Well I am putting on a springy color here today because outside it looks exactly like the pic in the Mar 18 post. I am saving time editing and loading a pic of the front yard today.
Well I am going to elaborate on a subject I touched on earlier, and I think it's better in a blog than in any of the various boards I mostly lurk on. I got off to a rough start in a couple of them, and I am shy to add to discussions.
What I was discussing with Paul today was how the internet has changed the scape of the craftspersons world in many positive if not revolutionary ways. For me personally, it has been my wings when we took the leap of faith five years ago and struck out on our own. I know I'm not the only one, and And here's how I can tell. Several of the "hottest" shows over tha last few years have extended their deadlines. Now in the years I was doing art shows, the sure sign of a loser art show was extended dealines. That meant they hadn't made enough money on their jury fees , or they didn't have enough quality entries.
In my opinion , and in my own little world, Craftspeople have come together with their customers like no other time in history. I guess this is so freeing for me because I don't have to sit and wonder why I was rejected from this or that art show, book, juried exhibition, grant, Whatever it was that I tried to get into the art world with my work seemed like a dead end. I was forced to present my work to a jury of so called peers and they decided if my work was worthy of whatever thing it was being judged for. Now I am no newcomer to competition. And I believe myself to have a healthy attitude about it. But after so many rejections and lost jury fees I had given up. I know , never give up. Well I didn't. I never gave up on my ability, and my love for working with clay, and my faith that other people would like it too. I just gave up on the art world out there because I could not fit in.
Now everyone is the juror. I have found a place where my work can be seen , and I can view thousands of other's work without the filter of the art snobs. I get inspiration reading their stories, and I get ideas . And most important is I get to make /do exactly what I want. No more wasted time and energy. I am now figuring out how to go full time in the studio, for the first time in years. And I know I am not the only one!! Thanks go to Etsy for a big part of this freedom. If you haven't tried it yet check it out!
