I Did It!!

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abstract art, art, art expo, art for sale, art prints, art show, art shows, Artist, buy art, contemporary art, Family, friends, friendship, fun, love, paintings, prints, sharon cummings, sharoncummings, support, tampa, tampa artist, ybor city, ybor city art show

 

 

Yes I did!  I’ve got my first art show under my belt and it was a great success!  It was a very small show, but I still sold 3 originals and 30 prints.  Other artists around me who have done many shows said I did amazing….phenomenal and outstanding.  I’ve got my eye on something for March or April and then next year a BIG show (you have to apply to the big shows up to a year in advance).  

I learned a lot going through this experience and that wisdom is priceless.  Just like online sales, art does not sell itself.  It is not enough to just set up your tent and hide to the side.  Of all of the tents I could see and the two on either side of me, I was the one making sales and getting people into my space.  And the phrase “getting people in” is similar to what I do online.  I had to invite them.  Smile.  Engage them by talking and wave them in.  Once inside they relaxed and looked around and many bought.  I found just talking to folks…..including their kids…..laughing…..this is what made sales.  I sold prints to two people who bought because their children liked my work.  I engaged the kiddos too by addressing them and showing them work I thought they would like. Their parents seemed to love this and out came the credit cards when the wee ones had made their choices.  That’s the sales person in me talking, but all of that was not the best part of the show.

I was touched by the friends who came out to support me.  Some bought, but most just came to say hello and let me know that they wanted to be a part of my big day.  My in-laws also made the drive up to help make the day special.  One friend especially made me smile because I had not seen him in over 13 years.  It felt really good to see the love and friendship.

So yes….I did it and I will do it again. 🙂 

My First Time…

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art in the park, art show, art shows, aura, auras, canvas prints, celiac disease, chakra, chakras, crown chakra, disabilities, framed prints, glass, healing, health, heart chakra, light, lights, mosaic, mosaics, paintings, posters, prints, purple, sharon cummings, solar plexis chakra, stained, stained glass, star, starburst, stars, tampa, tampa art show, tampa art shows, the third eye, third eye, vertigo, wall art, ybor city

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/heart-star-colorful-art-stone-rockd-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

I am going to be in an art show.  This doesn’t sound like big news as most would expect that an artist would be in art shows.  However, after 10 years as a professional artist this is my first show.  My career has not followed a traditional path due to certain physical disabilities that I have faced over those 10 years.  I’ve never made an issue out of them and I never wanted anyone to buy my artwork out of pity, so you will not see mention of any of it in my bio.  Even most of my friends never knew of my greatest issues as I suffered in silence.  Some learned of it as I had times where I could not avoid telling them because it was severe when I was with them.  Most of the time, I just found ways to cope so no one would know.  My two disabilities were severe gastrointestinal problems and vertigo, both of which kept me out of shows and a lot of other things in life.  I learned a few years ago that I had Celiac disease and I started eating gluten free.  It has taken awhile for my body to heal, but it has to a point where I am now confident to go out and spend a day with the public without worries of needing to go to the bathroom often or worse not being able to stand or walk.  It is not easy for me to share these things publicly, but now that they are in my past, I am o.k. with it.  I am just delighted to look toward the future with hope and joy!  I will post an invitation a week before the show, but it is the 5th Annual Arts In The Park in Ybor City here in Tampa on December 14th from 9 – 4.  It is a juried show and I am delighted to have been chosen!  Stay tuned!