question: do you work in several styles?
i need your help, dear readers.first, a question: if you are an artist, do you work in several styles, or do you have one cohesive style/product?
the reason i ask is because i'm having trouble deciding how all my work relates as a whole. i think it's because i'm so close to it, that it all seems like it just looks like it's mine, but then sometimes i'll look at, say, a painting and pattern next to one another, and they look like they were made by 2 different artists (see above images).
i work in a few different mediums, and seem to have a few styles as well. for example--
painting:
illustration (left: more cartoony, right: a bit more realistic maybe)
repeating patterns (left: cartoony, right: more realistic)
do any of you out there have this conundrum? if so, do you feel like it's a problem as far as your professional image goes, or do you like when artists are doing a few different things at the same time? or does it make it too confusing?
i'd love to know what you think-- sometimes i feel like i need to narrow in and focus on one thing or another, but it make me feel sad to think of not being able to create whatever and however i want because it doesn't look cohesive enough.
do you have examples of artists you love that have several different styles?
do any of you create in different styles and use a pen name to separate them? (nate williams does this and i sort-of love the idea!)
i can't wait to hear what you have to share with me on this topic!
i'd love to know what you think-- sometimes i feel like i need to narrow in and focus on one thing or another, but it make me feel sad to think of not being able to create whatever and however i want because it doesn't look cohesive enough.
do you have examples of artists you love that have several different styles?
do any of you create in different styles and use a pen name to separate them? (nate williams does this and i sort-of love the idea!)
i can't wait to hear what you have to share with me on this topic!
28 comments:
i think even across mediums you definitely have a distinct style that is all yours Jess. i'm not sure if all my work looks like the same style or not, but i guess for me a lot of that comes from trying to work with my clients' styles too.
I don't think I qualify as an artist, but I do fiddle around a lot. I jump around from style to style, and I would never try to limit myself to just one mode of working. When I do something I really like I try to think about what makes it special and try to bring those elements out in new projects.
As for you, missy, I could spot a Jessica Gonacha pattern from 100 yards away. And your illustrative and painting styles are equally recognizable.
Seems like you're wondering if you need to put yourself in a little box and just be one thing, but that just isn't your style. I offer you this motto that was passed to me by my dad--maybe it will work for you, too: I reserve the right to be internally inconsistent. Pretty much solves a lot of conundra for me!
There are definitely times when I question whether the 'look & feel' of the things I make is too varied. Not to mention that sewn goods and jewelry are very different mediums!
While I know I'm supposed to aim for consistency in the name of branding & recognition, I just can't bring myself to do it.
& honestly, your style looks *very* much your own to me.
I won't be much help, because I'm in your boat. I've heard some people say that you should pick one style and stick with it — then others will see you as a pro/specialist in that bent. BUT I can't leave any of my styles behind, and figure it's just as good to have a wide range of styles, versatility!!
As different as all your styles may seem, they are all still very YOU. It would be heartbreaking to leave any of them behind, right? If any of them weren't as strong, I'd be apt to consider leaving it; but this ain't the case with you. I say : run with it :)
Versatility is a great asset. I think that having different styles and skills will help you get different kinds of work. You are less likely (in my opinion) to get boxed into a certain category/type of work. Plus, I think that having a variety of style within your work keeps it fresh, different and more fun too!
oh J, you be over thinking it a bit! It all looks cohesive to me, and it all looks great.
I like it when an artist shows versatility and is not just a "one-trick" pony. I actually shy away from work that all looks too much alike. I think it severely restricts an artist when they concentrate too much on making all their work similar. Saying that, I try to tie my own work together by a few guidelines, mostly patterns or color or texture or general silliness, not necessarily by style or medium. Not really guidelines per se, but these are always what interest me the most and what I naturally find myself doing. I find it easier to work in a series also, if I am trying something new. That way, it isn't totally random and won't stick out too much in a portfolio. I think your work is tied together really well by similar color combos, line, and unique patterning. It would be borrrrrinnnng to always do variations of the same thing, and you would no longer enjoy your job.
