Losing Steam by Heather Goldstein

When I graduated last December and started my job full-time here at Jerry’s, I was beyond motivated to make it work. I had read somewhere that something like 90% of art school graduates do not create any art in the 2 years after graduation. That was not going to be me! I left school feeling refreshed and motivated about life, my job, and expecially my art. So here it is, October 11, and I have seen my art take the back seat.

Now, productivity is definitely NOT the issue! I have done 11 paintings on my own plus 1 in progress, 3 commissions, and 6 collaborative works with my friend Heather. No, the real problem has been what I find to be most artists’ problem…the business end.

When I graduated, I was constantly looking for shows to enter. I joined the Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh and was looking for as many additions to my resume as possible. I need to get back to that. I was so worried that I would not be able to force myself into the studio without deadlines, but the truth is that it does not take much forcing to get me there. There is nothing I love more than to come home, pour a glass of wine, put on some music, and paint for hours. But it’s time to focus! Time to find gallery representation. Time to find juried shows. Time to find my market.

So off I go into the great blue yonder of the internet. I’m in search, like so many, of an audience.