Beyond the "brand": Embracing creative freedom as an artist

I was listening to a podcast recently where they were talking about brand identity. The advice being given was that artists, especially early in their careers, should figure out “their brand,” find a niche, develop a recognisable style, and stick to it. The theory was that if you pivot and try something new, you risk losing your audience.

As someone who works in marketing and is also an artist, I found this pretty troubling.

Brand guidelines in the marketing world exist to ensure consistency and cohesion. That makes sense when you're managing a business or a product. But applying the same logic to an art practice feels really limiting. Isn’t the point of being an artist about having the freedom to explore and experiment?

I wouldn't say I have a huge following, but I know I’m mostly known for one part of my practice — the plastic bottle light works. And while I love them and I’m grateful for the opportunities they’ve given me, lately I’ve been thinking about shifting my focus. I want to explore other materials and work on a smaller scale.

There are a few reasons for that. A lot of my light works are shown at festivals around Aotearoa, and many of those festivals have either stopped running or switched to being biannual because of how expensive they are to put on. So that means fewer opportunities to show the work.

They’re also incredibly time-consuming to make, and I’ve never come close to being properly compensated for the hours that go into them. That’s not sustainable for me anymore.

But the main reason is that sometimes I feel creatively stuck, making the same kind of thing over and over. While I do enjoy the meditative process, zoning out and getting in the flow, I also really miss the part of making where you get to play, experiment, push things too far, and sometimes fail. That kind of exploration is what fuels my creativity more than anything else.

So if you’ve locked yourself into a brand identity that doesn’t leave room for that, can you really be satisfied? Maybe some people are happy sticking to one style, and that’s fine. But I worry that this kind of advice will steer young artists into boxing themselves in before they’ve had a chance to fully explore what they’re capable of.

My take is, instead of worrying about what your audience expects, just be open with them. Let them in on the process. Take them with you on the ride.