The subject for this blog post came to me after I was asked if I could bring paintings to display in a local art exhibit... as a matter of fact, only this past week.

The show continues into July. A beautiful exhibiting place. They apologized for asking at the last minute. I was happy to take work up to them for their exhibit. Why not? Every opportunity we get as artists, we should try to take advantage. We never know what will come of those opportunities. The good thing is that I had work that I could take to them as did a few other artists they had asked. We only needed about 4 to 5 or 6 pieces each. There was an art reception too. The exhibit room was excellent with excellent lighting too. The works were hung beautifully, a very professional looking exhibit.

How much completed artwork do you have ready to go, framed and everything? I have heard that we artists should always have work ready just in case something like an invitation to a last minute art exhibit or otherwise comes up. We might say..."What's the chance of that happening?" It can and does happen.

Well, also consider if someone calls your studio to see your work. You would want to be able to make an appointment for them to come to your studio. When that happens those potential clients expect to see a good inventory of work at your home-studio. And, yes that happens as well.

And then, what about an art gallery calling you and asking what work you have available to put in their art gallery? Guess what? That can happen also.

We always have to be ready. Even if you ask yourself why you should be painting if you have nothing scheduled, you surely must tell yourself it is always a good thing to keep on painting. . . and there are several reasons to do so. Be prolific!

1) To continue to improve upon your work.

2) To feel better.

3) To be prepared with a good inventory of work for any future art show.

4) To have work available and ready to enter in juried art competitions.

5) To have new, fresh work ready for potential clients to view.

Those are (I think) very good reasons to always have work on Stand By. Have the self-discipline to work a certain number of hours a day, Do not wait to be inspired. You will go hungry if you wait for inspiration to tag you.

You do have an image to create and you want to make it a successful image for yourself. When a prospective client calls to see your work, will you tell them you have work to be seen, or will you tell them you don't have anything available to show them at this time. Uh-Oh what happens to your successful image then?

If you are an artist, being prolific and having work ready to go is part of your professional profile. It is your life-style.

Just wanted to remind you about always being prepared.

Thank you for reading.

Artfully yours,
Sandy

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You can view Sandy's original post here.