Words by Axel Metz
We sat down with emerging artist Laurence White to chat NFTs, social media and selling portraits to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
We all know what little boys want to be when they grow up. Ask any primary school pupil his ambitions for life, and you can expect to be regaled with grand plans to become a professional footballer, spaceman or maybe even a dinosaur. It’s only when those kids get out into the real world that they realise footballers are needles in a planet-sized haystack, space belongs to big tech and the dinosaurs, well, they’re all gone.
It’s rare to hear a 10-year-old talk of wishing to become a 21st-century Rembrandt, and while we’d love to report that Laurence White – one of the most exciting names in contemporary portraiture – was one of them, he wasn’t. Now 31, White grew up with his eyes firmly fixed on a career in TV – which, ironically, ended up being the catalyst for his transition from self-taught painter to self-made businessman.
“I was growing frustrated trying to climb the ladder in TV,” he tells us. “There’s always someone above you that’s a gatekeeper to your success, so I was always trying to do a business on the side. I tried property, social media, and I started painting again by chance after someone mentioned it on Big Brother. I ended up picking up the brush and painting a piece of Kanye West, which led to one of my friends who came off Love Island buying it, then he posted it and, because he had a big following, that really kick started things for me.”
Maybe reality TV isn’t so bad, after all?
“I’ve heard people say before that ‘your path is your path and it couldn’t have been any other way’, and I think that’s so true of the path I’ve taken. If I’d have gone straight into art from college, it wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been because I wouldn’t have had the confidence to put myself out there as I do now.”
A quick read of the ‘About Me’ page on White’s official website, and it becomes clear his inspiration lies less in the whimsical beauty of the natural world and more in the success of those entrepreneurs, entertainers and, of course, artists that came before him. More specifically, though, he is interested in “the most influential people who have helped shape the world we see today.” But who are they? His online gallery suggests several names – from Muhammad Ali to Marilyn Monroe – but White insists the list is exhaustive. “I am inspired by a lot of successful people,” he says, “I know that Kanye West is a bit controversial but I love what he’s been able to do, and in spite of everyone calling him crazy, he’s been able to create a billion dollar sneaker empire.” In fairness, it’s true that nobody treads the line between entrepreneur, entertainer and artist better than Kanye.
White isn’t only concerned with those in the cultural limelight, though. “One of my favourite entrepreneurs is a guy called Gary Vaynerchuk [co-founder of Resy] – I think he has a social media strategy that means you can get to wherever you want to be. I’ve really bought into what he says and I’m beginning to see the success he’s suggested. In terms of artists, I also really admire CJ Hendry for her technical ability and skill, and Alec Monopoly is an amazing example of branding yourself well.”
So, to re-cap, that’s two artists, one Belarusian-American businessman and Kanye – quite the mixture of inspirations. Has White thought about painting them? “To be honest, I’ve been lucky enough that one commission has led to the next and then the next, so I don’t often get to paint what I would like to paint if I had the choice. Often, the client will get in touch and ask for a bespoke piece of any one icon. If there was an icon that I would love to paint, though, it would probably be Steve Jobs – because, again, he’s one of the greatest marketers we’ve ever seen, and proof that good marketing will get you to where you want to be.”
Naturally, though, branding yourself well is no guarantee of success – especially in the art world. Known for its long hours, high risk and overbearing sense of uncertainty, the life of an artist isn’t for the faint-hearted. White tells us of the biggest obstacles he’s faced on the path to pursuing his passion full-time: “For me, the biggest obstacle is being able to have a normal job during the day time and still put out enough content to be meaningful on social media. Juggling careers led to me having a bit of a crash, to be honest, because I was doing too much, and at that point I realised I couldn’t keep doing both. So, I started to transition full-time into the art, as it was picking up traction and I could afford to do so.”
Part of that traction came from the roster of celebrity customers now in White’s contact book – which includes the likes of musician will.i.am and Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold. Again, it was his previous career path that allowed him to broker these relationships. “The contacts I’ve made in the TV industry are often friends with the people that I end up painting for,” White says. “They’ve been able to put me in touch with the right people and shown the likes of will.i.am my paintings. So, my career in TV has been the contact base which has led to all of these high-profile commissions.”
You hear that, kids? Make friends in TV if you want to be an artist. In all seriousness, though, White is quick to offer guidance to those who might be keen to establish a burgeoning career in art. “My advice would be as follows: art is a business, and so just painting pretty pictures doesn’t cut it. I suggest building a personal brand by getting people to invest in you and your work. Don’t worry too much about the price of your work early on – focus on telling stories and providing value to your audience. Once people are invested in you, your work will sell itself. Practically,” he adds, “that means you should be posting daily on Instagram and the other social media platforms, and collaborating with influencers so they increase your reach. Any money you do make from prints, funnel that back into ads and invest in you.”
It’s clear, then, that social media lies at the heart of White’s success. “For me, social media is everything. When I was growing, up Facebook and Instagram weren’t around, so the idea of becoming a full-time artist was a foreign concept. Now, you can turn a passion project into a full-time career if you do it correctly. I think that as we move into 2022 and beyond, galleries are looking for artists that have some degree of social presence already, so they know that they’re backing the right horse. It acts as a complement rather than an alternative.”
Art is a business, and so just painting pretty pictures doesn’t cut it […] Once people are invested in you, your work will sell itself.
And what of the future of the industry? White is gearing up to produce his first piece of digital art, entering into the NFT (non-fungible token) space for the first time. “I think that NFTs and the technology behind it are here to stay for the rest of our lives. I like to be abreast of what’s current and trending in the market, so I saw an opportunity to provide a different form of content to the collectors that want that. My NFT project is essentially based around me being a social media artist, and the piece reflects that, which I think could have a real longevity to it.”
It certainly makes sense to see NFT technology embraced in the art world, in particular. Imagine owning the digital rights to the Mona Lisa, before it was cool? That’s the trajectory White is banking on. “People don’t understand NFTs right now because it’s so early on, but in time, provenance will actually mean something. Just like when you wear a pair of trainers to flex that you own a certain brand, I think the same will be said for art in your digital wallet. I know I’ll make a lot of mistakes now, but I’ll be ahead of the curve when it does hit the mainstream.”
We know who we’re calling for investment advice, then.