For a little over a year now, I have had some small works on consignment in a café in a neighbouring town. The café has all sorts of merchandise for sale, including jewelry, kitchenware and coffee or tea related products. There is literally something in every available space! I am really bad at following up, and had heard nothing from the café in too many months to count. Of course my “little voice” had convinced me that this was because no one wants my art, and basically they just don’t like me. What else could it be, right? So last week I prepared myself to confront failure and went over to the café, ready to pick up my art which obviously no one wants…. To my astonishment, the owners had sold two of my pieces, and commented that it is really hard to see the art properly as it is mixed in with all the other items on offer. So he offered me my own space, right in the sitting area, to create a fitting display where my art would be seen in a literally more favorable light! I was flabbergasted! I had also brought one of my calendars, on the off chance that maybe they could see that as something their customers would want to buy. The owner agreed immediately to take 5, and when I got home he had already posted the news, with a photo, on Facebook! A few hours later, he messaged me saying he only had one left and could I bring more!! I had taken approximate measures of the space he was offering me, and proceeded to come up with ideas of what kind of display I could find or make. Of course I had enlisted the help of my favorite handyman! We visited a few second hand shops looking for a small bookcase or anything that could be transformed into something to display small art pieces. The search was unsuccessful, but then I had an idea to create something using an old vintage frame! After running the idea by the café owner, the search switched to finding such a frame that we could then transform into a display case, preferably using items we already have in our considerable stash of “this could come in handy one day” items. I found a frame that, although not as ornate as I would have liked, was the right size to use without modification. We then proceeded to build a shallow “box” to sit behind the frame, and backed it with a sheet of used pegboard that we very luckily found at a local building supply store. Needing to have something to prop this display up off the ground, I found a very nice, and again, perfectly sized wooden wine crate at the liquor store, which they sell to raise money for the food bank! Win win! We will be installing the display either today or tomorrow. I had fun creating it, even though that means I did no “art” this week. I can't speak for my handyman, but we have built Ikea shelves together in the past, and we are still talking, so I guess it went well. I realised I really like problem solving! And repurposing! And I think it will look great and will do a much better job at displaying my art! I will post a picture on Facebook when it is installed! Conclusion? Facing your fears can of course lead to realizing you have failed, but it also can open up unexpected opportunities!! I should try this more often! What about you? Do you resist facing your fears? Let me know in the comments!
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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