Mid-June Check-In
I’ve been back home for a little under a week and I’ll be traveling to Yosemite tomorrow, but I have a few updates on things that I’ve been working on and what I’ve been up to. The theme right now is figuring out how to get my artwork in front of more eyes. As I mentioned in my last two posts, I’ve been trying to apply to calls for art from galleries and museums. This is a new experience for me and I’m learning a bit more about the process. One update is that I’ve been unfortunately rejected for the 50|50 show, which is a little sad, but I am new to applying to calls for art and it was a stretch goal for me. Rejections are hard, but I remind myself that it’s not a reflection of my artwork and different jurors have different preferences, so my artwork may not have fit with the theme they are trying to achieve with this year’s show. So I’ll keep working harder and I will continue to put myself out there when the opportunities arise.
What I’ve been working on
I am steadily working on my painting of Joshua Tree for the California National Parks: Stories of Water call for art this past week since I got back from the east coast. The call for art is due on July 10th, so I have a little under a month to work on it and complete the painting. I wasn’t as industrious as I had planned to be while at home and didn’t work much on the written materials for the application. I plan to do some writing while I’m in Yosemite. I drew up a painting schedule for when I return from my trip to Yosemite to make sure I stay on track and meet the deadline!
This year, I am going to be participating in the San Francisco Open Studios event, which will be happening during the weekends of November before Thanksgiving. I’m currently working out the details of figuring out a venue to host my event since I don’t have a studio in SF, but once I have the location figured out and which weekend I’ll be participating, I’ll definitely share the information!
Inputs
I started reading In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honoré to help me reframe my mind about slowing down and doing less things. I’m used to filling up my schedule and have always tried to keep myself busy because I have/had the belief that being busy and doing as much as possible is a good thing. As I’m settling into creating and making art full-time, I feel like I have to reframe how I think about moving quickly and being constantly busy, so I’m trying to learn through books. Let me know if you have any recommendations on related books or podcasts!
Outings
As I mentioned, I just got back from a trip to the east coast visiting family and attending a wedding. It was an eventful trip and I enjoyed spending time with my family and celebrating my friend’s marriage, but I am glad to be back home to rest and recharge.
Today, I went to San Jose’s Municipal Rose Garden, which I had visited in the beginning of May, to see if more roses had bloomed. Turns out, it’s coming to the end of the rose season, so while the rose bushes and trees are more full of flowers, compared to the beginning of May, most of the roses are in stages of decay, Which is also beautiful in its own way.
I think that’s it for now. I’m looking forward to my trip to Yosemite and hope to be inspired by the park! Also, wish me luck on my California National Park painting, which I will be focusing on when I return from my trip.
