Although I have been creating artwork for many years, sharing it online or actively trying to sell any of it is a fairly recent phenomenon.
I recently cleaned out some drawers in my studio and spent time looking through a stack of older pieces. It ended up being a good reminder that just because I’m not doing similar work now doesn’t mean the artwork is…
- Lesser quality
- “Bad”
- Not worthy of being purchased
- Not worthy of sharing/exhibiting in person or online
The last two points are sometimes the hardest for me to get past. It took me a long time to be OK saying my work was available for sale in the digital space. I still don’t think I’m fully comfortable, but it’s all baby steps, right?
And, I’ve also had a difficult time sharing the same piece multiple times on social media. I’m not sure if I figure people will get bored or annoyed with seeing my artwork, but chances are I could share the same piece daily for a month and the algorithm would still miss most of my followers. I suppose I should thank Instagram for helping me get over this issue (said sarcastically).
Below is a piece from a series created over 2 years ago. I went through my Instagram profile and found 3 posts of this work (2 photo reels, and 1 static post) from when I initially completed them. I didn't write anything in the caption of these posts about the work being available for purchase.
There was also a post with three of these pieces on exhibit at a fall-themed event. Unfortunately, they didn't sell at the show and I didn't yet have a website for sharing/selling my artwork.
So they all went into a drawer until I pulled them out a few weeks back. I remember this group of monoprints being the first time I tried stitching beyond the edges, into the negative space. Punching the holes and creating the embroidery to represent the rest of the leaf was VERY hard. But I was pleased with the results and still love the look of these older pieces.
I may not be creating work exactly like this today, but it is still quality work, and it shaped the work I continue to make. It still deserves a chance to be sold and shared.
Repeat after me, “There is nothing wrong with these pieces. There is nothing wrong with these pieces. There is nothing wrong with these pieces. There is nothing wrong with these pieces. There is nothing wrong with these pieces”.
Just reminding myself. 😊
And now they are finally available for sale on my website.
