Following on from the last show I thought I would do a ‘wot I learnded’ after each show, because learning is fun 😉 This one is a little late but still valid.

1. Group Shows don’t have to be stressful. This one was great, very relaxed, wonderful people to work with and everything went really well.
2. Exposure is king. I love a good exposure, having the festival, while damp, still served to highlight work.
3. The opening is still most important. I think the opening was de-emphasized in favor of the festival, and turnouts were not as large as expected. Talking to people really makes a difference too – it’s hard but being shy won’t help!
4. Sweat the small stuff. Little features like proper labels and writeups on the artists make such a difference. it isn’t expensive to stick them on foamcore and set it all up well and the immediate look is brilliant.
5. People really do respond to color accents. and nice details – plus they are fun to do!
6. Be inspired.
7. Sorting out the edges as you go is much easier and neater and nicer..
8. Hats rock.
9. Take what you learn from past experiences but don’t discount previous ones. During preparation this show I bagged the last one a lot. I think that just brought myself down and made me feel crappy for no reason.
10. Just because images may offend or disturb doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do them.
11. Not everything has to be perfect – beauty is often in the imperfections.
12. Don’t scrub out paintings!! I am incapable of judging my own work. once a painting is on the canvas it isn’t mine anymore – I need to make it live but it won’t always go exactly where it is supposed to – and that is part of the magic. painting is a journey not a destination.
13. Don’t be afraid to mix it up, try new things and step outside the comfort zone – not every painting needs to be the same and not every exhibition needs to have matching pieces, techniques or styles. Don’t get locked into thinking it has to be a certain way.
14. Rest rest and more rest – I would have coped better without both celebrations but planning for a collapse afterward really helped – pity it was worse than planned!
15. Be confident in the works. I am ready to move my career forward, I am feeling very positive. I think my confidence building and goal work over the last few months really helped build my confidence and readiness.
16. Take time to celebrate! Seeing the works up there, in a hip gallery in such a cool neighborhood made me feel truly like an artist. I was who I wanted to be, where I wanted to be and I could see my career unfolding in front of me.

Tags: artist, creating art, exhibition, post mortem