All The Good Things

I have had a number of people asking what became of my art proposal to Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships decided they were not interested in being involved. I suspect an artist may represent too risky of a marketing move for a company intent on branding themselves. I think I am better off in the long run as their policies on complete copyright and creative control would make any art maker nervous. We have different visions and that, I realize, is fine.

I did however feel strongly (and brilliantly) about the idea. I was momentarily left hanging and wondering what had gone wrong. Then I reassessed as I often do when things don’t seem clear. I think most artist fluctuate between thinking they are the most brilliant thing out there and feeling like losers who can't produce anything other than shite. It is essential to have times where you think you are brilliant as it motivates the production of all those brilliant epiphanies. It will keep you thinking people are quite possibly blind when they don't buy into it. Artists shouldn’t fight their tendency to be sensitive either. It is there where artists record so that others can participate in perspectives they could not imagine. 



So, back to feeling like doggy doo on this particular occasion, not so much about the rejection itself, but more about how it was rejected. I pulled out my list entitled “all the good things” which is where I record all the really positive things that keep me believing in both myself and my goals.

All the good things (Apr/May)
-16,000 hits on my www.michal.ca for April
-receiving a random email from a man who inherited one of my paintings in a will
-selling 4 major and 2 minor works through Vancouver Art Gallery and an Alberta art auction
-selling $12,000 of work in two months through galleries while in Liberia
-discovering my work has been featured on paintblog.ca
-a friend writing a really nice blog about me
-a designer writing really positive comments about my work
-small encouraging notes my family members gave me at Christmas, but I saved until the spring
-4+ exhibitions I have lined up for the fall (with more ideas in tow)
-a strong sense that the best I have to offer is actually art related, not minor jobs
-the original proposal being picked up internationally with development possibilities into a bigger project than initially projected.

I would encourage anyone to write down lists like this. When I am not feeling that good about my situation, I pull it out and am instantly transported back to my exciting world of possibilities.