Becoming an Artist: The First Step
Exhibitions are the best opportunity for artists to share their work with a large audience and launch their career, but how does a beginner get started?
Hosting an exhibition is a lot of young artists’ dream. Many see this dream as something unachievable, or something for later in their career path. Galleries and museums are seen as unapproachable and the thought of submitting one’s work for display anywhere is intimidating. This mind-set prevents young artists from gaining the confidence they need to move forward in their careers in the arts.
I had fallen into this pitfall in my formative years as an artist. I believed that with the sheer amount of talent available at a glance online – that my work was simply not there yet. This is a limiting belief that I shared with many artists who are just getting their start. I had to overcome this fear to be able to move forward and become the artist I am today.
Looking back, it is hard to believe how easy it was to get my start. In 2018, I decided to give my career as an artist a fair shot. I arranged my first pop-up exhibition, Liz’s Archive, entirely myself by booking a room in the local community centre. The costs were minimal, only $150 to book the room and about $30 in command strips to put the work up. The results were life altering.
Friends and family came out to show their support and it was overwhelming to see so many people I loved enjoying my work. It didn’t matter that the floors were faded linoleum or that a local swimming competition was happening across the hall, the sense of accomplishment I felt was all the same.
From the confidence I built with my first show I was able to push myself to apply to local calls for submissions, find opportunities for my artwork to be displayed in local shops and curate a secondary show, Twisted Visions, where I was able to share the opportunity with 13 other young artists of diverse mediums for a one-night, horror-themed, pop-up exhibition.
What I’ve learned from this past year, and the advice I offer to anyone looking to get started in the arts is simple: all you need to do is get started! Push yourself to apply to a contest or email a local coffee shop and see if they would be willing to hang your work. You can do more than you think, and the opportunity can come from where you least expect it. Know at the end of the day, the ones you love want to see you succeed and will support you along the way.
