photo friday

dive right in

It's been a while, I know. I'm not sure how to catch up on the amount of time since I was last here, but let me just dive right in.

Last night, I got to participate in an arts showcase, full of DC-local artists. The local director found my Etsy store and invited me to show my photos - originally in the May show, but I felt like I needed more time than that, so we agreed on the June showcase.

Shortly after that, or about when ticket sales opened on May 1, I started to become a wreck. It was, after all, my very first art show and I had tickets to sell. But I took the steps I needed to: figured out which pictures to show, ordered the prints, decided on how to display them, chose my space for the show. All the while I was all over social media trying to promote the show. I watched my showcase report neurotically, waiting for the slow uptick in ticket sales. I had many small anxiety attacks over it.

Finally, somehow, the night arrived. After a minor disaster involving my display, the show opened and the people came flooding in. Suddenly I was surrounded by family and friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in years and years. Everyone who stopped to look at my photos complimented me on them (okay, well, some people glanced and moved on, to be fair). I am so, so grateful to those who showed up, and to those who supported me from afar.

The night was a success - I sold some pictures, gave out my business card to some folks, met some other local artists, and generally felt confident that my art was good, that it spoke for itself. The process was sometimes a hassle, my body ached from standing for four hours, and I had what Daniel termed an "art hangover" this morning, but overall definitely worth it.