"You have a voice" . . . now go use it!
Lessons from a snoozy art festival
The “Perks” of a Snoozy Art Festival
Recently I participated in the Troutdale Art Festival in downtown Troutdale, Oregon. While it has a reputation for being a well-attended festival, it was anything but.
I know that participating in festivals can be a gamble. The weather, the marketing, other competing events, the local economy . . . all of it can affect whether a festival is well-attended and a success or an absolute dud.
In the case of Troutdale Art’s festival, I suspect it was all of the above.
It was unseasonably hot for this part of Oregon, Fleet Week was happening in nearby Portland, Oregon, the primary sponsor had dropped out and, well, the economy is garbage just about everywhere.
While a poorly attended festival is incredibly frustrating, I always try to look for silver linings in situations like this. I suspect it’s a coping mechanism I’ve learned to help me with the ups and downs of being an artist.
Unlike most festivals, where I barely get the opportunity to use the bathroom, the slow attendance at Troutdale allowed me to wander quite freely, leaving my booth unattended often.
If you’re an artist, you know how deeply inspiring it can be to witness other artist’s work, especially when they practice in the same medium. At Troutdale, I not only had the chance to peruse the work of other artist’s, I had the opportunity to really connect with many of them.
One artist in particular, a watercolor artist as well, had a booth across from me. On the first day, while bored between customers, I would sit and admire her work, her booth display, and especially the big purple bow perched above one of her paintings that read “Best in Show - Watercolor.”
Her work was breathtaking. I was intimidated, and intrigued.
At the end of the first day I snuck away from my booth to take a closer look. She was absorbed in another task while I thumbed through the countless landscape prints of familiar landmarks and quaint animals.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t comparing myself. She had mastered techniques I had not even attempted. Her compositions were expertly composed, her color palettes subtle but intriguing.
“You have a voice!”
The next morning, while I was setting up my booth, and feeling particularly frustrated about the festival’s poor attendance, she returned the gesture and popped by my booth to have a closer look.
She began to ask me questions about my art and before long I was telling her how my mom was a watercolor artist and I began to take the hobby more seriously during covid.
“You didn’t start painting until the pandemic?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve always been artistic, but I didn’t start playing seriously with watercolor until then.”
Her eyes widened, “Oh wow! You have a voice! Your mom must be so proud!”
Tears welled up in my eyes instantly. It’s always nice to hear compliments about your work, but to hear them from other artists who you admire . . . wow.
We ended up spending much of the second day talking about our work, our technique, our frustrations. It was so inspiring to talk to another artist who had many more years experience in the medium than I did.
At one point, while discussing layering, I admitted it was a technique I rarely attempted because it intimidated me.
"I didn’t use layering in my work at first either, and then one day I did” she told me.
“So there is hope for me!” I thought.
To know that this artist had struggled with similar challenges as me was encouraging.
“But Amanda” she said “You have a voice! You have my permission to ruin that painting you love so much by trying something new. Trust yourself, trust your artistic intuition!”
This conversation, this encouragement from another artist, made the entire festival worth it. It no longer mattered that my sales were a fraction of what I’d normally made, or that I was exhausted from long days in the heat. The encouragement and inspiration I gained from this conversation left me buzzing. Needless to say, I wept with gratitude on the drive home.
I may not be where I want to be but I am on my way, I just need to trust my intuition.
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