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first steps
After graduating
in 1991 David Shrigley spent five years working in a variety of
casual gallery-based jobs to sustain his artistic practice. Starting
out as a cartoonist he began to produce his own books, but success
didn't come until he stopped trying to draw cartoons and started
to draw what came naturally.
I graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1991 with a 2:2 in Fine
Art. I was pretty depressed when I left. I felt misunderstood and
undervalued. It took me almost a year to find my feet. That first
year was quite hard both financially and spiritually.
For the first six months I was on the dole which was rubbish. Then
I became self-employed which made life much easier. I got casual
work as a gallery guide, exhibition installer and general dogsbody
at the CCA in Glasgow and also did numerous other strange tasks
to make money. I did this kind of thing for about five years and
whilst I never had much money, it paid the bills and gave me enough
time to do my art.
As soon as I left art school I started working on a new body of
work. I figured that I would become a cartoonist because I would
be good at it and I could do it without having a studio. I also
thought it would allow me to be really silly which I was never really
allowed to be at art school. I drew in a sketchbook and then worked
up the drawings into what I thought resembled cartoons. I then published
a photocopied book of them in an edition of 100 copies which I sold
to people in the pub.
I also sent it to lots of places like magazines and newspapers.
I had some success but not much.
Success never came until I stopped trying to draw 'cartoons' and
just drew what came naturally. The fact that I published books was
a help to my career. When I sent them to people I think they always
liked it. I don't think people enjoy receiving 35mm slides. I have
always been too shy to do the networking thing; schmoozing with
curators and all that stuff.
I just assumed that if I kept working and kept producing books that
success would come and find me.
Strangely enough, I was right.
Here are a few pieces of advice for art students about to graduate:
o Don't spend much money on your degree show.
o Don't worry about what mark you get. It isn't important.
o When you leave, try and adapt to your new circumstances quickly
and start making art again. You will probably have to change the
way you work because you have no studio and no money. A good artist
can make art out of nothing.
o Don't worry if you're too shy to schmooze. There are other strategies.
o If you're going to schmooze, remember that people who write for
art magazines are much more valuable to you than curators.
o Do what you want to do. Everything is possible.
o Real life is better than art school.
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