Beat the Critics
1. Beat the Critics
You probably already know this, but not everyone shares your dream. In fact, when you begin to think outside of the traditional boxes, you’re going to be branded as potentially weird or crazy.
I’ve found that as I have pursued my art, I’ve had to overcome three different sets of critics. I’m going to list
them in order of least importance to greatest importance. They are:
- The Judges
- The Family
- The Self
The Judges
The judges are just what you think they are. The art judges.
As you begin to get to know me, I’m going to challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and enter juried art competitions. Obviously, if you’re just starting out, this will be a ways down the road. But if you’re interested in taking your work to a whole new level, competition will certainly cause you to work a lot harder.
When I say “juried art show,” I’m talking about a show that you must pay to enter. So there is inherent risk
involved. You may not even get to show your work because it will be judged not worthy of the competition.
Back in the early 80’s, I decided to go professional. My goal was to make my living completely off my art, with no outside jobs supporting me. During one stretch, I was thrown out of 8 straight shows. “Thank you very much, Mr. Pattison, but you can hit the road.” There went my money right down the drain.
This was particularly devastating to me because I knew I had the talent to compete. I had been told all of my life that I had a special talent from God and now, finally, I had decided to “go for it.” Are these people blind?
Ultimately what you’re going to deal with is an issue of the heart, the issue of fear. Will you be willing to put
yourself out there for everyone to see and risk the humiliation of rejection? Fear of what the judges will think. Fear of what the other “better” artists will think. Fear of what your family and friends will think.
In my case, I made up my mind to keep going in spite of the constant rejection. And an amazing thing happened. I won the next three shows I entered. In one of them I was voted “best in show” and “most popular” as voted on by the public.
So get this on your list. Put it on the calendar. And prepare to overcome the judges.
go to: Beat the Critics Part 2
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