I've been mulling over this idea of the "professional artist". What makes you a professional? Is it merely the fact that one has made a sale from their endeavors? Or are you a professional if you solely make a career off your talent. I have a hard time with this concept.
When I was in H.S. I took I Saturday classes at Cooper Union so i could hone my skills and build my portfolio which would be submitted to colleges for the following fall semester. During one assignment we were all given a pair of pliers. Yes, that tool you use to tighten nuts and bolts with. Anyway, we were to draw large scale sketches of the pliers on newsprint paper with charcoal. Now if anyone has used either one of these before, you would know two things – charcoal smudges easily and newsprint paper is flimsy.
I completed my drawing and proceeded outside to the streets of the East Village to display my masterpiece on the façade of the college. There were about fifteen of us scotch-taping our pieces to the metal bars from the construction work encasing the school within. Men and women glanced over as they swiftly walked by. My piece was next to Federico’s drawing. Federico’s piece looked as though it was as good as a picture. I felt very small with my work next to his as though there was no way our work could compare. He was by far the superior artist in my mind. A man was inquiring shortly after my praise of Federico’s work “How much?” but to my surprise he was not asking to purchase the magnificent piers I was admiring but rather my own sketch. Flabbergasted, all I could say was “What?” my friend stepped in and said “$50” and he said “How about $20”I was so excited that someone would actually want to pay for something I spent a few flimsy minutes sketching. I said “OK”
We proceeded to take the work off the scaffolding when one of the teachers scolded us for disrupting the display and then next for selling the piece for so little. I was simply proud to make twenty bucks off of something I was planning to throw away when it was returned to me. I exchanged phone numbers with the man, who wore a business suit and had clean cut blond hair over his finely aged features. He handed me a $20 bill and I was asked to call him when the display was over and to ensure that the charcoal didn’t smudge. He was planning to give the drawing to a friend who owned a hardware store.
Nic Munson was a jazz musician in his early 40’s and lived in London. He was in NYC visiting. After I sealed the charcoal with hairspray, I called Nic to set up and time and place to meet. I chose the Lincoln Center fountain. We chatted for roughly two hours, the end of which he and my very first sale were gone.
Now, my question to you, did this sale automatically thrust me into the position of being a professional artist simply by the exchange of money?