Survival Notes: This book offers crucial advice from celebrated artists

If you could seek advice from your favourite artists about making it in the art world or how to really flourish in your creative practice, what might you ask them? Maybe you’d look to Wolfgang Tillmans for guidance on fostering political curiosity and a sense of enquiry. Maybe you’d turn to Chantal Joffe to ask about nurturing self-belief. Perhaps you’d turn to Shirin Neshat with your queries about how to take courage from your own artistic intuition. 

Over the course of one year, writer Lydia R Figes met with as many revered artists as she could and asked them all the question, “If you could give one piece of advice to a young, aspiring artist today, what would you say?” Speaking to Dazed, Figes recalls, “The idea for Survival Notes began years ago when I was working as an arts writer and speaking to lots of emerging and established artists. Typically, at the end of each interview, I liked to lighten things up by asking for their advice for young, aspiring artists. It dawned on me that artists – especially the very successful ones – love being asked this question. It’s a chance for them to reflect on their own journeys and to openly discuss the conditions of being an artist. They feel like they are giving back to younger generations, who they recognise are facing an increasingly tough economic landscape.”

Her enquiries resulted in Survival Notes: Life Lessons from Contemporary Artists (published by Thames & Hudson) – an anthology of invaluable wisdom and insight from some of today’s most venerated artists. Alongside Tillmans, Joffe and Neshet, expect to encounter advice from the likes of Tracey Emin, Juno Calypso, Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley, Gillian Wearing, Issy Wood, and so many more. 

The scope of the life lessons contained within the book is huge. Not all the advice sits comfortably alongside each other; some suggestions are contradictory to one another, while others may seem counterintuitive, but every page has something to offer, an idea to take to heart. And, though it’s aimed at aspiring artists, the book offers ideas and inspiration for anyone attempting to develop themselves in some creative arena. 

Below, we talk to Figes about the key takeaways of Survival Notes, her most memorable encounters with artists, and some of the pressures facing the next generation of creatives.

You interviewed over 50 living artists to research this book. Were there any common responses or attitudes that you noticed? 

Lydia Figes: I found that the answers were surprisingly varied and nuanced. I definitely noticed that some of the most well-established artists show a deep commitment to solitary art-making – almost to the point of obsession. It got me thinking that some people truly are made to be artists – it’s not a profession you can go into half-heartedly. They are truly in a relationship with the art. If you don’t have that compulsive drive, you might not be able to develop your work meaningfully enough over a lifetime. Being an artist is a particular way of living, which isn’t suitable for everyone. It definitely comes with a lot of sacrifice, experimentation and failure. 

Lots of the advice offered by artists ended up being quite counterintuitive, which I hope will be interesting and reassuring for young creatives. A lot of them reframed how we define success in the first place. The guiding motivation of some of the most prolific artists is to never stop learning or challenging yourself in your practice. Keeping your artistic integrity is the most important thing. 

Can you tell us about some of the more memorable encounters with the artists in the book? 

Lydia Figes: It was a delight to interview Ryan Gander. He’s an artist I admire greatly for speaking so logically and without fear of others’ opinions – and never without a sense of humour. Interviewing Marilyn Minter was incredible, as I’ve always been such a big fan of her work. She was very open and generous with her time. I also loved visiting Anya Paintsil in her studio in south London, it was great to chat while being immersed in her world and seeing how she works – which is truly impressive! But I really enjoyed speaking to everyone I interviewed. I’ve always found artists so interesting as people – they tend to think differently to everyone else. 

Being an artist is a particular way of living, which isn’t suitable for everyone. It definitely comes with a lot of sacrifice, experimentation and failure – Lydia R Figes

What are the primary challenges facing today? Are there any new obstacles that perhaps didn't exist in the past? 

Lydia Figes: Young people are certainly facing new pressures that past generations didn’t experience. It goes without saying that, to survive as an artist from a financial perspective is incredibly tough today. Unless you come from significant wealth, it’s really hard – not to mention rare – for artists to live by their art making alone. 

