Exhibit Your Art
7 INSPIRED STEPS: EXHIBIT YOUR ART IN THE PERFECT PLACES
Article by Jessica Serran
Philosophy of People
Magazine: Issue #18
I used to believe that getting art into exhibitions involved endless lists of unpleasant activities - schmoozing, filling out calls for entries and waiting for the rejection letters to come.
I used to believe that there must be some elite, secret formula.
And then it happened - the most perfect opportunities showed up once I stopped doing what I thought I had to.There is in fact a magic formula...
7 inspired steps to exhibiting your art in the perfect places.
Step 1 : Clarify your vision!
We often walk around thinking, “I want to exhibit my work”, but that’s as general as saying “I want to get a haircut.” You need to clarify how you want it to look, feel and how it aligns with your work. The universe responds to clear, well-defined requests.
Step 2 : How do you want the exhibition to feel?
What we’re really after, in addition to exposure, sales, recognition is how we want all of these things to make us feel.
Close your eyes for a few minutes each day and picture yourself in this space. What are you feeling? What are you saying? Who’s around you?
Step 3 : Admit your fears.
Showing our work can scare the pants off us. Our fears are hiding out trying to stop the show from ever happening. Write down a list of all of your fears – even if they seem silly and far-fetched.
Step 4 : Decide on your non-negotiables.
It's time to get concrete. How big of a space? Where will it be? What are you absolutely unwilling to do? Decide this now so when opportunities arise you'll be able to determine what's right for you.
Step 5 : Map it out.
Make a list all of the things that need to happen. Doing this will pave the way for inspiration and take you out of total overwhelm.
Step 6 : Brainstorm!
List every possible venue you can think of from conventional galleries to site-specific locations, your living room, coffee shops, etc. Take off all the limiters!
Step 7 : Take intuitive action.
Listen to your intuition! Do you suddenly have the urge to contact that curator you once met? One of my best shows arose because I heeded the intuitive call to pop into a gallery one afternoon. The rest was history.
Before we get external results we have to do the internal work. This is the magic formula.
Philosophy of People is a compilation of self-improvement articles written by entrepreneurs seeking to bring holistic solutions to everyday problems. Read more articles from our 2nd Year Anniversary issue.
Jessica Serran has been working as an artist, guide and self-proclaimed psycho-cartographer for the past 15 years. She makes images that connect others to the truth of their experiences while helping super smart, highly-sensitive artists step into their brilliance, own their genius and take it out into the world in the most miraculous ways. She’s about to help a group of 10 artists usher in the exhibition of their dreams. Find out more at Jessica Serran.