So well stated by another artist, Amy Flynn of Fobots...Most people donât realize how risky being an art show artist is. For one, youâre totally at the mercy of the weather. Sort of like farming, with the instability of the economy and an increased chance of vehicular accidents thrown in. We work like mad trying to create something that both fulfills our creative vision and that hopefully people will want to buy, spend a fortune applying to shows that we may or may not get into, pay further thousands of dollars in booth fees, gas, hotels, and a million other little things youâd never dream of, and then drive sometimes thousands of miles to get there, hoping for a successful show at the end. Or at least, not getting blown away by a microburst.
So you can see why I usually have butterflies in my stomach when we set out, especially to a new show. This time, theyâre not butterflies, theyâre pterodactyls. We left yesterday for our first show of the season in La Quinta, CA. So weâre driving for 4 1/2 days, to a place weâve never been, with a stock market that is plummeting, and the very real risk that at any moment they could cancel the show due to a freaking virus. Or that nobody will come.
This is the part where you tell me Iâm insane. Or that thereâs a very good chance that it will all work out great. I donât know. I do know that I canât just sit at home and worry, Iâve got to get out there and see what happens or else drown in a sea of the unsold robots Iâve been creating all winter. Weâre VERY lucky in that if it all goes bad, it wonât ruin us. But it wonât pay the bills either. Many of our artist friends are in a far more precarious position. So please, if you do make it to an art show sometime this year, keep in mind that these are some of the hardest working risk-takers youâll ever meet. If you can, buy their stuff. And remember to keep washing your hands. Weâll get through this.
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