I am an art maker. A printmaker. A teacher of art & creative process. One thing I have never really been is an exhibitor. Here is why:
It takes work, time, effort & money.
Anyone who makes art-on any level-will tell you that the process can be a bit daunting. You have to be creative-not always easy. You have to (as you get older) wisely manage your energy-it is not as endless as it used to be & that can effect what you make & how you make it. You need space-both to make your art & to store it. (If you work with toxic , expensive or specialized materials/processes you need studio space as you can not do this in your home and storage wise-art gets damaged very easily when not stored properly.)
Now a days, you need to have a virtual presence:you HAVE (?) to be on facebook, flicker, vimeo, have a web site, do the Etsy store , be on linked & have a blog.
And then, you have to take your work around in the effort to get it out there. into the light of day. You should be networking , you might also be teaching to make ends meet or have access to facilities such as a darkroom ,welding , sculpture ceramics studio, or printshop...If you like making art-it is really tough to spend so much of your time, energy and resources on all of those other, none art related tasks. They can be full time jobs , in and of themselves & it is hard not to feel like you are taking valuable time away from your real goal of making art.
To be continued...
