Choose You
- Oct 23, 2017
- 2 min read
Knock knock – who’s there?
Almost 2 decades ago when I was creating artwork and there was no www. I would create paintings, photograph them and have them made into slides. They were then slid into SAE padded envelopes and sent into the yonder. They were sent to art agents, art galleries, exhibitors, submissions to art companies and art prizes.
And then I would wait for the post and my slides would circle back round to me, greeted with my own handwriting on an ever creased envelope. Bulging with the returned slides – sometimes cracked. And the circle would repeat itself. A couple of exhibitions entered into successfully – the majority not. And the outlay far outweighed any inflow of income.
And so it was. The gatekeepers were exactly that. The yes or no was the one common denominator of where my work would or would not be visible.
Enter the internet and life became so simple it was transformative along with the addition of social media. Like an imagined monster under your bed in your childhood nightmares, the gatekeepers disappeared in a puff of smoke. And what remained? Wide, unlocked open doors, for all to walk through if they chose to.
This is not about the loss of craftsmanship or the accessibility for copyright infringements. This is a pointer to the fact that now if I choose to create an artwork – I can if it so pleases me, take an image of it, put it online and share it with my social media followers who enjoy seeing my creative endeavors.
If I choose to select a price to sell it to someone, I can. Who do I need to ask? Which gatekeeper decides if I am allowed to or not? I do not need to ask anyone, there is no one to ask. If it ever feels like there is, then they are a phantom of your imagination or cultural and societal conditioning.
Nowadays I feel more than ever, where there is a will there is a way. And in truth I set up my first online shop with very little money. In fact it was less than the cost of the slides and p & p circa 20 years ago. And yes, I sold work. I am self-taught. I didn’t need to ask permission. It is a far cry from waiting for the postman to deliver back to me a rejection letter and my broken slides. For those too young to know that world, I am glad. And for people like myself who experienced it, I am grateful and glad it’s over, because I love creating and I love sharing and I love not waiting for a gatekeeper to choose me. I get to choose me over and over again and so do you.
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