As far as variations go in style of patterns, I can give you imput from a buyer's perspective. I sit in on a lot of print meetings at my day job, where we purchase artwork for a wide variety of projects from different studios. The studios we meet with work with multiple artists, so there are always different styles and feeling to all the prints, and we can usually find something we are looking for. I create originals, but we also buy additional prints that I will color up the same or change slightly, and they will all sit in the same line together. So yes, variety is very good, if you are trying to market your patterns in that respect.
Okay, I wrote a lot. :)
Frankly, I think if you repress any one of your styles, it will negatively affect the others. I think they feed off each other. I do feel that I am coming to recognize your style regardless of the theme of your work. I tend to like eclectic things, or artists who defy categorization. For me, I do concern myself sometimes with how I am not consistent in terms of the mood of the things I do. One minute it will be realistic, the next graffiti, the next dark, and then light. Happy and sad. I work with whatever impulse I have. When I began doing this about three years ago, swapping and getting outside influences was very helpful for me, but I began to find that restricting myself to parameters set by someone else was stifling me. It's much more the 'real deal' to create from my heart and mind, regardless of other people. However, I am not a professional and I don't have to deal with market considerations. When I do, I might feel differently.
a lot of blabbing. thanks for the thoughtful post.
I totally understand what you mean, because that is always on my mine (about my work, I mean ;) . Honestly, I always feel every single thing you do have the “Jess Gonacha” signature. Maybe you feel you have many styles, but still to me are “your” styles.. and everything mix and match perfectly!
Oh YES - have you seen my blog? I'm all across the board! I also love to experiment with all types of mediums. As far as your work - I do see you - it's so Jess! So I think you do have your own style. I say stick with keeping yourself open - as long as it makes you happy. I'm excited to see an artist play with different mediums.
I struggled with this for a while when I first got started on my own. After years of being 'all things to everyone' I wondered if my own voice got swallowed up- and what that voice actually sounded like. Now I am becoming more comfortable with the idea that I havea few voices- sometimes I sing high, sometimes low, sometimes smooth, sometimes gutsy... it's all still me! But is it "Michelle" to everyone? Probably not... but I don't expect everyone to love everything I do (but if they do, whoa! great!). I don't think there's one artist/performer who's complete body of work I love completely. I think that's natural.
I also think I may have gone on a tangent here!
I'm fairly linear, and, as a result, I, like you, feel that my work should have a unified style. Isn't that what we're often told? And isn't that what we often admire in other artists? And yet, I've always had considerable divergence in my tastes: for example, I love minimalism and a subdued palette and I also strong colors and a dramatic presence. In furnishings, I like to mix styles, and I love the overall effect.
Nevertheless, from a business perspective, I do see how it may be useful to organize work so that visitors -- say to an online shop -- can see what they expect to see, and what they want to see. Cori Dantini, for example, has one site on Etsy for her color paintings, and another site for her illustrations. In some creative businesses, they may call these separate "lines." It doesn't mean that the artist limits herself to one style, simply that she makes it easier for her audience to find what they're most attracted to.
Great question to ask, and good luck figuring all of this out.
when i look at your work i know it's yours, so i do think you are consistent without being predictable or boring.
although i love many different styles, my natural tendency is to sort of find a 'formula' that works and kind of systemize it - ugh. it's a battle for me to break from this behavior. i'm also used to brand management, which usually involves keeping to certain standards.
i think people do get accustomed to a certain look and it's a tough balance because they also want new things. there's always design for the sake of it without commercial possibilities so you can explore new things.
As an artist working in clay, I feel pretty free to use different styles for different venues. My main wholesale accounts only buy my stoneware line, but I test market new styles and products in my Etsy shop, and then I approach different wholesale venues if I want to work in a new style as a wholesale line. I did the same thing for many many years--and I loved the 'safety' it offered me. During that time, I learned to refine and refine that particular style, which was a fantastic exercise!! After 10 years of selling my main stoneware line here in Arizona, I am actually thinking of switching up. I'm testing new work for those same accounts, something a little updated and we'll see where it goes.
I hope that was somewhat helpful!
good question--I'm glad I found your blog--your work is wonderful!
