Why We Need to Get Out of the Studio

10/5/2015

Me doing a good job of interacting at an exhibition of my art in way back in 2008

'Interact with the Art World' is one of the key habits of the 8 Habit Plan for Creative Growth.

It's a habit that has been noticeably missing from my agenda lately.

Despite acknowledging this as a 'missing habit', I hadn't made much of a plan to do anything about it, other than a rather vague intention to meet up with the same friend to see the new Russian art museum in Málaga which is currently showing works by Kandinsky, Iliá Repin and Chagall - sigh!

(More on my visit to the Russian Museum here.)

Apart from a recent visit with my other half and an artist friend to visit some exhibitions in a nearby city, and online conversations with other artists, I'm ashamed to say haven't been interacting with the art world at all.

Artists Love Other Artists

Artwork by three new artist friends: Jessica Shepherd, Gail McNeillie and Kitty Shepherd

The universe had other ideas apparently. Out of the blue, on Friday night I found myself surrounded by not one nor two but three other artists having the kind of conversation that artists love to have. Out of this conversation came the opportunity to submit to a local juried show.

Exhibiting is, of course, another aspect of the 'Interact with the Art World' habit but it wasn't on my landmarks list for this year. After personal circumstances put pay to my plan to do an open studio last year, I hadn't recouped the mindset for showing my work and felt that with all the other projects on my plate, I'd be happy just to keep up my regular art-making routine and experiment with some new ideas.

That said, getting rid of as much stuff from my studio prior to downsizing and becoming more nomadic, definitely is a priority. So the possibility of selling some work presenting itself right now is too good an opportunity to ignore.

Exhibiting and the Inner Critic

Of course my inner critic has been rampant telling me that I - no! - my work won't be accepted into the show.

So I've set him to work on editing my artist's statement and, although he's still grumbling, he's substantially subdued.