The Day I Sold My First Artwork…

…is today!!!

I have had a few pieces of plaster artwork that I had produced a while back for sale at Millport Landing, an awesome little shop in Millport, NY that sells works of local artisans, antiques, and tasty fresh-baked cookies!

My parents turned me on this shop after stopping there every week for the fresh-baked cookies.  They suggested that A.D. consign some of his works there, and I dutifully made it happen.  In doing so, I was taken in conversation by the owner, Margie, and encouraged to bring in some of my own work.

I hesitated as I don’t really feel like an artist.  I am the 9-to-5-er that plays around with paint at night and the weekends or when it fits.  I’m not terribly creative, or if I am, I don’t have that sort of confidence.

Between A.D. and Margie my confidence buoyed just enough that I did consign some of my own artwork and as the weeks passed, I figured that nothing was going to sell.  I hadn’t made anything that anyone else would like.  People were being kind.  I wasn’t good.

This afternoon though, my mother called very excited and stated that, ‘You’re a real artist now’.  Confused, as I often am when talking with my mother, she then added that I had sold an artwork! The sheer delight!

Now, I know I am not meant to care what people think, but I do.  Most of us do care to some extent.  That is where the vulnerability of art and life lies:  in seeking acceptance.

Taking that vulnerable step of putting yourself out there doesn’t always lead to success and can often lead to frustration, but the feeling of selling my first artwork, it’s awesome!  I don’t think this makes me an artist, but it definitely makes me happy.