Don't leave us hanging short

This short post is written from the heart, so talk along with me.

Have you entered a painting in our exhibition? No? I wonder why. The show is national and juried this year, but PSST is not well known. We may have a shortage of entries, so your chances of getting in are great.

"But if I get in, framing is expensive." Yes, that's the business side of your art career, isn't it?
"OK, but maybe my work is not so good and I will be embarrassed." No, just having your work hanging in a gallery setting is a huge morale boost. And when you put your best skills to work in creating art, there is no embarrassment; only a glow that says,"I did it."

What's the flip side: You don't get accepted. I have had 4 major rejections in the last 2 months; I know the feeling. It IS hard to accept, hard to smile when someone says you'll make it next time. My desire for a top acceptance is keen, but those rejections serve a purpose: they push me, they send me back to the easel. What can I do better? Where are the flaws? Which part is good? 

All of this to say, unless you consider your painting a hobby, treat it like a business, with goals. That first goal should be to finish one up, photograph it, and get it entered in a show, starting with Art of the Pastel. You have 2 days until the deadline.

This purely personal post written by Carolyn Hancock and may or may not be the view of PSST!