Gatekeepers

There are gatekeepers in each of the artistic fields - they decide which artists will get "past them" and have access to a level of success and popularity. Music has record labels, acting has casting agents, and painting has gallery owners, juried show judges, and museum curators.

The thing about gatekeepers is that they use their own likes and dislikes as a basis for deciding who gets past them. One book I read called it "taste buds" - if art "tastes good" to a particular gatekeeper, s/he will let it through.

The thing to realize about these gatekeepers is that there tends to be little relation between what the gatekeeper thinks will be sucessful, and what ends up being successful. I used to work in a record store, and we would receive about 10 albums from the major record labels per week. The labels clearly thought each of these artists would be successful. However, about 98% of these bands quickly vanished into obscurity.

So, is it a good idea to "target" these gatekeepers with your art? Is it better to make your art for the gatekeepers, or for the general public, or for yourself? I don't know - I do tend to target the gatekeepers, after dealing with them for several years and semi-understanding what they prefer.