RETHINKING PROFESSIONALISM IN THE VISUAL ARTS FOR ENHANCED CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Creativity is an ongoing process and a vital element of artistry that allows artists the perfect medium for building their personal and cultural identities into their work for enhanced cultural, socioeconomic performance in the world of work. Therefore, there is the need to direct the effort of an artist’s career issues by presenting realistic solutions that can take them to professional edge in the world of work. This can be applied at the beginning of art career by mapping out strategic solution, and rethinking professionalism, through three key areas of importance which include recognition, reputation and responsibility of the artist. Artists and students have missed out on being informed about vital information necessary for ensuring survival for the long haul of being a professional artist. Most artists, when considering their career options, most often, have no alternative strategy, no professional focus in view except from the tried and true fall back career of becoming a secondary school teacher without teaching qualification. Others retired to road street artist which in turn does not bring the artist to a professional edge in the world of work. Everything experienced in the school of art is made to expound the depth of the artist knowledge. The problem is the missing of clear instruction, understanding and dialog about the professional end of being an artist. However, most times, survival as a professional artist gets stuck, making the artist to navigate for alternative way of surviving, often when they retire, only to find that somewhere along the line they had lost or given away their creative knowledge and inspiration and finally when confronted with empty studio, they realized that they no longer have anything to say as an artist. The world of art is a creative multidisciplinary, therefore upgrading and training is needed in order to combine a variety of perspective in the field of art, to produce a well-considered outcome, to make an impact on the end user by bringing out the strength that lies within ideation of the artist to create new and innovative ideas. Through training, an artist combines strength of ideation and research through a free-flowing yet methodical mind set which allows a conceptualized, innovative and contextually solutions that respond to real world issues thatare society’s genuine needs. This allows for exploration and identification of current issues in the art world. They create a balance between moral, ethics and functionality which equally reflect and shape the lives of those who encounter the work of art both extrinsically and intrinsically. This study recommends strategic solutions that can help the artist to work as a professional in the art world.