Finding your people
/2023 is fast approaching and I'm here with a couple of notes as we finish out the year. First of all, a quick reminder to sign up for the 2023 Grant Deadlines Subscription, which will begin next week. You can sign up at any point during the year, but the best value is of course to sign up at the beginning. I have two spots available to those for those that the cost is a barrier - if this is you please fill out this form by January 5 to be considered for a free Subscription.
Moving on: Exactly one year ago today, on the very same that day I sent out my newsletter saying 2022 was going to be my "Year of Risk" and that my mantra was going to be shit or get off the pot, I had a medical crisis that sent me to the hospital for three days and has altered my life since then. It's almost comical to think about how that day brought a riskiness to my life that wasn't at all what I was thinking of with my ready-to-take-on-the-world attitude.
Regardless, I have continued to think about what might be the pathway forward for my art career. Even I can be tempted by the promises of more shows if I just follow three easy steps, or that I can make $100,000 in sales if I just make this one simple change. It's a nice thought, but not the reality in my experience, but then again if it were simple, the art world wouldn't be as engaging, would it?
I have found that there is no one pathway, and no guaranteed steps to follow for success (and no single picture of what that even is.) The art world is a puzzle each of us have to figure out with different possibilities, timetables, and outcomes. But I have arrived at a way of thinking that acknowledges this variability while helping me feel that is not all completely arbitrary. It's a simple equation: opportunity plus effort equals results.
Everyone has different opportunities, different advantages. Everyone has constantly changing amounts of effort they can – or are willing – to put in. Some people have lots of opportunity, some have really desirable opportunities, some have very few. Some artists have financial security, some have youth and optimism, some have connections through family, some are charismatic and so others drench them with confidence-building complements. My level of effort changes throughout the year from periods when I am super motivated to times when I have no energy for the art world's ridiculousness or its rejection.
This way of thinking (opportunity + effort) also generously allows for downtimes that can pick up when I am ready. Meeting opportunity (whether it arrives on its own or I create it) with my effort will have different outcomes based on how much effort I put in, ultimately giving me more control. This past year I have seen a reduction in what I am able to do because of health. My efforts will also not be the same as the 25-year-old who just got out of grad school and can work 14-hour days and survive on gummy bears and Red Bulls. But that doesn’t mean that my efforts won't have results.
Out of necessity, I am learning to work smarter not harder, and to be more strategic with my time.
When I moved to Los Angeles 11 years ago, I wanted to get to know the "art scene". I was so happy to have made some artist friends that I let them steer me to where they had friends and networks. My networks became theirs. I was so excited to have "a network" that I didn't think about if it would support and help me reach my goals. Over time I recognized that network might not be the one I would choose for myself and so I began seeking out people and places that I wanted to get to know. I am continually working at making new connections, and learning about others' endeavors and ways of working has been the thing that has kept me energized.
In the past five months, I cold-emailed 25 people I wanted to meet and got five studio visits from that outreach. I became a member of a local organization whose programming I really love and already my network is expanding in a meaningful way. I cut back on social media and made more time for my studio. This all took less effort than running around to six gallery receptions every single weekend, and because I was working smarter, has had much better results.
The art world is unfair, constantly changing, and at times feels arbitrary. It also has a lot of people involved who truly love it, love the work, and are trying to create something meaningful. Finding the people that match your values and goals can be hard when you have to wade through so many discouragements and rejections to get there, but is so worth it.
I hope that 2023 nurtures the meaningful relationships in your life – people that will recognize your value, support your work, and be frank (and savvy) enough to give you the feedback you need.
Here's to finding your people,
Virginia