking the physical load off your body, which is needed too. Ger made the point that there is no formula for it. It is life and we must juggle, sometimes things take a back seat depending on your priorities. When you have time, you must make use of it.
Did any of the jobs help with your practice or skills?
Each job the artists had helped in some way, even if it was not art related. It helps to teach you vital skills that you may need down the line. Amy worked in retail in her teens and 20s, which gave her an insight into how to work with people, and also how to manage time. She also says teaching helps keep her on top of her skills when explaining techniques to others. For Ger, being a farmer gives all kinds of challenges and improves many skills with it being so hands on. Also assisting other artists with their work teaches you how to collaborate with people. Rob believes that everyone should experience a factory setting to teach you to understand people, and what they deal with in that line of work.
What advice would you give to art students today?
Rob strongly suggests that students today need to try and use as many materials as possible, learn to build with them. He also believes that exhibitions are a vital part of the creative process. Get out there and see as much as you can.
Amy urges students to believe in yourself and your work. Don't listen to people who don't believe it to be a “real” job. If you want to set up a studio, take the leap of faith and have the courage to back yourself.
Ger believes in passion and time. You cannot sustain your practice if you do not have the passion to go with it. If you enjoy what you do, it will not be a chore. Time is important. Work will not just magically appear without putting time into it. It improves your skills, not just your artwork, and finally, take your studies seriously but also have fun with it. Allow yourself to be open to grow and develop your thinking. It is not easy to be an artist; it takes courage.
Would you have done anything different with the knowledge you have now?
As Ger said “...hindsight is fantastic but useless in most cases!” If he could go back, he would have been more inquisitive, research more opportunities and put himself out there more, but one thing he would not change is having the same career.
Amy would go back to her younger self and tell her to trust that everything she is doing will be worthwhile, that everything comes together in her practice. Nothing she did was ever wasted. She would also tell herself to take the leap of faith to get into the studio quicker; it is absolutely worth the risk.
For Rob he is happy with where he is, obviously there are things that could be changed but overall he is happy with where he is today.
To conclude, I would like to thank the artists for their time and knowledge. I feel more confident after talking with them and I hope you do too! Each one of them took different routes, but are happy with what they are doing today. Yes, it is hard to be a practicing artist, and you may need to take up some “non-art” jobs along the line, but that also benefits you in the long run by teaching you different skills. What I take from this is to just go for it and take every opportunity you are given, and always explore as much art as possible. Hopefully this piece can give some peace of mind to us artists that it's okay to not have a plan or not to be an established artist overnight; Rome wasn't built in a day! Each thing you do will feed your spark and journey.