Feedback Ain’t Just White Noise
After having just completed a solo exhibition of my work I take a deep breath of assessment….ahhhhh…then blow out any residual negative toxins…PHEWwwww.
It’s quite the public space we put ourselves in, being a practitioner in this art-making racket. The unchartered ROI often is something harshly ambiguous for anyone of the creative persuasion. It leads us to numerable questions and self-iterations. Will our show be reviewed by critics? How will our peers react — will they offer constructive feedback or be wryly frank? Will any new collectors spring from the woodwork to acknowledge us by acquiring our wares? What is the message in my current body of work…is it only subliminal? These questions and more linger after the gallery doors close for the final viewing day of any exhibition.
With cameras, brushes, and through other demons, as artists we air out our passionate souls, outspoken minds and often tender bodies in such categorically broad means. And when it comes right down to it, the physical work (or document thereof) needs to stand on its own accord, without us as personalities or spokespeople.
Does it speak to me?: There are times for a larger-than-life brash voice…and conversely others for bare minimum whispers. These inherent inner-voices we speak from many vantage points including the prophetic personal and the contextualized conceptual. There we stand, stark naked.