Assi Meshullam
Tips
40 Tips for Young (and New) Artists
This list originally appeared in the catalogue of a final exhibition in the Department of Art at the University of Haifa, of which Assi Meshullam served as chair between 2017-2022
1. Don't wait for inspiration, it never comes.
2. Be creative, but not too much.
3. Always ask "Why?"
4. The two fundamental questions of art: how to do the what, and what to do with the how.
5. If your work can be summed up in one sentence, it's not finished yet.
6. Remember that art is about addressing liminal states. An artwork without conflict is usually very uninteresting.
7. When writing a text about your work, never mention that it addresses liminal states, and try to avoid mentioning the word "conflict".
8. Be total. Push the boundaries and go all the way with your aesthetic stance.
9. Disruption is the artist's best friend.
10. Also humor. Especially self-humor.
11. Learn to improvise.
12. Remember that, among other things, art is always about art.
13. It is true that anything can be art, but not all art is good art.
14. Remember that art is a dialogue with a viewer/listener. Art will always have a recipient.
15. Think about your recipients, but don't over-consider them.
16. Art is a dialogue with the past, present and future.
17. Do not work in isolation from your predecessors - you must never stop learning.
18. Do not work in isolation from your surroundings - be alert to everything that happens around you.
19. Do not work alone, and don’t be ashamed to ask for advice - getting help from others or adopting ideas that are given to you, does not make your work any less yours.
20. Find yourself another field to delve into. Your art will only benefit from it.
21. Don't underestimate the power of social media to advance your career.
22. There is nothing that cannot be learned on the internet.
23. Build yourself a website.
24. Although it was not the case in the past, today the production of commercial products from your works is quite acceptable.
25. Before you set prices for your work, check the state of the market and the prices of other artists who share it with you.
26. When setting prices for your works, take the discount into account.
27. Even if you think you have no chance of winning, fill the application.
28. Don't be shy of anyone, but don't be a snooze.
29. If someone asks you for money to display your art, it's not your art that he’s interested in.
30. Make a record and document all your professional activities - you never know when you will need them.
31. People will delve into your work for the longest time if it hung in the toilet from all places. Don't underestimate any exhibiting space.
32. Don't underestimate your audience, and don't hide from them.
33. If you exhibit your work in a way that does not consider the space in which it is exhibited, it does not matter how good it may be.
34. Love your artworks, but don't fall in love with them.
35. Don't be afraid to throw away what you no longer need.
36. Don't take yourself too seriously, and don't hurt anyone for your art. Life comes before art.
37. The work did not end after the exhibition opened. Do not let the anticlimax last more than a week.
38. Save the details of those who were interested in your works or purchased them.
39. It is true that tomorrow's newspaper will wrap fish the day after tomorrow, but Google is forever.
40. Don't underestimate criticism, but don't take it too hard. You don't want to be liked by everyone.
40 Tips for Young (and New) Managers
1. Every problem has a solution, even if it's not always the solution you searched for.
2. No matter what the problem of the day is, in the end it too will be behind you.
3. Treat your problems as if they were a tooth cavity. If you delay, it will only hurt more and probably cost more money.
4. Language plays a decisive role in our experience of reality, as well as in the experience of reality of those who read your writings. There is almost no problem that cannot be solved through the correct use of language.
5. Today it's you, tomorrow it's somebody else.
6. You are just a person who plays a certain role. Don't become the function you perform.
7. A person who completely identifies with the function he performs is either an intolerable person or a Nazi.
8. Remember that as far as your clients are concerned, you are completely identified with the function you perform.
9. So if people are afraid of you, you are doing something wrong.
10. It is true that inside you are still a child, but the truth is that you are an adult with some heavy responsibilities. Act accordingly.
11. This also concerns the use of humor and practical jokes; It is possible, but with self-awareness and from a deep understanding that you are not among friends, and you are not 16 years old.
12. Don't touch, don't hint, don't joke, and keep the door open.
13. Don't mansplain.
14. Remember your privileges.
15. Take into account that from the moment you leave your house you are in a performance, and you will be remembered for everything you do as part of it.
16. Dress appropriately for the occasion. Wear shoes even for Zoom meetings.
17. Things you were promised, back up in writing and send by email.
18. Don't promise anything you can't or won't keep.
19. If you promise something, keep it.
20. Always answer emails, especially inquiries from people asking for your help or looking for a job. To get a negative response is always more respectful than to be ignored.
21. Learn to use the star function for emails you haven't dealt with yet.
22. Never delete emails.
23. Every few days, go to the Spam folder.
24. Never send an email before reading it twice, correcting errors and making sure it's addressed to the right people.
25. Never write anything down, if there is someone in the world you wouldn't want them to read it. Cursing, dirty language and gossip is for unrecorded conversations.
26. You must always arrive on time.
27. Always know when it's your time to leave a party.
28. Remember that power works in all directions, not just from top to bottom.
29. Every person, without exception, acts out of insecurity. Remember this every time someone annoys or pisses you off.
30. If you can, help them fill this gap a little (but of course not at the expense of your own security).
31. Fuck it; there are always those who are in a much worse situation.
32. Make use of spies. If possible, it is best that they don’t know nothing about it.
33. Remember that in every garden there is a snake. More often than not, the snake is right next to you.
34. Do not be surprised that many people don't know how to do the work they are supposed to do.
35. The customer is not always right, and sometimes he needs you to show him that.
36. Among other things, humanity is divided into two: those who first say "yes, let's see what can be done", and those who first say "no, it is impossible". Be one of the "yes" people, not one of the "no" people.
37. Be assertive but not a snooze, polite but not a bother, nice but not a flatterer, orderly but not obsessive, fatherly but not perverted, tough but not a maniac, rebellious but not a baby.
38. Don't underestimate other people's troubles. You never have the whole picture.
39. Health, family and life come before any position or job.
40. You must, but must, learn to let go.