What’s It All About?

So, 2015 is the year I committed to revitalizing my ExultationArts.com blog.  And that commitment raised a natural question: what’s the blog going to be about?

Yes, I’m an artist, and I can certainly blog about my latest creations, inspirations, art community happenings, etc.  That will be a good thing because it will prod me to continue to create new things, to seek new sources of inspiration and to be out and about in the art community. Good for me, good for my readers, good for my community.

But is that enough?

Limiting the blog to my artistic side presents only one facet of who I am. And there is a lot more to me than my artistic expression. So in contemplating this question, “What’s it all about?”, I have considered my experiences and feelings throughout the years I’ve been selling my work. A few things stand out:

  1. When I first started selling my work at art fairs, I was continually surprised by the number of people who would stop to read the artist’s statement I post in my booths. Some would stop and read it without ever really looking at my work. Others would slowly stroll through the booth and pause to read the statement before leaving. Some would come back in to consider the work again, while others would simply move on. Still others would read it first and then come in and slowly take in my work. Some comment on my story. Many have thanked me for posting it. This has led me to conclude these folks want to know more about the person sitting in the booth.
  2. As I return to venues, quite a few folks who have been to my booth before stop to say hi, and I love that! Some have purchased in the past, some have not – either way, I or my work have resonated with them at some level, and a connection has been made. These friendly gestures mean a lot to me. Sitting in a booth for 8-10 hours without talking to anyone can get tedious.
  3. As an artist, I have many opportunities and venues to sell my work: in stores, galleries, art fairs, events, the internet, etc. I have tried all these avenues, and while I appreciate every sale, I have found that for me, something is missing when my work goes home with someone I have never connected with personally. The call from the gallery informing me of a sale is nice, and it helps keep the business going. Within me, though, the same question arises: who bought it and why? In many cases, I will never know.
  4. As an art purchaser, I have found that I want to know more about the artist whose work I am considering, or even admiring. In one case, with a particularly expensive work, I actually didn’t want to know the painter because I really loved the painting, and I was afraid that if I didn’t like the painter it would change how I felt about the painting! What if he was a jerk? And when I have found an established artist whom I love, I have usually done internet research to find out who s/he is and whatever there is to be known about the person.

Taking all this together, I realize that there is more to the art than what it looks like or how it makes me feel. From my booth experiences, I’ve concluded that may be true for a lot of us. Through art, I want t know and be known. I want to know the artist whose work moves me, as well as the people who are moved by my work.

So in the final turn, yes, my blog will be about my artwork, my inspirations and my art community. And my blog will be about who I am as a person, what I am passionate about and things that move me beyond art. It will be about experiences I have through my artwork at art fairs, events, galleries, in workshops and beyond.

So let the blogging begin.

Until next time,

Debbie

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