Up to Snuff

So on Sunday, I drop off two ceramic works to be juried for exhibition.
I haven't decided yet which two things I'm taking; I have three things to select from.
When I first started to enter these types of shows, it was sort of take what you got. I just sort of submitted whatever I had at the time and hoped and prayed whoever was choosing liked it.
I used to make a big deal out of it, but now it's sort of old hat. I mean you get in the show, you get in. You don't, you don't.
If you know what I mean.
You can drive yourself crazy if you start to care about this sort of thing.
I mean your brain starts to implode with questions and your ego begins to manufacture self doubt by the bucket full.
Why didn't they pick mine?
Wasn't it good enough?
Am I a crappy artist?
A legend in my own mind?
It gets bad when you try to second guess the juror or jurors.
Most of the time, on the show prospectus, they tell you who and where the juror came from and what kind of background they have.
Sometimes they are artists themselves, sometimes gallery owners.
Are they looking for something simple or complicated? Do they want shocking or subdued?
Crazy pills.
Nowadays, I just put in what I got and let the chips fall where they may.
Except this time, I sort of rushed to put together my entries for I really don't have anything just laying around.
So now, I must decide on what to submit.
The Industrial Teapot is okay.
Overall I'm satisfied with the way it came out though the handles still bother me a bit. I'm not so worried about the juror noticing as I am that if it makes it in the exhibit, other people will notice it.
Then again, maybe it's just my eye.
I also have the UFT II and UFT III.
Both have flaws in them so I'm sort of undecided on which one to enter.
I need to grind down the UFT II's lid a bit for it sits sort of crooked and the UFT III has that broken landing gear.
Again, the flaws are sort of minor, though the landing gear is not really up to standards. I did not glaze the interiors so that's not really good either.
None of those things are show breakers though so I think they are good to go.
Now if these things were functional ware, there's no way I'd be even considering them.
Since they are largely decorative, certain things can slide by Inspector No.7.
Entering a show is sort of like gambling.
You have to pay a fee to enter, the fees go towards the cost of putting the show on I suppose, but there are prizes.
There's also the chance that the State Foundation for Culture and the Arts will award a purchase prize and your work goes into the State Art Museum.
I've never even been close.
So why enter?
Well, you get an opportunity to show your stuff with other artists. Hopefully people go to the show and you get your name out there.
Which is strange for me for I almost never use my full name. Mostly I just use my first initial and last name.
Sort of like being ambiguous, don't you know.
For me, it's mostly portfolio stuff. You know, I was in this show, yada, yada, yada.
Bragging rights, if you will.
It's also fun to go and see what folks are entering. It's a chance to see what others are working on, what new stuff is coming out, and to be perfectly honest, to get some ideas.
Oh, and of course, you get the satisfaction of knowing someone else besides yourself liked your work.
I guess that's the main reason.
I think.
The truth is, while artists will tell you that they don't care what other people think of their work, add me to that list, acknowledgment is great.
Especially when it comes from your peers.
So that's what I sort of go through when entering a show.
When I first started doing this, there was a lot of butterflies and stuff, but now it's mostly a hassle to have to go and find parking and drop stuff off and pick stuff up.
There's also the fees, in this case sixty five bucks, but it's also a good way to get your work out there.
That's fun too.