Imposter?

As an artist who didn’t go to art school I often undervalue myself. There are some key areas when it comes to the professional side of the arts world that I have missed out on as a self-taught artist. Through the guidance from the tutors on this residency, through collaborating with other artists, through skill sharing in my art practice group TRIAD³ and through asking the advice of curators I am working with on future exhibitions I am beginning to fill the gaps in my knowledge.

These gaps in professional arts knowledge are things like; what to include in an artist cv, biography and statement, how to price my work, creating artwork sale contracts and what my rates as an arts practitioner should be.

In a recent group crit we discussed feeling like imposters in the art world. I often feel like an imposter because I didn’t go to art school, because I’m sick so don’t produce as much work or because sickness has put a strain on my career development. And this feeling of being an imposter contributes to the amount I undervalue myself in these spaces.

I have been re-writing my artist bio today following the advice of Celina and after reading my new artist bio I was surprised by the amount of things I have actually done and been involved with as an artist and arts practitioner.

Charlie Fitz

Charlie Fitz is a UK based sick and disabled artist, writer and medical humanities postgraduate at Birkbeck, where she is a recipient of a Wellcome Trust studentship. She is a member of Resting Up Collective and of the arts practice group TRIAD³. Her multiform projects broadly explore experiences of illness and trauma. She worked as the engagement assistant for ‘Coming Out’ (2017) was on the activist panel consulting on curatorial and learning strategies for the ACC exhibition ‘Woman, Power, Protest’ (2018) both Arts Council Collection(ACC) Exhibitions at Birmingham Museum & Art gallery (BMAG). She was a guest speaker at Robinson College Feminist Society at Cambridge University, presenting on Feminist art & activism (2019). The same year she produced her first joint exhibition ‘Radical Acts of Care’ (2019) in collaboration with Oscar Vinter. The exhibition was hosted online and in person in London and Manchester. Fitz had work in Profile Gallery’s ‘Virtual Exhibition'(2020), Oddball Gallery’s ‘Locked/Down'(2020) and ‘See You At Home'(2021) by Able Zine x Kiosk N1C. She currently has artwork in the virtual show ‘Exhibition: Work in PROGRESS’ by Triad³ and has an upcoming group show for women’s history month called HYSTERICAL in aid of UN Women UK and Mermaids Charity. She has had short fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art published.