|
It's A New Day, It's A New Dawn, It's A New Decade… The beginning of a new year always puts me in a pensive, introspective mood. It just feels like the right time to sit back and reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, and develop a plan to move forward towards new goals. But, being a creative thinker can have it's drawbacks during this time of reflection. It's easy to overlook how far you've come, unless you develop a quantifiable system of measuring. For a lot of artists, achieving a goal "doesn't really count," because by the time they get there, they have already upped the ante and set a new goal. It is precisely for that reason I suggest you sit down and WRITE DOWN you realistic career goals for 2010 and the resolutions you will have to complete to achieve them. Then, make another list for 2020, the goals you want to achieve in the next decade. Put each list in an envelope to be opened on January 1, 2011 and January 1, 2020 respectively. Make it a tradition to spend New Year's Day as your day to appreciate how far you have come and how much you have done. For most emerging and mid career artists,
the single most important thing you can do for yourself is decide to
spend 2-3 hours per week "doing your homework." My gift to you this
holiday season is a fairly extensive list of resources for you to
peruse on a monthly basis, searching for viable opportunities. For
artists that need to develop a "paper trail" for their resume, there
is no better way than entering juried shows and competitions. There
are a number of websites that offer exhibition opportunities for
artists. Sometimes, a fee is involved to enter the show, other times
it is a call for exhibition proposals that requires no fee. The fun
thing about checking these websites frequently, is the odd and/or
unique opportunity that comes up once in awhile that might be just
perfect for you...a chocolate bar company looking for an artistic
wrapper, a three week residency in Japan (all expenses paid), the
opportunity to be an artist in residence in Yosemite National Park,
an historic penitentiary in Philadelphia looking for site specific
sculptors to transform the jail cells, the US Mint looking for
artists to design the new quarter or submissions of art for vending
machines...yes, all of these are real opportunities that I have
found on these websites.
These sites changes frequently, so don't just rely on my recommendations, but do internet searches of your own to discover constantly new sites that are being developed. Some of the sites require a "premium" sign up for more listings, but I have never found that necessary, as there is plenty of free information out there. Make it your resolution this year to submit to 3-4 opportunities per month. This is not an activity that you will ever give up, kind of like painting the Golden Gate Bridge, once you finish, it's time to start all over. At the end of the year, you will have a concrete way of judging your success by admiring the activity on your bio. Remember, this is just a start, happy hunting!
|
||||||||||||
Advice | Services | About Sylvia | Galleries | Artists | Contact Us |
© Copyright 1998-2009, Sylvia White/Contemporary Artists' Services. All rights reserved.