I came up with a beautiful new artifact a few days ago. (see TRUST YOUR PROCESS
http://jonudell.net/radio-luann/2006/06/05.html#a341) It turned out so well I called my photographer, Jeff Baird in Brattleboro, VT to photograph samples ASAP. Lucky people on my mailing list might get a lovely postcard in the months ahead....
While I was in Brattleboro, I met my fellow fiber artist, Joanne Russo and took her to lunch. Joanne recently juried slide entries for a prestigious show, and had interesting insights on the process. We got caught up on what our plans were for the months ahead. (Joanne's always got somethin' goin' on. You can see her beautiful work here: http://www.joannerusso.com/ and view the exhibit she and her husband have put together, of Gerry's paintings and collection of American Indian beadwork at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, ME here: http://www.abbemuseum.org/exhibits.html)
It was at that point I realized I don't know what my plans are after my next show (in August, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Annual Fair.) (Oh, if you have an inkling you'd like to come visit me there, check out the League's website at http://www.nhcrafts.org/ for show information. It runs from August 5 through August 13 this year.)
I have decisions to make about whether to stay with the safe show I'm tenured in or go with the new show that wasn't so great and is iffier about getting into (assuming I even get in again) but was a better venue for my work.
And decisions about another show to be held in Las Vegas, that MIGHT target a whole new slew of west coast buyers, but MIGHT not be the right venue.
Decisions, decisions. As I thought out loud with Joanne, worrying about losing tenure here and not getting it at all there, and the show(s) I didn't get into here and the ones I didn't even apply for that I should have there, I felt like a giant pot of stew boiling on the stove. Every stir brings up another chunk of mystery meat or odd-looking potato.
How do I decide? What if I make the wrong decision?! And what about my jury slides?? What if I hadn't made the right decisions on which slides to submit and that's why I wasn't getting into the right shows? What if I can't nail that article I've promised? What should I do??? Please, someone, tell me what to do???
And suddenly, instead of yet another chunk of potato, a moment of sanity bubbled up instead.
I remembered my friend Larry the psychologist's favorite (cognitive) therapy question:
"What's the worst that could happen?"
Well...if I didn't get into any shows for next year...
I would have a whole year to build up a new body of work in my wall hangings.
Isn't that a GOOD thing?
And if my jury slides need tweaking, why, I can think of three people immediately who would be able to help me decide that. One of them was sitting in front of me eating sushi, the other was burning a CD of new photos, and another, Bruce Baker, would be happy to critique my slides for a small fee. (See Bruce's website for his three wonderful CDs on the business of craft, including his newest on.....jury slides! www.bbakerinc.com )
I've been going full-tilt filling the orders I took at ACC, and filling retail orders that have trickled in all on their own, with no "pushing" from me--no publicity campaign, no advertising, no shopping cart on my site, just word-of-mouth and name recognition getting some momentum. A new thing for me, but nice.
Sometimes there's no need to pedal the bike furiously. Sometimes it's just time for a downhill ride. You get to sit back and enjoy the view for a bit.
Cognitive therapy--works for me!
