Shifting one’s can have a big affect on a situation. All other factors remaining the same except for a change of view. Shift your view!
Love in the Abstract, an art quilt, 26 ” x 24″
Abstract Art Quilts
I had been working on a pink,magenta and purple abstract piece at the time. I liked it so much that I made a smaller one to donate. As this was my first time at this local institution, I was excited. The auction has a two week window. I kept track with several visits. But no one bid on my piece. How embarressing! I was mortified! So I bid on it myself in my mother’s name with my phone number. In the end, I bought back my own piece!
Time passed and I pondered.
Time passed. I realized that I could shift my view. There was another way to look at the experience.First, the money paid went to an organization I wanted to support. It didn’t matter if the donation was money or a piece of art.
A Newer Art Form
Art Quilts are a newer art form. The more the public sees textiles as an art form the better. Hopefully a love and understanding of art quilts will develop with exposure. A better way to view this is to turn it around into an educational opportunity for the public to be exposed to something new .Every time a person views a new art quilt in an accepted venue, it is a win for everyone not just a sale or a donation.
What ideas of your own can be seen differently? How can they be shifted to create a win win situation?
Here is the link to the Santa Cruz County Art Council. They work year round to support artists and art education throughout the county.
Be ready to present your Laser Statement to the world.
Being ready with a short laser statement about one’s passion or business is essential. By definition, random encounters can happen anyway and anytime. Such positive interactions keep life interesting. For many they can be a way to interact with the public in a new way.
A laser statement is a necessity for artists or others to quickly explain to a novice what they do. Art quilts are still a new art form that many are not familiar with. Each conversation is an opportunity to share and educate. I didn’t expect a conversation about fabric to occur while accessing tech support. But I was ready with a laser statement when that happened.
Anxiety
Calling the tech support is always caused anxiety for me. This is mainly because I am not very techie. I do maintain my own website. However, I am not always unsure of the words that describe what I do. Knowledge of the vocabulary aids communication about an issue. That is what I lacked.
But I learned through use. I actually feel better now that I understand what certain words (browser, domain name,modem) mean. I have learned a bit more about what they are talking about. In their defense, tech support is always polite and patient.
Lost in space, the way I feel when I call tech support.
Caught Off Guard
Coming from a position of anxiety, these conversations caught me off guard. Yet they left me pleasantly surprised. After my questions had been answered, the tech support engaged me in a conversation about my work. I am always ready to share my passion for fabric art. It paid off to be ready to present my laser statement to the world.
This first conversation began when the male support person mentioned that he sewed costumes. He had several questions about making them. He made the costumes for ComicCon which sounded appropriate for his age. We talked fabric. I mentioned that the shiny fabrics that the costumes were made out of were the most difficult fabrics to work with. I said that 100% cotton is the easiest to work with. He caught on quickly and said, ” I should start with cotton, then, to develop my skills.” I agreed. He appreciated my willingness to share my knowledge freely with him. I thoroughly enjoyed this unlikely conversation.
Rogue Wave, an abstract art quilt, a fav of one of my random encounters
Art Afficionatos are Everywhere
Another conversation took place when the male tech support person asked me what an art quilt was. I was ready to present my laser statement to the world. I explained simply that an art quilt uses traditional quilting techniques to make wall art. He shared that he was very interested in art and loved spending time in art galleries.
I often refer people to my website. But it stuck me as funny to say “Take a look at my website.” Because we had literally just been working on it. It is fun to share my work especially to the uninitiated. He was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. Feedback about his favorites was appreciated.
His favorite of my abstract pieces especially Rogue Wave convinced me that he was a true art fan. Hopefully, the art quilt world has a new convert. Maybe in the future he will be open to search out more art quilts and fiber art shows. There is much power in being ready to present your laser statement to the world.
