I love music, I have an eclectic taste in music which I was able to indulge in for 10 years as a radio show producer and presenter.  I could pick and choose what to listen to in between the on-air interviews. You now have access to any song, genre and artist and thousands of podcasts with apps such as Spotify, Apple Music, Iheartradio and the like.
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I have also had two successful podcasts in the past both interviewing guests and sharing knowledge from LBA (life before art).  You can probably tell I love sound and can be highly auditory given the nature of my past exploits. 
For me creating art is intensifying my visual skills and has reduced the need for auditory stimulation.

Initially when I started creating again, I sat in silence and got lost in the paints. It was so relaxing and peaceful.  It was also at a time that there was a lot of negativity and sadness in the world with the pandemic. 

Over the years I transitioned to a playlist for creating.  It is easy to listen to and has intermittent songs I can hum or sing along to. I know of many artists that prefer to paint and create listening to music from various genres such as classical, heavy metal to easy listening.

Occasionally I listen to a podcast from my favourite art podcasts such as Art to Life, Art Chatter and my all-time favorite Art Juice. 

Lately, I have opted for silence.  I have been enjoying creating florals and being present in the moment of creating in silence.  The stresses of everyday life slip away as the paint glides on, and time gets lost. What a fabulous feeling.

Do you prefer music, podcasts or silence when you are working?  What is your favourite podcast or music?
   

I remember when I entered my first art show and saw my work in a real gallery I was thrilled to bits.  It was exciting and I made it happen.  I bit the bullet and applied to have my artwork accepted. 
From that one piece being accepted I mustered up enough courage to approach a gallery to see if I could add some pieces on consignment.  Yes, I was naive, but if you don't give it a go you will never know.

In June 2023 I decided I wanted to exhibit some of my work, I had no idea how I would do this until the light bulb illuminated and I thought, why not have my own exhibition. I was totally unprepared for how much work this would take and what I needed to do to make it successful.

In July, I ran my first open studio and art sale.  It was harrowing to put myself "out there" even though I held it at home in our expansive patio now named "Art in the Garden Room".  Would anyone turn up, what would they think of my artwork, will it be successful, what if it is too cold, too hot, too this, to that? Pushing through self-doubt with anything in your life is hard, I believe not trying is a harder pill to swallow.  You can't sit around waiting for a knock on your door or the phone to ring. Instead, make your own luck, you never know what exciting things will happen. By the way, I have another open studio in November over a night and a day because, people turned up, it was a freezing cold wet day and they still came, I sold artwork and had an absolute ball. I learnt from it and hope the next one is bigger and better. Oh, is that a knock on the door?  

In July 2022 I entered my first art show.  It was an amazing experience to go through the process of putting together the requirements for the online application. I was as nervous as a kitten.  I didn't know what I was doing, what some of the questions meant or what I was supposed to write. Would my artwork stack up with other entries, was my work worthy of being accepted? Am I an imposter?  All the questions came bounding up to me as I sat there with the computer screen in front of me and the online form bouncing from the screen and the questions swirling in my head.  I took a deep breath and thought, what is the best thing that can happen? So, I entered my first art show, was accepted, and sold my painting.  Not bad for a first time attempt.

There are so many great reasons to enter art shows and art competitions. I find one of the most important processes to come out of entering is being able to explain your work.  It gives you a chance to consider the piece you are entering, what is the emotion you are trying to evoke, what you were thinking, how does it relate to the show if it has a theme.
 
I remember another show, the piece had to have D hooks.  I had no idea what a D hook was or how I was going to fix it to my piece as I was entering artwork on a board which was only 3mm thick. After countless YouTube videos, practice on scrap boards I devised a solution.

How do you pack a painting to go via post to an art show or exhibition? This was another hurdle I needed to overcome.  I needed to protect my piece, the corners, the canvas, what is the best way of packaging?

In the past I did not have to deal with postage as my art sales had been local and drop offs.   

All these little nuances prepare you for sales, speaking about your art and allow you an experieince to prepare you for future sales and exhibitions.  Next time you see an art show advertised, give it a go and if you happen to be attending one, keep an eye out for me.