English artist, Tracey Emin was born on July 03, 1963 in Croydon, London, United Kingdom. She spent most of her initial years in Margate, Kent, London, and had a tumultuous childhood. Emin’s father was a Turkish Cypriot and owned a Hotel in Margate. The living standard of the artist’s family declined after her father’s business collapsed. Moreover, it was found that he was having an extra marital affair. Tracey Emin was also raped when she was around fourteen years old. Most of the themes of her paintings are a reflection of these troubled times.
Tracey Emin, one of the so-called Young British Artists (YBAs), also known as Britartists, studied fashion at the Medway College of design, during 1980-82. Here she met Billy Childish, who went on to be her temporary boyfriend until 1987. During this phase, Tracey’s paintings were ‘Expressionist’ in style. Her relationship with Billy gave rise to ‘Stuckism’ movement in 1999. She studied printmaking art at the Maidstone Art College (1984), after which she came back to London and did her M.A. in painting in 1987, at the Royal College of Art. The works of Edvard Munch and Egon Schiele significantly influenced her during this time. Later, Tracy Enim also studied Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London. Following her abortion, the artist painted the series, “Abortion Watercolor,” in 1990. In 1993, the artist opened a shop, The Shop, in Benthal Green with her contemporary Sarah Lucas. The shop displayed the artworks of the duo. All this while, Tracey Emin was simultaneously working with the gallery owner, Joshua Compston too.
In 1994, the artist did her first solo exhibition called “My Major Retrospective,” at the White Cube Gallery, London. Here she displayed her earlier works, photographs that she had destroyed, and some random items. This lack of order and unpredictability in her works later became one of her trademarks. By around 1995, Tracey Enim started seeing a gallery owner, Carl Freedman. Still unknown to many in the public domain, Tracey Emin shot to fame and gained considerable notoriety, rivaled only by Damien Hirst of the YBA’s, when she appeared drunk on one of the channel 4 TV programs in 1997. In 1999, Emin was nominated for Turner prize for one of her most controversial installation works, “My Bed,” which was also showcased at the Tate Gallery. Other polemical works by Emin include the tent, “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With (1963-95)” and the monoprint drawings of both the public and the private life of Princess Diana, such as “They Wanted You to Be Destroyed (1999).” In 1997, Tracey Emin released her autobiographical film called “CV Cunt Vernacular,” where she recounted in detail, her early days at Margate, her life as a student, and her successes & failures. Later, in 2004, she had a movie released called “Top Spot,” which she refused to promote and distribute, as it was given an 18 certificate by the movie censors. In 1999, she converted the beach hut at Whitstable “The Last Thing I Said to You is Don’t Leave Me Here.” The artwork was destroyed in a fire rage in 2004.
Tracey Emin started concentrating more on painting since 2004. “Purple Virgin (2004),” “Asleep Alone With Legs Open (2005),” “the Reincarnation (2005) series,” “Masturbating (2006),” “Rose Virgin (2007),” “Get Ready For The Fuck Of Your Life (2007),” and “Red Girl (2007),” are some of her most noted recent works. In March 2007, the artist was elected as a Royal Academician for the Royal Academy of Arts, London. She represented Britain the same year at the Italian contemporary art exhibition, Venice Biennale. Tracey Emin likes to experiment with several different materials. She conveyed her feelings through different modes, such as neon lights in “You Forgot to Kiss My Soul,” fabrics, needlework, sculpture, drawing, video, installation, photography, and paintings. Presently, Tracey Emin teaches confessional art at the European Graduate School. The artist is passionately involved in charities too.
Everything in our lives, to a greater or lesser extent, is connected to money and art is no exception. Artists need money for canvases, paints, films, PCs and, of course, they need to eat! This means that any artist sooner or later will be brought reluctantly to face with the problem of getting money.
Yes, art history knows some happy exceptions, such as when an artist was descended from a wealthy family or found a rich sponsor or benefactor. However, the number of these exceptions is small, and the majority of artists in the beginning of their career experience money difficulties, and sometimes this lasts all their life.
Why can’t artists reliably earn a living through their artworks? Why must they so often have a traditional day job and create their as yet unacknowledged masterpieces by night? Why is a Van Gogh a good investment while it is really risky to invest money in contemporary artists?
