How to Win Awards! My Best Kept Secrets…
By Kim Lordier
I get asked frequently, “How do I get into a gallery?” How do I get people to buy my work?” “How do I get into the big shows?” Recently, an artist taking one of my workshops insisted he wanted to know the trick to getting his work into shows and how to make people “open up their wallets”, as if I knew the secret and was holding back the answer. He was serious.
These are frustrating questions. I do not have the answers. Each one of us, in every creative field, steps up to our craft for very different and internal reasons.
Nobody’s path is the same.
I will share a secret with you… No, it’s not how to win awards.
In 2012, at the first Plein Air Convention in Las Vegas, NV. Eric Rhoads, leading his first live 6:30AM Marketing Boot Camp, asked the audience to answer a question: “What is at the top of your art pyramid? You can only pick one. Fame, Fortune, Peer Respect, Museum Collection, Legacy? He said, understanding what is at the top of your pyramid helps you to set smaller goals to reach success.
This question hit a nerve… of course I love to paint, I want sales, I want to make my pastel mark in history. Getting a painting accepted into a show, maybe an award, icing on the cake! How do you put only one of those things at the top?
But…. It smacked me right on the forehead.
I realized over the years peer respect was at the top of my pyramid. Looking back I could see how that had influenced my choices along the way. Peer respect was an integral part of the proverbial ladder that I was climbing. It helped to motivate me, and was a great litmus test for checking in with quality.
I believe this stemmed from when I was actively painting dog and horse portraits to help pay for my horse habit ;-). I loved painting them. When the parents of Fido, Fluffy or Blaze cried when they saw their commissioned painting, that felt so wonderful.
However, when an artist that I admired, one who knows the roller coaster ride the visual artist goes through, acknowledged a painting of mine or made a recommendation for me, the adrenaline rush was huge. It’s hard to explain, and I kinda feel embarrassed admitting it.
I “should” be painting for myself. And, of course, I do. I paint what moves me, what I’m curious about, I paint the beauty our Mother Earth offers. But, peer respect played a large part in my drive for accomplishment.
Shows, awards, magazine articles, sales, gallery representation, notoriety, these enterprises help us to know we are on a solid path climbing up the ladder of success.
Those outside acknowledgments, while important to the business and marketing side of our work, are not the raison d’être. Peer respect only goes so far, awards are awesome until the next big show and next set of winners. Fame, fleeting until the next big thing comes along.
Know that the rungs of the proverbial ladder are UNIQUE to your journey. We must avoid climbing somebody else’s ladder. We have no idea what that other person is dealing with along their journey, what we see is only a perception of their reality.
Don’t be in a hurry to get to the top. We must relish the climb, no matter the difficulties.
My friend and mentor, Jean Stern, Director Emeritus of The Irvine Museum and art historian, gave me sage advice early on in my career. He said, “Kim, don’t be in a hurry for what you wish for, because you will have little time for experimentation and practice, as galleries, exhibitions and expectations will take over and you may find yourself painting for those instead of for yourself.”
Ultimately, it’s the work that must be authentic. There are no tricks for success, it’s the hard work and attention to quality that drive us up that ladder and opens doors.
If we are consistently hitting a closed door, or stuck on the same rung of the ladder, it is time to look inward. To dig deeper into our craft, to the quality of our work. And ask ourselves,
What is my goal now and why?
Understanding the hierarchy of your art pyramid helps to keep you aligned with your goals. All of those things, fame, fortune, respect, legacy, museum collection are all within reach, and choosing one doesn’t disallow the others, but knowing what’s at the top helps with the process. What started out at the top of that pyramid can change over time. And that represents growth.
I feel strongly that there are two sides to what we do, the business and the creative. There must be room and time for both.
What’s at the top of your art pyramid?