I've had some small exhibitons as a drawer / painter in the 70s and 90s, in venues like a pub, in a gallery project of friends (more than once), in the lobby of a cinema. I even sold some oil paintings, for something like 300 DM per painting, which isn't too bad for an inconnu.
But if those who bought the stuff weren't friends, I always kind of had to dance for the buyers. The dialogues always went like "that's good, I like - so, what is it?" and then I felt obliged to come up with longwinded explanations instead of just saying that a picture is a picture and an essay is an essay and a speech is a speech, so if you want a picture here's the picture, give me the money and leave me alone.
The very disappointing insight was, that if I'd ever could choose the option of living on this, I'd helplessly depend on the whims and egos of the buyers, even worse than I'm depending on the bloody 38.5-hours-per-week job that I'm in.
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Date: 2007-02-14 07:47 pm (UTC)But if those who bought the stuff weren't friends, I always kind of had to dance for the buyers. The dialogues always went like "that's good, I like - so, what is it?" and then I felt obliged to come up with longwinded explanations instead of just saying that a picture is a picture and an essay is an essay and a speech is a speech, so if you want a picture here's the picture, give me the money and leave me alone.
The very disappointing insight was, that if I'd ever could choose the option of living on this, I'd helplessly depend on the whims and egos of the buyers, even worse than I'm depending on the bloody 38.5-hours-per-week job that I'm in.