All answers to these questions come down to the same point, which is that people who are buying art prefer to invest in artists who are known to have a solid reputation, this is more important to them than going for what they really like. This is practical from the point of view of financial investment, but makes no sense in an emotional way – if art doesn’t give you a feeling of beauty, if doesn’t guide you to a different world, then it is not the art for you. The desire to buy a particular artwork should ideally resemble love at first sight.
Money can affect the artist’s scope for free expression. In order to make serious money from their work artists often feel that they need to create artworks that will score big successes in a society and will earn them money. These artworks do not necessarily carry great value; this is like the hit of the season that will be forgotten in the near future.
The key thing is for an artist to remember the reason they chose art as their profession – not in order to get rich quickly, or be incredibly famous and known all around the world. Rather, the point was to be able to create in the way that they wanted to, to give form to the ideas in their head, and to share these things with the rest of the world. When artists bear this in mind, they will be able to be satisfied with the quiet appreciation and steady but unremarkable sales that most artists experience in their lives. It is enough to pay the bills, perhaps have a little over, and keep creating.
Creating a press release can be one of the best ways for an indie artist, or band, to gain some instant media exposure for themselves. And you know, as well as I, that exposure is the name of the game these days. Even though the world-wide web has opened up many new possibilites for the independent artist, the competition can be fearsome. So, if you have any news item worthy of print (i.e. a new CD for sale, or a concert coming up, etc.) then a press release might be just the ticket to give you an edge. It will provide the publicity necessary for people to know who you are, so that your music will get heard.
In order to make the best first impression on your readers, your press release should be well written, informative, and to the point. Be careful not to lose your reader’s attention by adding too many unneccesary details. Stick to the facts by explaining who you are and what you have to offer.
I generally prefer to write in a third person narrative when I have to create my own press release (see an example). By asking myself the questions a reporter might ask me, I am able to think more freely and objectively.
Sample questions to ask and answer:
[Reporter] – Who are you- what is the name of your band?
[Band] – We have decided to call our band “Tangerine Sunshine”.
[R] – What kind of music do you play?
[B] – It’s somewhat eclectic and hard to define; kind of a mixture between alternative and rap.
[R] – I’ve heard that you have just finished recording a new CD. When will it be availabe to the public?
[B] – Yeah, it’s called “Mixed Emotions” and we’re really happy with the way it turned out. It will be available next week.
[R] – Where can a person get a copy of the CD?
[B] – It will be offered on our website (url) and through various other retail outlets (identify them).
[R] Great! How many tracks are on your album?
[B] Twelve.
[R] – Why did you pick “Tangerine Sunshine” for a name?
[B] – We like the colorful and positive image that it represents.
Of course, all the names mentioned above are fictitious and the illustration is only meant to show how you might organize the information you want to put in your press release. It can be modified any number of ways to suit your own particular needs. Once your make-believe reporter has gathered up all the facts, you’re ready to write.
Here is a simple outline for you to use:
THE HEADLINE
One of the most important things is to begin your press release with a catchy headline. You want to make sure that it will grab the attention of your reader right from the start.
FIRST PARAGRAPH
Get the information about who you are (the name of your band, etc.) and what you have to offer within the very first paragraph. Keeping the who, what, when, where, why and how questions before you as you write will help to stimulate the creative process.
SECOND PARAGRAPH
In the second paragragh of your press release you can go into a little more detail. Perhaps you’ll want to describe the style of your music, or tell something more about your upcoming event. If so, this is the place to do it.
THIRD PARAGRAGH
In this third and final paragragh you can briefly tell something about the other people who were involved with your project or event. Whatever you haven’t covered in your press release yet, but feel is important, you can add here. Be sure to include any contact information you have, especially a website or email address.
When your press release is ready, after you’ve spell-checked it for typos and grammar, go ahead and post it on your website and/or in your blog. Then send it to as many free PR sites as you can find.
Mi2n.com is a good one for musicians and indie artists to start with.
You should also send your press release, along with a cover letter, to all the local newspapers in your area. Put “Attention: Editor” above the address on the envelope and if possible include a photo.
Don’t forget to send an email to all your friends, relatives, and neighbors as well. This is your time to shine, so reach for the stars!