Lessons from my first solo exhibition

Friday 6 March was a big night for me. It was the official launch of my first ever solo exhibition. Something I had dreamed of, envisioned and planned to do for literally years, and here it was.

Surrounded by family, friends and local visitors who came to view and experience my works in person was brilliant. It had its fair share of anxiety woven into the minestrone soup of emotions, but the overwhelming feeling was joy and gratitude.

Only my family (and possibly not even) had seen the scope of my work, the variety, and it was fascinating to see how one work could resonate so differently with everyone. From landscapes to florals and abstracts. Not one of my works stood out head and shoulders above the rest. I felt they all had even appeal. 

How fascinating is that! In my mind I thought I knew which works would draw people in, only to find the one I put in the back corner had just as much appeal. There's no picking people's likes or dislikes.

This is something I had always known and accepted, that what one person loves another would not, but to see it play out in front of me… I stood in awe.

How do you take in and absorb everything that is shared in these moments? You can’t! Conversations that simply flowed took me on different journeys. I asked for thoughts and feedback, favourite works that grabbed them to their least favourite. With zero attachment to any piece, I was in awe of the different selections. I loved it. I wanted to ask more. It was all fascinating and helpful. 

And with these conversations, new ideas emerged, new directions I want to explore, new challenges. As I said, throughout it all I just felt joy and gratitude.

One of the lessons I embraced was to detach from my artworks. While everything I had displayed I am immensely proud of, I still was able to detach from them. They’re my works, an expression of me, my interpretation of the world through my lens, yet I felt joy if someone didn’t really like it! I saw how their expression was very personal to them, not an attack on me. And anyway, how could I sell an artwork if I was attached to it? Why have an exhibition if I didn’t want to part with my artworks and see them go off to another home?

This art of detaching simply cemented the lesson I’ve been learning for so long… to simply create what and how I want for me, and not for anyone else, not for the market and definitely not to please someone else. As long as I’m happy with it, that’s all that matters. I can’t make others like what I like, and I am grateful for that lesson.

Patience is another thing I learned. Patience in creating, in growing, in connecting with the right people, at times with the exhibition and waiting for the next visitor to come in (and sometimes these waiting periods were long!) The whole process requires patience. With art especially I understand it is rarely an impulse purchase. Art needs to be considered. It needs space and time. Will it fit my space? Will it match everything? Will my partner like it? Can I afford this? There are many obstacles and considerations. Patience here is critical. So being comfortable chatting with people openly, and understanding these things I feel is vital.

Relationships. That was another lesson. Not a new one, but it was reinforced. Build open and honest relationships with these people. Connect. Engage. If art isn’t an impulse buy, then staying connected really matters. The person you’re chatting with today could one day become a collector, or introduce you to other like-minded art lovers. People know people who know people. Your network will expand exponentially with these relationships.

Then the last thing, and to me the most important lesson of all is to be grateful. I know this is said a lot, but it's real. Did I make the sales target I set? No. Did I see as many people come through as I hoped? No. But did I enjoy the experience? Absolutely yes! Although I went into this with goals and targets, I had zero expectations. I gave myself permission to be in the moment and simply enjoy whatever came. With that I learned that I could just as easily be grateful for everything, as I could be bitter and annoyed.

So from the deepest part of my being, I want to say thank you with all my heart to everyone who helped me, and who found the time to visit my exhibition. For the conversations, the laughs, the feedback and most of all the support. Thank you.

Until the next one, I’ll keep creating and growing… as we all should.

Cheers