instant art show #4

instant art show #4 postmortem report

And here’s the week in review in the form of the Postmortem Report! Read on to find out what I learned, what went well, and what was challenging this week:

what I learned

One of the really fun things that’s become part of my to-do list for the Instant Art Show has been coming up with some kind of a promotional image every week to put onto my posters, flyers, and website. I love the design challenge of coming up with an image that represents the week’s show and has an attractive overall design. I’ve also been trying to come up with ways to incorporate my own picture into the image that I create, like I’ve done in this week’s image:

An important goal for me in designing the Instant Art Show has been learning to overcome my own self-consciousness. A few years ago, I would have felt much too insecure to put a picture of myself anywhere visible associated with my artwork. I had these vague ideas that it would be easy to self-promote if only I was more artsy-looking, or more photogenic, or younger, or edgier; and these ideas somehow coexisted with the similarly vague and unchallenged notion that only a megalomaniac would self-promote. But really, none of this turned out to be true when I looked at it in real life. I always really like seeing pictures of other artists with their work, and they don’t need to be artsy or perfect or edgy or any of that. I just like seeing them and learning about their work. Seeing other artists’ pictures and hearing their stories makes me want to know more. Why would I be an exception to that rule? Why would I feel any different about it for myself?

We artists are mostly solitary creatures by nature, because art is largely a solitary practice, and it’s highly personal and very vulnerable. We’re all shy, and being visible can feel really scary. But practically speaking, it seems to be a necessity for a professional artist to have promotional pictures. They’re an asset that can be used in all kinds of different settings and situations, and it’s an impediment to not have them, so it’s really not optional for a working artist who wants to be perceived as a professional. So treating it as a necessity makes it easier for me to ignore the self-conscious voices telling me to just not even try.

And coming up with decent selfies can actually be a really fun creative project! One of my favorite ways to do it (and get over the inherent self-consciousness of it) is to employ the magic of sheer quantity. I find a time when I’m going to be alone in the studio for a couple of hours, set up my camera on a tripod with a timer, and say that I can’t stop taking pictures until I’ve taken at least a hundred. Seeing that many pictures of myself desensitizes me to the initial discomfort, so that I get over the cringe reflex, be more objective, and start having some fun with the process. And another benefit of quantity is that the odds are in my favor: even if I only have a five percent success rate, a hundred shots practically guarantees five decent pictures!

what went well

I liked the pieces in this week’s series, and I do think my promo image turned out to be quite clever! I also really enjoyed the in-person show, which ended up falling on Ashland’s First Friday. I had some really nice conversations about fellow creatives about the pieces I had on display as well as the current fall happenings in Ashland’s art scene. There are a lot of wonderful artists here in the Rogue Valley, and I feel really lucky to be a part of this friendly creative community.

what was challenging

I got sick!  I was dismayed to develop cold symptoms on the originally scheduled show date, and I had to make the decision to postpone the show and the content by a week. I knew this kind of thing would be inevitable over the course of a whole year, but I feel fortunate to have so much flexibility built into my project. I felt good being able to use my newsletter and Instagram to keep people posted about changes in the schedule, and was really appreciative of all the get-well messages I received. And it turned out to be fine to have made the necessary adjustments to my schedule. I’ll just need to take things one week at a time and cultivate adaptability.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the ideas in this week’s Postmortem Report! I feel really fortunate to be able to share my ideas with you. If you have ideas or experiences to share on the topic of selfies and self-promotion, or anything else I’ve mentioned this week, please feel free to email me through my website. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks so much for reading, and I’ll see you next week!