Great you’re an artist get ready to feel exposed!

So I’ve just launched a new series of paintings this week. I’ve been building up to it for weeks. Lots of social posts and newsletters. I’ve posted videos talking about how excited I am to launch the paintings, talked about my inspirations and my influences. Put everything out there…But come launch day….Nothing, no response, no sales….Silence.

What did I do wrong?

That’s when the feeling of vulnerability hits you, that deep feeling of dread in your stomach.. the doubt and imposter syndrome thoughts start to kick in. “It’s shit”… “No one likes it”, “I’m an idiot for thinking it was good”… You get the gist.

How incredibly deflating, you put yourself out there and the response is flat. How do you recover from that? As an artist you are basically saying “this is me” on a canvas, “do you like it?” And when the response is not what you hoped for, that can be hard to take.

I’ve had to learn very quickly since promoting my art commercially that being an artist requires a thick skin. You cannot take it personally, which is easier said than done as art is a very personal thing. You also need to learn that you can’t please everyone. Your taste in art is highly individual. For every piece you love there’s another ten you don’t like. Everyone is different and although it’s not the nicest feeling being told your art isn’t someones cup of tea, (learnt from experience…awks!) that’s ok, because for every person who doesn’t like it there will be someone who loves it!…You’ve just got to find them, and that’s the hard part, particularly with social media.

Now of course I’m disappointed that my series launch hasn’t been the roaring success that I hoped for, but I have to be realistic. I have a very small following on social media, most of which are family and friends, and my newsletter subscriber list isn’t much bigger.

I’m not stupid, I know that I’m trying to run before I can walk, these things take time. I need to be patient and remember it’s about the journey not the destination whenever I feel deflated.

But hey, no harm in trying still. If I don’t try I don’t learn. You have to keep putting yourself out there, even if it feels incredibly exposing. You have to get used to the vulnerable feeling.

So I’ll keep plugging, keep promoting my work even if it does feel so bloody cringe at times!….. And the success will come in time.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Floral misfits series then have a read of the previous blog post.

thanks for reading.