I also can tell something by you. I think you're right--you may be too close to see this. It's like how you can't see resemblances among you and your siblings but outsiders can. You are on a great path--I say, stick with it!!
great and pertinent topic - i've been asking myself the same question lately and haven't quite come up with an answer!
i guess the uniform thing is a construct of marketing and something to consider for commercial purposes. . . and we are trying to sell our creations.
but i agree it can't be good to limit yourself.
i also completely agree that your gorgeous personal style shows through with everything you do.
it's good that your different areas result in different 'products' so they might show up in their own limelights. i think people who find your work in one place would be thrilled to discover that you also do all the other stuff too!
not much help there but i share your conundrum!
I strive to have a consistent style, which I think I accomplish by dyeing my own fabric, and using similar construction methods. But I have several different series that I see evolving in my work. I hope that people can see my style being consistent across these series...this is my goal!
thank you all for your wonderful insights! it's nice to know i'm not the only one with this problem (blessing?). i love reading all your comments!
What amazing is how much this relates to the discussion of poetic "voice"--I'm also a poet, and I worry about whether or not my body of work is cohesive. There's as much pressure on young poets as there is on young artists to pick a style and stick to it. A couple of thoughts on this: 1. I think your work _is_ cohesive. I think it's harder for you to tell that than for others to see it, actually. 2. It's bullshit. It's a "consumer" mode of thinking about art if you ask me--consumers want to be able to buy the same hamburger from every McDonalds they go to and the same kind of book from every writer, but while this may be okay for hamburgers, it's insanely limiting to the most creative people on earth. I say don't worry about it, Jess. Experiment, explore--be an artist and let the chips fall where they may.
I'm sure everyone has left wonderful advice. I'm not a fine artist as you, I'm actor. I know versatility is something every creative person should do to keep fresh and alive. I say work in all styles and keep having fun and creating.
Ahh.
I could have written this post myself. I struggle with this daily, and it confuses and upsets me to no end. I know someone who created a fake name and painted under that, but only to make money. I started something similar by trying to separate my styles and set up different businesses, but I am not sure it is working, and it is more complicated for sure. and then I think: why am I doing this? It is all me...
Sigh.
Looking at your art all put together though, I totally see the same artist. 100%. I think whatever you are doing you must be being true to yourself, because you shine through all the differences.
They all look like YOU, and they are all stunning. (But it's funny how we artists can't see our own cohesiveness. I feel the same way!)
i DEFINITELY see similarities in all your work, it all has the same look/feel to me (seems to be with the other commenters as well!)
i struggle with this myself, all the time. i like to create all sorts of things, with different styles, but then i worry that i should just pick a few things and stick with those, and not branch out so much and confuse people. though i do like the idea of different "pen names" also! i might have to give that some more thought ;)
Amen to Melissa Crowe's answer even though I'm still starting out I struggle with this too. I get a depression of sorts if I try to just make art that I feel is just pretty, I need to make art that also has a deep emotional depth of sorts regularly. I feel like I have two different artist inside of me a lot yet I don't ever want to stop exploring or growing. I also wonder if as females, we are so complex maybe we need or like to have different mediums to express ourselves with.
I agree with everyone else your work is distinct.
I have been admiring your work for a while Jessica before I even started blogging, there is always something about everything that you make that shows you and I heart that soooo much!!! Especially those fat unicorns :)
Like everyone else, I think your work has a Jess Gonacha signature, and you shouldn't worry about different styles. There are more similarities than differences.
It makes me think of someone like Elsita, who works in all different media in different styles, and yet there is still a through line.
You have a distinct voice, and you don't need to worry about style. Just like a good writer can write novels, poems and essays, and still be themselves.
I've been struggling with this for the past few years. The thing is when I work in oil my paintings are different in how I approach them than when I work in acrylic or mixed media.
I found that we all have a style that is distinctive to us and it comes through no matter how we create. Even my embroidery work seems to take on my style.
It is tough when you are so close to your work and I often get that feeling that my work has to be consistent. I throw this thought out the window last year and just create, and try not to think about it too much!
All your work is uniquely you though, and I love it when an artist surprises me and I ask the question, they made that too? its awesome.
I struggle with the same issue. I feel like I'm still learning and that I'm not quite there. And I worry that it shows.
But I think your work is cohesive. There's a similarity in the line quality of your drawing in both the cartoony and in the more realistic work that clearly shows your style.
I wonder the same thing with my art, but people say I have a distinct style. I think it must be one of those things that's hard to see when you're so close to the work because I think your work is very YOU, all of it! :-)
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