San Jose Art Vlog

Looking for Center: 2017 in Review

It is that reflection and goal setting time of year again. I shared 16 posts in this space in 2017. I think I'm ok with that. Considering that it was one of the busiest years of my adult life. I've gathered some numbers for taking stock of the year.  I do not usually do this but I felt like it would help me put things in perspective.

Taken on Salt Spring Island, BC July 2017

I often felt a sensation of being in limbo despite pushing myself further than I ever had before. Looking back on the year this way has given me piece of mind that I have indeed achieved more than I thought. That is a reassuring feeling and it is helping to keep the limbo feeling in the background. Here are some numbers about my year.

Number of Completed Pieces: 5
Grants Written & Applied for: 2
Grants Received: 1
Art Sales: 2
Exhibitions Applied For: 10
Exhibitions: 4
Exhibition Rejections: 7
Art Related Articles Published: 2 (SAQA Journal Summer & Fall issues)
Press Coverage: 2 (Friendship Show UDHR Embroidery)
Art Exhibitions visited: 7 (a number I'd like to increase for 2018)
Attended SAQA Western Canada Regional Retreat in Kelowna, BC
Became SAQA Western Canada Regional Representative
Began my first Artist Residency at Forest Grove Elementary School
Began a part-time job at Mackin House Museum
Craftivist project artist for UDHR Quilt Project
Set up a Monthly newsletter
Set up a Facebook artist's page

These are career related accomplishments of course. There were many more parts to this life. Turning 40, sharing time with family, reading 36 books, travelling to some lovely locations, raising two boys and maintaining our crazy family of 4 life.

Installation view of Look In, Reach Out at the Zack Gallery, Vancouver BC, May 2017

A few thoughts to ponder as we move forward in 2018.

Why think about the rejections?  They are just as important as the acceptances.
Do you reflect on the passing years in your art practice? I do.  My project is called Memory Keeper and is now going into its 10th year.  Here are some past examples of the small pieces I make to mark each year.
2008 2010 2011 2012

Here's to an art filled 2018.

JJ

On Authenticity in the Social Media Age

I know for certain that I am not alone in this struggle.  Maybe I should refer to social media as more of a dance than a struggle but there are many people around me for which struggle is the appropriate word.
Leaving Facebook, coming back, learning a new platform but being limited by its capabilities, not wanting to over-post but noticing others are missing information that you are sharing.  The problems are real, and they leave many in a state of limbo with little to show for what can sometimes mean hours of work.
Last weekend 31 artists gathered in West Kelowna for the first ever Studio Art Quilts Associates Western Canada Retreat.  I was fortunate to be part of this group and we had lectures, workshops and social time to share ideas and simply be in the company of other like-minded lovers of art and cloth. The theme was Out of the Studio: Into the Wider World, one of the presentations was Social Media Your Presence = Your Choice by artist and teacher Susan Purney Mark.  She outlined strategies for success in using different platforms and presented recipes for discerning your own level of involvement in the social media jungle.
I appreciated hearing the points of view of others in the group as well, some who gave their own tips, shared their concerns, or questioned the validity of certain choices one could make.
I was left with a lot to ponder, and with a determination to solidify my own platform without apologies.
With my own goals in mind authenticity is a huge word for me.  If I sense a lack of authenticity in anyone I follow on social media I either un-follow them or tend to ignore their posts altogether. My reluctance to post just because I have to comes from this sense of being true to myself and also wanting to avoid over-sharing.  I have no desire to bombard anyone with me, me, me.
The reality however, as it has been explained to me, and as I am noticing more and more, is that unless you post once an hour for 24 hours straight the algorithms in Facebook or Instagram make that impossible. People are more likely to miss your post than see it.
And so if my goal is to gain recognition in my chosen career my social media strategy is paramount.  It must be a bond between authenticity and exposure.  As Susan stressed in her presentation, systems help you manage where your content goes and when.  I am going to work on getting my system running smoothly so that I can spend less time agonising over small choices and feel confident that what I am putting forward is true to who I am in this digital age.

The photos in the post were taken on Lake Okanagon at The Green Bay Bible Camp where the retreat was held.

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