Due to the expense and expectation of higher education, artists have never experienced so much competition – we’ve never had so many people training to be artists, yet so few artists can overcome the debt they will accrue from that education. 

On top of this, competition is now constantly visible through online culture, so young artists must navigate the social media industrial complex. Social media is democratising, yes. But it can exacerbate feelings of being behind or not achieving enough, which inevitably leads to poor mental health for young people figuring things out. 

Were there any artists’ stories that particularly stayed with you?

Lydia Figes: Caroline Walker’s story about having her artwork stolen by a gallerist, only to buy back her stolen artwork on the secondary market – many decades later – is quite a shocking cautionary tale. It sheds light on some of the nefarious activities taking place within the industry, especially when emerging artists start to find success but don’t yet have the experience to protect themselves from people who might not have their best interests at heart. 

It often feels like there’s pressure on young artists to be ‘hot’. How can artists evade the pressures of social media?

Lydia Figes: I think it’s quite sad that young creatives feel like they have to develop their personal ‘brand’ to succeed. I don’t think an artist’s appearance, wardrobe or flashy lifestyle should be up for scrutiny before the quality of their work. While it may have contributed to some artists’ success, other artists have admitted to me that this strategy has backfired and occasionally worked against them. Issy Wood has a lot to say about this. In the book, her voice encourages artists to think carefully about the artist-Instagrammer identity we see everywhere now. 

Ultimately, I try not to judge anyone too harshly for how they use social media – in varying ways we’re all victims of the insidious, algorithm-led, attention economy! But I wouldn’t hesitate to advise leaving your phone at home or turning it off when you go to the studio from time to time. Not being on Instagram or your phone is hot. 

It’s quite sad that young creatives feel like they have to develop their personal ‘brand’ to succeed. I don’t think an artist’s appearance, wardrobe or flashy lifestyle should be up for scrutiny before the quality of their work – Lydia R Figes

What would you say to a young artist who feels that their surest path to success and stability is through online visibility and fame? 

Lydia Figes: I can totally understand the incentive, but ultimately and in the long run, locating your values and living by them as an artist should come first. Your art will be better for it. I would dare to say that some of the most exceptional artists find fame quite cumbersome. They prefer being alone in the studio, without having to show up at events and parties. When reading the book, I would look out for the advice of Marilyn Minter and Antony Gormley on this subject – they both shed great insights on the subject of artistic fame. 

Can art meaningfully engage with politics today or combat censorship? 

Lydia Figes: Artists today have to work in a world that is more geared towards commodification, content and censorship – therefore control. For that reason, I think art has lost its freedom and political potency, because art has never been so beholden to the capitalist structures surrounding it. 

Wolfgang Tillmans speaks very eloquently about the need for artists to be politically engaged in the book. He doesn’t propose that artists have to be outspoken political activists, but he does call for a kind of mindful, political consciousness raising, which can be done through art making through its subjectivity and inherent autonomy. 

As George Orwell once said, to not be political is also a political decision. In today’s context, can we really choose to opt out of politics altogether? That’s a bigger question that we should all be answering– not just artists. Obviously, in the last couple of years, we’ve witnessed immense censorship in the arts. Artists feel like they might lose opportunities and their livelihoods for speaking out. Ultimately, these are terrible conditions for meaningful art to thrive. 

More generally, what are your takeaways for anyone trying to make a living in the creative industries or simply to make creative practice more of a habit in their lives? Were there any pieces of advice you found transferable for your work as a writer, for instance?

Lydia Figes: There are many parallels between working as a visual artist, writer, musician, filmmaker – all the creative professions. Having the courage, drive and discipline to just go for things without second-guessing yourself all the time is key. Accepting that rejection is normal is key. You fail, and you grow through constant making. Alvaro Barrington simply responded to my question by saying, ‘Just do the work.’ I think there’s something to be said about that. 

Survival Notes: Life Lessons from Contemporary Artists is published by Thames & Hudson and is available now.