Do the Scary Thing
My first table at an art show
Do you follow your own advice? I often advise my clients to stretch and step out of their comfort zone. I talk about excitement and anxiety feeling similar in the body. I quote Rob Bell who recommends you make friends with the butterflies.
A life without the excitement of taking small risks can feel flat.
In January I joined the Greenleaf Art Center in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. It’s close to me and a relatively unknown gem in the neighborhood. I joined because I was looking for community and to improve as an artist.
And I wanted to be part of their open studio shows because they are among the best I have seen.
I have had my pictures in several art shows with the Wilmette Arts Guild, but I have never had a table where people would look at my art with me sitting there (and hopefully buy something).
I teased my participation on social media. I did a walkthrough of the pictures I would be bringing and posted the video below.
I also had two larger drawings on the walls in the show. I was thrilled to see they were hung in the main hallway where everyone who came in would see them.
“Eye of Insight”
“Hope I”
As a card-carrying introvert, I got myself ready in advance for the small talk and social discomfort I would likely feel.
Fortunately, the artists at the tables near me were delightful and chatty. It wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought it would be.
The people who stopped by as they were wandering through the show gave me a lot of positive feedback on my color palettes, composition, technique, etc. They asked interesting questions and shared their experiences with watercolor and pastel.
A few people even bought some pictures :)
Several people who I invited came to the show. I got big hugs and lovely compliments. They were thrilled to learn about this great art center and will be coming back for future shows.
Whenever you are considering putting yourself out there, I recommend telling yourself, “Nobody will die.” That puts it in the right perspective. I might have sold all my paintings, or none. All the people I invited might have come, or none of them.
In all cases, nothing catastrophic would happen.
Our ego can take any disappointments and will survive face-plant moments. At the end of your life, you will regret the things you didn’t do, not the things you tried that failed.
So, here is my best advice: Do the scary thing. Your life will be way more fun and much more interesting.