I had a rather encouraging ‘phone call this morning from a potential exhibitor of my work. The deal isn’t tied up definitely yet, but the conversation was very encouraging indeed. The experience has certainly set me thinking during the day.
The weather has been really fine, and my wife and I decided that we really ought to get out and do some walking again. About ten years ago (I think) we walked the whole length of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. That’s more than 200 km. We took it in small chunks, and it took us a year to do it, but we made it. She took down yesterday the album of photographs we made recording the event, and it has encouraged us to do some more walking. So today we took on a rather less ambitious project, walking from the village of Saltaire to a canal-side pub (for lunch) and back. (That was only about 6.5 km.) It was a good trip, with the bluebells out very early this year in the wood, and the bright sunshine.
As we walked along I was thinking about the ‘phone conversation I had had. This was one of the results of a little campaign I ran last month, approaching possible exhibitors of my work with proposals. Today’s response was one of two positive replies I have received, and it made me think how lacking in determination I had been previously in putting my work about. Generally I have been rather dispirited, for a variety of reasons, and not only the fact that I have not been doing anything really creative of late. Clearly, however, if I don’t promote my own work then who will? Once an artist acquires a certain amount of fame then it is possible to tie up with an agent, and in any case exhibitors come looking for you. Until that threshold is crossed, however, we artists are on our own.
Apart from anything else, this web-site needs some revision! I’ll see what I can do. Hold me to that, will you?