Why do I say that? Surely failure is bad, and success is good! Obviously, success is good, but we learn nothing from it. We simply pat ourselves on the back and say how smart we are, but we rarely, if ever, analyze that success to find out the why. But when we fail, that's when we start thinking about what happened, what we could have done differently.
#artsales #motivation
Reading through this thread, especially the exchange between Annalie and Michael about that gallery visit, is exactly why conversations like this matter. Someone walked in feeling defeated and walked out with real perspective from someone who has actually been on the other side of that desk.
That point about never analyzing success really hit me. Everyone celebrates the wins but nobody sits down to figure out exactly why it worked. Failure forces that conversation.
@Cidalita B Exactly. One failure cost me $40K, but the lessons learned have made me ten times that.
I went to our local art gallery last week, and they said my art is only for buyers who would like bold, expressive art. I am aware that not everyone likes the same type of art, but I felt so bad, especially as it sounded like my art was only good enough for people who would only favor "loud" art, that my artwork lacked finesse. She showed me the art they have on their walls - each one was in muted colors, and she said several times that my art won't get much attention. She sounded almost disapproving. I felt like a failure and now question my artistic value. I know in my heart I'm wrong to feel like this, but it wasn't a good experience, as it was also my first time going to a gallery.
@Annalie Lamprecht All that experience should tell you is that it's the wrong gallery, with the wrong people working there. I had to turn down 20 artists every week; some weren't to the gallery's standard, but many just didn't fit what we knew we had a market for. I always tried to encourage them where I could. And then there were those with almost no artistic talent who'd been told by family and friends that they did. Lies like that help nobody. (I've looked at your art, and you shouldn't give up or question its artistic value.)
HTH.
Failure is how humans learn As babies learning to walk an we fall and get up and do it over an over until we run and jump with confidence.
@bob clark Absolutely.