I’ve been thinking about a new venue for my work (museums, museum stores and exhibit opportunities in museums) and recently saw an on-line course about it from an art consultant whose newsletter I subscribe to. It was only $40 and it seemed opportune, so I signed up.
I just got a chance to read all the course materials. And found nothing there I didn’t know already from doing my own reading and research. In fact, in some areas, I know more than the consultant, especially about the concrete “next steps” I need to make. The ideas suggested that I hadn’t thought of (like join a museum volunteer group), simply don’t make sense when the nearest major museum is over 100 miles away and even so they aren’t very direct ways of approaching my intention.
I was fuming about the lost $40, but my husband said to just move on. He said it’s not even worth the hour or two of my time to write a note of complaint. And he’s probably right.
The moral of the story? There isn’t a lot of “secret” information out there that isn’t available to you the old-fashioned way—ask questions, read, gather information. If you’re not sure how to proceed, figure out someone who would know. Give them a call, ask them if they have five minutes—and ask away.
There is no “secret” that people ahead of you have figured out. They’ve just decided exactly what it is they want, and then found ways to go about making it happen.
If you can identify a place for your work to be sold or exhibited, and you can use the internet or the telephone to get the information you need, if you are capable of keeping track of who you've contacted and what they've said and you can follow up with what they need, then you already have all the skills you need to eventually place your work there. (You HAVE done the art, right?) Skip wishful thinking and vague thoughts, and you'll be okay.
There. I just saved you $40. Take me to lunch the next time you see me.
