What is a Creative Legacy?
Legacy
An “artistic legacy” can refer to the body of work and web of influence left behind by an artist after their death. But we will use “creative legacy” to capture many creators with important legacies!
Your legacy encompasses the creations you have made during your lifetime. However, it also extends beyond tangible works to include the contributions you have made to your communities - your impact on your field, your influence on other creatives, and the cultural resonance of your work.
Here are some types of property, ephemera, and community impact that contribute to your creative legacy:
Body of Work
By this, we mean all the artworks, writings, performances, and other creative endeavors you have produced. Imagine a graduate student writing a thesis about you decades from now. This young scholar will be interested in your paintings, as well as your letters, sketchbooks, curricula, and other evidence of how your life affected your work.
Influence on Others
You have inspired and impacted other creators. Tangibly, others may chart your influence and note how your styles, techniques, or thematic elements appear in the work of subsequent artists. Keeping lists of students, colleagues, mentors, and mentees can be very helpful.
Cultural Impact
Some creative work becomes symbolic of a particular time, place, or movement. You contributed significantly to the cultural dialogue of your era. A historian, curator, agent, gallerist, or other expert can help you understand how your creative community perceives your work.
Historical Significance
Specific creatives become pivotal figures in the history of art, cuisine, fashion, literature, and music. They might introduce new techniques, challenge prevailing norms, or redefine conventions. Sometimes, a pivotal figure isn’t recognized as historically significant until later in life or even after death.
Recognition and Awards
The accolades you received during your lifetime (or will receive posthumously) can help shape your legacy. Accolades may include awards, honors, and critical acclaim.
Longevity
An enduring legacy encourages others to appreciate, study, and celebrate one's work long after death. Being organized and diligent about building your archive will help your estate remain influential for decades to come.
Market and Institutional Interest
The value placed on your creative work by collectors, museums, and cultural institutions can indicate your enduring legacy. Keeping records of who has collected your work can help your estate continue to direct and maintain the market value of your work through strategic sales, authentication, and collector education efforts.
Critical Analysis
Academic studies, critical reviews, and scholarly interpretations of a creator's work can contribute to the understanding and assessment of your legacy. Making it easy for scholars to study your work - by having a usable archive, providing high-quality images for publication, and permitting fair use of your works in articles and books - makes it more likely that your work will be studied.
—
It's important to note that you do not solely determine your legacy. Legacy building is a collaborative effort shaped by how your creative community and society receive, interpret, and value your work.
Ultimately, your creative legacy is a testament to your lasting impact on colleagues, friends, family, fans, and future creatives. When planned carefully, it can continue to inspire and influence future generations.
Our legacy planning services are available on request for estate planning specialists. We provide expert advice to fellow lawyers on assets including copyrights, trademarks, artworks, art collections, and archives, and help our colleagues create plans to transfer these assets to beneficiaries.
