Blog #52
KICK IT UP A NOTCH
I can’t tell you how overwhelmed I feel and at the same time I need to add the disclaimer that this is something I don’t ever want to end. Whether it’s my deep seeded need for internal chaos, the thrill of the upcoming events and ALL the possibilities surrounding it, or I am just a complete masochistic nut job remains to be seen. I think it may be all of the above. Either way, this trial by fire has been a thrilling, if not, stressful experience that I would have done slightly differently had I known how insane (expensive) and chaotic it would become. I’m speaking of, in the words of Emeril Lagasse (for the record I hate to cook but we were both born in Fall River, MA) “kicking it up a notch”!
By that I mean, elevating my entire preparation and presentation for exhibiting my art to a more polished and refined level. For example, I have always used “gallery canvases” and framing them never even entered my mind. My first thought when I got accepted to ArtexpoNY was “I think I’ll frame some of my paintings”. Well, if I thought I had a “choice”, I was sorely mistaken! I’m so thrilled I didn't, actually. Why, because mentally I feel and LOOK like a professional artist. I have upped my exhibition game tenfold and though bankruptcy is not far off, I LOVE how incredible my work looks glazed, framed, and reviewed with a microscopic eye to ensure every last detail is perfect (or as close to that as I will ever get). I have bought enough bubble wrap to package my house and send it anywhere in the world. I used to just shove all my paintings in my SUV and just pray a corner of one painting didn’t poke and rip the canvas of another.
My organization skills have skyrocketed (temporarily) and I know where everything is that I will need. Now, that is a first. I do realize, all too well, that elevating my presentation is expensive. Sadly, I do not think there is a way around this and if there is I will let you know. Now, the part I want to emphasize is that if you incorporate this practice (especially framing) early on in your creative practice, you will not be forced to ponder whether or not to rob the local bank because your art show is on the horizon. Knowing that the price of approximately 10 gallery frames (plus shipping) is akin to the purchase of a small aircraft, buying them slowly over time will not prove as detrimental to your bank account or the stress of shoveling an enormous amount of money out at one time. However, if you have a foolproof way of getting to that bank's vault, I wholeheartedly support your efforts. Just don’t miss your own show.
Not only did I frame everything and refine my packaging process, I created a lot of swag. I love swag. I love free stickers, business cards, and flyers of all kinds. So I created all of it. QR codes of my instagram page, business cards, postcards, and a booklet of art. I have never felt more prepared and more professional as an artist than at any other point in my art career.
The one thing I have done, through all of this, is to try and have REALISTIC expectations of the outcome of this event. Not a single thing that I have done will ensure any kind of success whatsoever. Ouch. I KNOW, right!!! The very FIRST thing the man leading the Q & A session for the artists participating in ArtexpoNY said was “don’t expect to sell anything”. DOUBLE. F@#$%!. OUCH! Well, he's' right. That pretty much goes for any show. And as painful of a pill that is to swallow, I cannot put all my eggs in one basket, EVER.
I have not only mentally upped my game and feel incredibly confident, I look professional. That is very important not only to the customer but to my frame of mind as an artist. And as much as New York is a dream come true for me in the art world, I know there will be several more years of trudging quite happily on this path to artistic freedom. I am going to soak up every second of this show, talk to every single person who looks my way, try to talk as confidently about my art as I can muster (I’ve been practicing), and leave knowing that I have worked my ass off and that’s all I can really do in the end.
Stay badass and keep creating!