Art as Business: Progress Report V

Sometimes I say I might not be a woman deep inside – because I suck at doing many things at once. Trying to multi-task I just lose my concentration and can not even finish the sentence … I don’t remember what I was talking about any longer … I need to concentrate on one thing at a time – or I’ll just do a lousy job. Recently there has been some research published and articles written (here for example) about the disadvantages of multitasking and the constant flow of information.

“To do two things at once - is to do neither” Roman philosopher Publilius Syrus wrote in 100 B.C.

Since my last progress report I’ve been spending more or less all my time in the studio concentrating on painting (when the kid wasn’t sick that is) and has therefore not done much to reach my other goals (like getting more public commissions). I had given myself the task to prepare for screen printing, but felt that it would lead me astray and postponed it until mid March instead. But I’ve been doing my bookkeeping which is just torture in the moment - and doesn’t keep my mind busy afterwards.


Anyway this is the progress that I can report:

GALLERIES

Produced new materials

• 11 rise paper paintings (at least 70% good enough for my exhibition in November)
• 6 other paintings and 2 half-finished. And I feel I’m getting somewhere!

Upcoming exhibitions

• I have decided what to exhibit in April (at the Art club) and ordered the framing already.
• I have decided what to exhibit at Göteborg Konstförening in May (a totally different exhibition and with new materials).

Applying for exhibitions

• A college and I have decided to apply to exhibit together. We have got an excellent exhibition idea and have already put together an application and send it to one Art Gallery (Konsthall). We have decided on some other places for applying to as well, and will do this by mid March. It might lead somewhere – or it might not. It isn’t that easy to get an exhibition at those places.
• I’ve put together a list of places where to exhibit (solo), I have an exhibition idea and will now just have to finish rewriting my artist statement and put my material together. And apply.
• I’ve been keeping in touch with my gallery contacts.
  

TIME MANAGEMENTYES, I’ve said NO again!

• NO to be representing an artist organization at the board of VSBK (organisation mediating public commissions). Mostly it would be non-paid and anyway I don’t want to become a cultural administrator (which people seem to think I would be excellent at)
• NO to be the president of the board of KKV Göteborg (artist-run collective workhops) I even said NO when I got the hypothetical question if I could consider doing it if it was a well-paid part-time job.

I need to concentrate on my own art. And to keep remembering not to say yes, because I’m flattered…



HAVEN’T DONE

• updated my website with new materials
• prepared for screenprinting
• liberated more time in order to work less at nights (I just don't manage to figure this one out)

4th of April I will give my next progress report and these are some of the things that should be done by then:

1. artist statement (at least the Swedish one)
2. several exhibition applications (and I will reveal what they consisted off)
   
3. updated website
4. screen print for travelling exhibition (I'll tell you more about that in the week)

Next Sunday I will write about rejections and disappointments - and give some recent examples from my Not Any Progress Report (which so far has been just in my mind). And then I will share my strategies on how to handle rejections...