While this podcast is aimed at sharing the scariest stories artists have faced in the art world, some good has come of it, and today’s episode focuses on this. But first, we descend into the bowels of the art world, hearing horror stories from a multitude of artists dealing with gallery owners on drugs, losing decades of work to fire and flood, and being gaslighted by gallerists and artist representatives alike. We are delighted to share stories from artists overseas, like Sarah Phillips from Brisbane (the backstory is apparently more important than the artist, and anyone can be taught to paint!), and Alexander Augustus from the UK (whose blog post inspired the title of this episode). Through it all, Scott adds his thoughts and experiences, reminding us of our worth as artists and why we need to learn to stand up for ourselves. We learn of the positives of sharing these stories, and what it means to be a true artist. So, tune in today to hear how to equip yourself with metaphorical monster hunting gear, so you can avoid your own art world horror stories!  

Key Points From This Episode:

• The horrifying tale from Ed Whitmore: dealing with a gallery owner on drugs!
• Why you need to protect your work against the monsters of fire and flood (from Caitlin Burnett).
• A terrifying tale from Scott about artwork lost to flooding. 
• The horror of hidden fees and artist representatives who gaslight. 
• Sarah Phillips’s spooky experience of being told the backstory is more important than the art, and that anyone can be trained to make art. 
• What Scott feels the role of galleries and art dealers is, and the role of artists. 
• What it means to be an artist. 
• “Sand your own goddamn vaginas”: exploitative internships and Alexander Augustus’s miserable experience. 
• Ending on a positive note with the lessons learned from all these stories: we need to advocate for ourselves and demand respect. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ed Whitmore Art — https://www.facebook.com/edwhitmoreart/

Sarah Phillips — https://www.studiophilips.com/

Alexander Augustus — https://www.alexanderaugustus.com/

Alexander Augustus Blog — https://www.alexanderaugustus.com/blog/sand-your-own-goddamn-vaginas-my-feeling-about-unpaid-internships

Art World Horror Stories Hotline — 833 668 77325

Art World Horror Stories Email — info@notrealart.com

Not Real Art — https://www.notrealart.com/

Scott “Sourdough” Power — https://www.notarealartist.com/