Saturday, June 5, 2010

My first step down a long road.

So this Thursday held some significance for me. One, it was my birthday and two, it was the day of the auction where my Tiger painting would (hopefully) be auctioned off. Even though this painting was donated to the zoo, and I will never see any money from the sell, the event was both exciting and a little stressful. Why stressful you ask? Well, I kinda had it in my head that if this piece sold it would serve as some type of validation that I was on the right track with my art. That if someone, anyone in this economy felt compelled to throw down their hard earned dollars on something I created than I must be doing it right.

Once the auction began, the butterflies in my stomach started working overtime. I was watching the crowd and auctioneer like a hawk. Listening to people talk, watching the trends of the gallery as they bid on every piece of art that was up for auction. It seemed like it took an eternity before my piece was displayed. The potential buyers were thinning after each sale and each piece sold with prices ranging from $25- $250. My friends that were with me offered words of encouragement and made the event less stressful. But my external calm belied the hurricane of emotion that was swelling inside of me.

After about 20 pieces or so were gone it was time for the moment of truth. The auctioneer grabbed my piece from the table, announced my name and title of the art, and with that, my professional art career began with a $25 bid. This was the eye opener I needed, the shot in the arm of public opinion. There was no fan fair over my art, no "oooing and awing". Just the silent raising of a few hands of people that cared to own something I put so much into creating. And after a 90 second adrenaline ride of expectations it was over. Final bid, $75.

Once it was over I found out who bought my art, greeted them, shook their hand and thanked them for their interest. It felt good to know that someone out there felt my art was worth their money. And now after a couple days and the memories are still fresh I have gained a perspective on this event. This was not a validation of my talent at all, but a stepping stone on the path to my art career. I will continue to develop and improve and I will be successful. And hopefully, some day this will be a story told from another perspective. The perspective of an art patron that bought one of my original paintings for the unheard of low price of $75. I am thankful and honored to have shared the auction floor with some of the finest artists and designers Nashville has to offer. I wish all that participated the very best! As for me, its time to take that next step.

-G