C’est finit, mais c’est un nouveau commencement, aussi.
Well, it’s time for a bit of reflection. Here are some things I learned from my weekend at the art festival:
1. Don’t ever be self-conscious of your form of expression, or of the things you’ve expressed.
2. Do not disregard anyone that shows interest in your field. One of the most fulfilling moments of the weekend was spent in conversation with 7-year-old Anna and her little sister, while they watched me paint.
3. Body language, body language, body language. One needs to pay attention to the comfort needs of others. Certain people wanted to ask me countless questions about my artwork. Others wanted nothing to do with me while they were perusing my collection. It is imperative that you pay attention to the visual cues a perspective client gives you, and abide by the social rules that their actions lay before you, not your own. Always, always, always look approachable. This can be applied to countless situations people encounter in life.
4. Buying a piece of artwork isn’t an individual’s choice. It is an agreement among people. The moment someone shows interest in your work, it is no longer about you. It is totally and completely about the prospective buyer. And that is the way it should be. Your artwork should be able to creatively express something in your life, while being open, available, and able to speak to someone else’s life. If you are un-fulfilled with what you are doing, others will be hard-pressed to find their own fulfillment in it.
5. I have great friends.
6. Just about the most humerous thing one can encounter is a professional drum circle comprised of married, middle-aged, clean-cut, suburban, white males looking for a creative outlet to expend all the newly-found energy encountered when confronted by a mid-life crisis. Socks. Sandals. African-print tunics.
7. Getting someone excited enough to commit to what you’ve created is one of the most fulfilling feelings that exists. I sold my first painting to a stranger!!!111 yeaahboi.
On to the next chapter…
