My job at my favourite little Italian coffee shop in the world, with my very petite Italian boss, has been a huge help in making my home in the city. As well as a great boss, great coffee, a great clientelle, and at least one free meal a day, that job introduced me to my first art show.
One of the regulars at the caffe was doing a little project with us: having her company's in-house photographer taking photos of the caffe menu items for promotion. So, we got to talking, and my zealous boss enthusiasticly proclaimed me a photographer as well. Miss Claudine Santos (great lady, unfortunately we are losing her to the city of Ottawa) said, "would you ever be interested in showcasing that?"
I looked at Mario-my boss-shyly, he said "Vai, go for it! " the best reassurance I could have got.
So I said "absolutely! how do you mean?"
She explained to me this show series tittled "Spring Artists Series" with the theme synesthesia: condition whereby “a sensation produced in one modality is applied to another modality” (Dictionary.com) meaning that hearing something can cause someone to see a colour and so forth. The series (one on every thursday in April) would be held in a cozy room in the back of a local resturant, with the photographers work hanging on the wall and a dj playing music fitting to the work.
I pitched my series of abstract flowers from hawaii and my home in the Cariboo for the show and Claudine agreed!
Photographer's notes: 1/6th of a sec f/22 ISO 320
This was the most popular at the show, turns out many of us have certain feelings about a still center with moving seroundings, or maybe it was just the familiarity of a dandelion/ salsify blowing in the wind. To me this image just says home, the home I know with warm afternoon light, a wide sky and well, weeds....
Here are a few things I learned from my first show:
1.) You can go from amateur to professional (or, as I like to think of myself, semi-professional)overnight.
I had nothing, and I mean nothing to start with when I agreed to do this show. I still don't have a facebook page or a website. If you have any feedback on what is useful and what isn't with an online presence I would love to hear it! Is it worth it to have a page? Is there a good free website that I can manage myself? Any tips would be useful!
I decided that I could only do what I could manage, and no more. I couldn't get 10 000 business cards, I couldn't make a huge inventory, I couldn't buy a suit and be a publicly traded company, I was just one little girl doing her first show. I sugared it down to the minimum, which was a little card with my bio and a descripton of the series on nice paper, 7 smallish prints on the most inexpensive paper and mounting, a foolproof wall covering, a simple nice dress and a smile. I was scared, but I decided that that would have to be enough. Thank god it was! I was surprised when I sold 2 prints off the wall, another was ordered later, and I booked a job. I actually made a profit!
2.) I need a lot of help and I have to ask for it, I really could not have done it otherwise. I had everything from printing my bios off my girlfriends printer, to Chris sizing my files and sending them to the colour lab, to my mom driving 6 hours to help me set up and tell me I looked great. Not to mention teary phone calls and stress releif that I could not have gone through without support. Without those things I would have been totally screwed, so thank you thank you thank you!
3.) If you don't get adaquate answers to your questions, you have to find out yourself. It doesn't matter how many phone calls you make or emails you send, if you don't get the basic infor mation you need, you're screwed. There's only so much winging it you can do. A lot can be said for showing up. If you need to know something, nothing beats going down there and talking to someone face to face, and doing it early so you know what to expect.
4.) Tell everyone, absolutely everyone you know or have talked to for at least five minutes, and someone you don't expect might show up. The reason I call my first show a success is because people came! I was wonderful to have my friends and family around me.
Feel free to comment!
Cheers,
T
you rock, dude. congratulations! way to go after your dreams.
Posted by: Theblackhairedgirl | 06/24/2012 at 09:20 PM