Finally! I have just gotten back from hanging my pictures up at my local library. It was alittle harder than I thought it would be. Done. 16 months ago

So after 3 years, I have finally finished my uni degree, which means I have a lot of work hanging around. I really want to see it in a gallery before the end of 2012, also in the hopes to sell some of it. Should probably start by contacting galleries 18 months ago

Over the weekend we went on a hunt for simple black frames with pre-cut white mats for a few of the photos. I was getting pretty discouraged by last night (they all seemed either very cheap looking or way out of my price range) and then (a total fluke) I wandered into a store at the mall yesterday evening and they were having a 40% sale on frames.

I found exactly what I was looking for and snapped up a bunch of 13 X 15 and found one unused one at home 11 X 14, all with an 8 X 10 window. There are 3 additional 13 X 16 frames on the way over here for the 8.5 X 11 sized ones. That makes 9 frames (I can put the remaining prints in the plain glass frames), and I’m having resized copies made up right now. Later this afternoon we’re having a framing party.

All I need now is to head out to the neighborhood arts store and pick up some acid free tape for hinging and fixing the photos in the mats.

I think this will make a huge difference. 18 months ago

I’m not certain whether I can count this or not, but it’s as close as I’ve come.

I’ve been kicking myself very hard for not getting things together properly (or even selected) for the artist’s collective show I was asked to be a part of (with paintings, sculpture, photography, collage, jewelry, etc.) that opened last week.

At first it seemed like I had so much time to prepare that I put it off, then I got a huge transcription project last month which ate every last second, then these last few weeks I was struggling and really not in the right mood, so I left the majority for last weekend when I was hit with a killer 3 day migraine, so I was ready to give up and emotionally flog myself for flaking out.

Then Friday night I sat up until the wee hours randomly picking things I liked, but my monkey brain started being extraordinarily mean (inarticulate as well), so around 2am I stepped away.

Yesterday morning M. sat down and went over the batch I’d flagged, giving me some excellent feedback that let me see through other eyes. Together we picked out 15, 5 of which I was planning to print at 8.5 X 11 and put into those glass clip frames, which is all I have right now.

After driving all the way out to White Rock and suffering all sorts of thoroughly annoying editing, resizing, and printing issues (I wasn’t using my own computer) and nearly throwing in the towel, they started making their way out into the tangible world, and honestly, they really looked good – every one the printer carefully birthed pleased me, so we printed all of them. It was a strange feeling, especially when they were clipped under glass and I stood back quietly looking at them sitting against the wall.

Everything took so long I wasn’t able to drop them by the gallery last night, but my dad is arranging to drive them over today or tomorrow (a 15 minute drive for him, an hour drive for us).

After seeing my pictures in the tangible world and stopping by the gallery to see the other stuff being shown, I’ve decided that they really deserve something better than plain glass frames, so I’m looking to find some inexpensive black frames with white mats they’ll fit into. I can stop by and switch them up, bring more, whatever. I also want to whip up a CV and some cards, titles, etc. A touch of polish.

So I’m thinking this counts – things I created, under glass and on a wall in a wee gallery, my name on the promo… yes! A baby step, but one I’m feeling proud of. 19 months ago