Artist profiles on the internet always include a picture of the artist.
People expect to see it and a few sites that promote artists even require it to set up a profile.
I go along with it like the sheep that I sometimes am because it is what people expect.
Some say that it helps build trust and offers a more personal experience.
I however don’t dig having my picture attached to my art.
Reason?
When you see a picture of me it may change how you perceive my art.
That is me.
I’m not fancy. I don’t dress up fly, and I don’t don’t follow any type of stereotypical fashion look that associates me with some sort of cultural group.
My art influences have made me go back and forth through the years from what people call “dark art,” to what people consider a bit “psychedelic.”
At different times in my life my art has been labeled by random people as expressionism, funk art, neo-expressionism, low brow, hard edge, surrealism, and neo-impressionism.
I’m not even old enough to have been part of any of those movements except funk and neo expressionism.
I am not part of anything except me.
That said… I will say that I am heavily influenced by the masters of the post impressionism movement and the original expressionists when it comes to how and why I create as I do. Technically though I think it influences me almost zero.
However you slice it though, people try and label me. They put me in boxes and on shelves.
One of the reasons I change up my styles, subject matter, and even mediums so much is to avoid these labels.
Along with such labels comes preconceived ideas of who the artist is and how they live and even look.
My bright, psychedelic, pop in your face type painting for example make many people envision an earth child hippy type with long hair and sandals.
If they learn of my liberal attitude and beliefs of how the world should be they really shove me into that stereotyped role.
Then… they see me at an art show of see a picture of me that shows more than just my handsome face and they are confused.
Some people are so into wanting their artist to be like them that they will change their minds even on whether the art is cool or not.
On online artist profiles I believe the inclusion of a face picture massively changes viewer perception.
I once had a painting of a man drinking coffee available as prints on a site I no longer use.
The painting was well liked and it caused people to check out my entire profile.
The man in the painting was black.
I had a few more images of black people available too.
Not once, but twice I was asked why I chose to paint black people when I was white.
One of the people who wrote actually wrote a second time wanting to know what my message was in painting people of color because my response that the models for the paintings happened to be black wasn’t good enough.
If I had no picture of me showing this person would have assumed me to be black. All would have been good in their minds.
In this last year I have been doing erotic and sexually themed work.
I test run the images on various sites to see peoples response.
Interestingly I have found that if it is labeled just “LAIDIG” rather than “AARRON LAIDIG,” my sexual themed work is liked, shared, talked about, etc… much more.
It took me a while to figure out why.
It is because of assumptions.
Without my first name attached my work is enjoyed by a wider group.
It is highly shared by women who are often vocally hard ass feminists on their various social sites when my name is just “Laidig.”
Let it be obvious that the work was made by a male however and this particular social group no longer shares my work as much.
Sexism in art. *sigh*
Imagine if my face picture accompanied the images always.
The other side of the coin when it comes to an artists pictures being shown on these sites is that you can use it to help sales if you are willing and wanting to be pidgin holed into the stale creation of the same art forever.
Make your art psychedelic and up lode pictures of yourself with your long as dreads and hemp necklace showing.
Put on a black button up shirt and make sure your picture is heavily shadowed if you want to sell your “dark art.”
Dress up like a Stepford wife to sell your recycled kitchen decor paintings.
Show off those stretched lobes and have a funky black hat on if your pushing lowbrow.
Yes indeed… it is a bullshit show.
I hate the bullshit of sales.
The bullshit of fitting in and playing the game is over much for me.
I shall not fake it so I sit on the side of my pictures actually alienating certain people from my art.
So be it.
Here are a couple of my online artist portfolios that offer up prints on demand.
Check out my awesome pictures of me and compare to the paintings.
Check out some other peoples work on the sites too and do the same.
Picture help or hinder?
Does the artist fit the work?
Or maybe, just maybe… you are one of those awesome folks that judges a work on its own merits.
I hope you are.
Love my art or hate it for what it is.
Find it amazing or boring because of what you see in it.
Don’t change your view because of what I look like or even things I say (or don’t) about a creation.
Art should stand on it’s own.
