I've been quietly working away to complete art for The Wellington Art Show this year. The show was a success, running from 19-21st of April at Takina, Wellington's newest conference center opposite Te Papa in the CBD. It was huge! Over 150 artists and 7000 people attended. And I was one of them. Wow, that was a huge moment for me in my art career. To see my art up alongside my peers and I have to tell you, the imposter syndrome was there. But as the weekend passed that too passed and I could see why other's value my art too.
I had so many interesting conversations with art lovers and artists alike, sharing their response to my pieces. I am, by nature, a self-critical person which makes my choice of creating art sometimes difficult. Would others like it? Would they hate it? Words like 'energetic' 'movement' 'joy' were offered to me. Getting to connect with viewers and discuss what they enjoyed was a huge plus. It was wonderful to have those conversations with you all. One man discussed how my large piece, Ethereal Sky felt like when you play the piano and you just do it creatively for the joy of the music and the making, not for an end result and I loved that.
There was a lot to cover with my first art show, how to display my art in themes and sections, how to do the admin - labels, price lists, bump in (what on earth does that mean??! I said to myself) and bump out times and so much more. Was I allowed to leave my stand? When could I eat? I am a rule follower and a people pleaser and the idea of just doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted would not occur to me. I soon realised that it was easier than this, I could indeed go get a coffee and have a break. My art would sell if I was there or not. My wee group of artist neighbours and I would look out for each other's boards when we did so.
I learnt so much from other artists - how can I get in a gallery? how do you create art like that? And I loved being able to amble through the throngs of people to see all the art. I picked up so many business cards and made connections with promises to follow and share our art journeys. Selling art was the main motivation to do this but I got so much more out of this. Being an artist is usually a solitary existence and a show like this allowed me to meet others who also have the same fears, doubts, pride and creative buzz I have. It was affirming and exciting. What a ride.
I sold many pieces - small and within a smaller budget, because let's face it, times are tough. And my strategy going into this was to follow the tag line for The Wellington Art Show -art for everyone. So, I was really pleased that people could take home some original art that didn't break the bank. Excitingly, lots of business cards were taken and promises to follow on social media, so I'm hoping to grow my base and maybe sell some of the larger pieces later. Art is often a purchase worth mulling over. The show was in a word, overwhelming and people need a chance to reflect. Today I am taking more photos of pieces that are still available and putting them onto the website for those people that may want to purchase at a later date.
Not everyone realises it is expensive to run a stall at a show. You have to be picked based on your art and then pay per panel. I had 5 as it was my debut and I really wanted to make an impact. Next time would I do it differently? I would have maybe 4 panels to bring down the costs and I would definitely have that range of prices available again. At the beginning of the show, I nervously set some goals. Sell one piece. Sell up to $500, up to $1000, make the cost back for the panels, and then make a profit. And to my surprise, I did. Imposter syndrome be gone!