Or, how I didn't get into an art show and somehow came out ahead anyway.
Well, I didn't make the cut.
I recently applied to be part of the 2027 Yellow Springs Art Show, a well-established and highly regarded juried exhibition here in Chester County, PA. It's a show I've admired for years, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to get my work in front of a new audience.
So I applied. I created artwork. I prepared eight pieces for the jury. I showed up. I waited.
They didn't make the cut, but they're taking it remarkably well.
And weeks later came the mail.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Okay, it was worded much more graciously than that. But you get the idea.
And you know what? I'm really quite okay with it.
Here's why.
First, let's talk about the odds.
The Yellow Springs Art Show includes more than 200 artists, many of whom have participated for years. Returning artists generally don't re-jury, and rarely stop participating, so there are relatively few openings year-to-year for newcomers. Add a full contingent of applicants every year, and the competition is pretty stiff!
Not being chosen doesn't necessarily mean not being good enough. There are simply more qualified people than available spaces. And art is wonderfully subjective. What makes one person stop in their tracks might barely register with another.
Imagine how boring the world would be if we all loved exactly the same things!
Second, there's a funny little twist.
To prepare for the jury, I created a new series of paintings. I needed eight pieces.
Naturally, I made nine. Because apparently eight wasn't enough of a challenge.
And just a few days before the jury process, one of those paintings sold!
While I was preparing to find out whether a panel of jurors thought my work deserved a place in the show, someone else had already decided that one of my paintings deserved a place in their life.
“The Result of Diversity” (the collector planned to hang it in this orientation…
she loved it)
I have to admit, that felt pretty darned good.
A sale doesn't automatically make something great art, any more than a jury rejection makes it bad art. But it reminded me that art connects with people in different ways.
Both things can be true. And neither tells the whole story.
Third, look what happened along the way!
I made a whole new body of work!
Creating a cohesive series specifically for this opportunity pushed me to experiment with new directions in color, shape, and composition. I made decisions, changed my mind (repeatedly!), and discovered possibilities I might never have explored otherwise.
I also experienced something new: live jurying. Unlike shows where you submit digital images, Yellow Springs requires artists to bring their actual work for evaluation. That meant preparing and presenting the collection as a whole, and physically putting my work out there for consideration.
Would I have created exactly this series, expanded my skills, and stretched my artistic vision in quite the same way without applying?
Probably not.
So here I am with new artwork, new skills, valuable experience, and one less painting in my inventory (thank you, wonderful collector!).
Not a bad return on an application that didn't pan out.
So, did I lose?
Doesn’t look like it!
Well, if we're keeping score strictly by whether my name made the list, sure.
But I'm not particularly interested in keeping score that way.
The value of an experience isn't always measured by the outcome we originally hoped for.
We tend to define success by the destination: getting the job, winning the award, being accepted, making the sale. And sure, those things feel good. I certainly would have been delighted to get into the show!
But there's a lot to be gained along the way, too. New skills, unexpected discoveries, confidence, connections, and sometimes a whole new direction we hadn't anticipated.
That's true in art, and I suspect it's true in a lot of things we do.
So, no, you won't see my paintings in the 2027 Yellow Springs Art Show. But you will see them elsewhere. I'll keep creating, experimenting, taking chances, and following my curiosity wherever it leads.
Because for me, that's really what this is all about.
And perhaps that's worth remembering the next time any of us doesn't get picked for something we wanted.
What did we gain just by showing up and trying?
Sometimes the answer is quite a lot.
And sometimes, if we're really lucky, somebody buys painting number nine.
Now that's my kind of consolation prize.