What is an artist to do while waiting for the results from the jurying process of an art exhibition?
Make good art. (Thank you, Neil Gaimon).
I was expecting the results from the first art exhibition I had applied to this year on the 20th. Naturally, I spent the day on the results page, refreshing, refreshing, refreshing. Around noon, two of my entered pieces were listed as "Not Invited", leaving the final third piece as "Received"not "Invited" as normally would be the posted results.
Feeling even more on edge, I naturally continued to refresh, refresh, refresh, off and on for another three hours. Finally, I received an email from the art association that that one piece had gotten through to the second round of jurying (unprecedented for them but they had a LOT of entries this year as it is their 50th anniversary for this particular exhibition.)
So, I have another five days of waiting. Le sigh.
Deciding not to let the results determine my fate or drag my self esteem completely down if I do end up being rejected, I seized the moment and entered two more juried art exhibitions. (For whatever reason, most of the local art exhibitions deadlines seem to happen in the late spring / early summer.)
I decided to try to be positive about the possible outcome of the juries and decided that my young Victorian child would be similarly positive. It's better to reach for the stars than hide under an umbrella of depression.
Be hopeful.
Make good art.
No matter what the results of the jury, just remember, it's the opinion of one or perhaps a handful of people. Your passion for art is something not to be too easily abandoned.
Enjoy some toast, young friend!
Just keep reaching for that jelly.
