I have noticed that when I come home from a show, I always have mixed emotions about the event. Putting a show together, especially street fairs, is a lot of work. Every time I pack up the car and go about setting up my pop-up gallery, I can't help but thinking what a hassle it is getting everything ready and that it is probably time to quit. Then everything comes together and attendees start to arrive.
Yesterday at the annual Saluda, NC Art Fair, I had around 300 visitors to my show. That is very good for a small one-day event. The most enjoyable part was all the fun conversations that my ICM work generated with visitors, and the subjects of conversation did vary quite a lot. I even found out that there is a connection between professional football, black bears, and art yesterday. As far as the art goes, my work is making people smile and think about the world around them a bit differently. One of the most common responses to my work is along the lines of 'I didn't know you could do that with a camera'. My shows make people happy, and that is what ultimately keeps me going in this ICM endeavor. I have something to say through my camera, and people appreciate that I am doing what I do.
Then I came home, and the questions from the people living in my second world start. The one I absolutely abhor is 'How much money did you make?' Short answer is that if my artwork ever comes down to the motive of making money as the primary reason for doing what I do, then I will really quit and never pick up a camera again.
For those who can only measure success by dollars generated, I do well at all of my shows. Let's leave it at that. But asking that question of an artist is just as sophomoric as a bunch of guys the day after a social event asking 'Did you get laid last night?' Honestly, I don't think non-artists even comprehend how offensive it is to measure success of an artist's work by how much money they made by engaging in the activity. I can't recall ever having a conversation with a group of other artists where we talked about making money. For the non-artists in my world, it usually evolves around how creative others in the group are in their work, and appreciation for the ideas and concepts they bring to the table. As close as it ever comes to money is how we go about marketing ourselves so that others can see and hopefully appreciate our work.
So, for all my friends focused on making money as the measure of success in the world of art, be forewarned, I am going to start responding with questions about your sex life.
D'Day