I’m surrounded by bags sitting on the floor of a train to Cornwall for a week of camping. The firefighting is on hold for a bit and I’m hoping to find time to reflect on the past couple of months.
I’ve started this blog, finished two paintings, and exhibited in 3 group exhibitions.
However, more importantly (for me at least) I think I have found a system for art submissions that works:
1. All art opportunity emails are filtered into a new mailbox (here they aren’t overwhelming – when there just isn’t time).
2. I try to check these emails every week day (I don’t have the concentration levels to do this weekly – I’ve tried!)
3. If I find something I might want to apply for, I cut and paste info onto a calendar, on the date of deadline. The subject is always ‘submission deadline’ and in the same colour.
4. Every couple of weeks, I check these calendar entries and ask myself some questions. What was exhibited last year? Would my work fit in? Am I at the right stage of my career? Who is selecting? Where are they coming from – will my work interest them? What else am I applying for/concentrating on? Here I refer to my submission/future spreadsheet which I will come to in step 5.
Now that I have dedicated time a lot of possibilities get deleted.
5. The chosen ones are put onto a spreadsheet in deadline order. Here entry requirements, and delivery/exhibition/collection dates etc are entered. As its updated every 2 weeks nothing gets missed (well that’s the idea).
Rereading this a few days later I wonder if others have had to go to these (perhaps, a little OTT) lengths to organise art submissions?
A hedgehog broke into our tent last night.
