I might fail miserably, but...
With 2020 well underway, I am finding myself transitioning into a brand new season of my career. One that can be summarized in two words...
Choice
Space
This New Year marked an important milestone for me...
My 10-year anniversary of being a professional artist!
At the beginning of this year, I spent a lot of time reflecting on this milestone (read more about that here), but now I'm finding myself looking ahead and asking what I want my next decade to look like, how I want it to feel, and what and how I want to create.
I was fortunate, right out of the gate, to always have at least one or two exhibitions lined up and on the horizon.
Many people don't realize this, but in the art world, you're usually booked 2-3 years out. That's because it typically takes at least a year (often longer) to create a body of work for an exhibition.
For the first time in a decade, the entirety of my professional career, I have no shows lined up! This was intentional. I really wanted to give myself the opportunity to create from an entirely new place, without strict deadlines and themes always in the back of my mind, and see what happens!
This has not been an easy decision. There has been a lot of fear and a lot of questioning that has bubbled up as a result of this choice and it has required me to say no to a lot of potentially cool opportunities. But, ultimately, I realized that I would have major regrets if I didn't take a chance on myself in this way.
After all, how can new and better come to be without some space to evolve?
I know how I show up and create with the structure, urgency, and pressure that come along with exhibitions, but I'm really curious to see how my creative process transforms with room to grow and explore.
I have a sense the flexibility will allow me to follow my inspiration in more powerful ways, helping me discover more and more who I am as an artist and a human. I'm looking forward to this establishing a stronger, more holistic foundation for my life and career.
It almost feels as if I'll be working with an entirely new "color palette!”
So here I am, a decade in, past the point of no return...entering into a new abyss, fighting to make my life and career even more my own.
I don't know how it's going to go.
It could fail miserably.
But...
I'm practiced at this feeling...
It's the same one I get every time I step in front of a blank canvas.
Wishing you more choice and more space in whatever season you find yourself in!
Cheers,
