Stepping Out Publicly as an Artist

I have been creating art since I could pick up a giant, child-sized pencil. While everyone else was running amok outside, I wanted to color quietly and draw. Through the years, I have used art to make my apartment feel right, show people that I love them, make a party feel more communal, and to have some freaking fun. Art has also saved me in a lot of ways. When I need to process something, I think of the art piece that it is evoking. Sometimes I create that piece, and sometimes I leave it in my mind. But it is always there. 

Now, I am putting my work on display in public for the first time. These pieces are not intensely personal. A lot of them are actually really fun, and I am proud of each sculpture. (I worked on them until I was proud of them, which SHEESH. That takes FOREVER.) Yet, there is still something nerve-wracking about putting my art out there and claiming space as an artist. It’s like I suddenly have to live the stereotype of a starving, tortured artistic soul who can only be happy when creating her work. When in reality, I just want to share the fun, intricate pieces that I have spent hours and HOURS creating. Some are cheeky, some have a slightly serious bent, and all of them look really fucking cool (to me). 

I keep coming back to a story my therapist, who is also an artist, once told me about an exhibit that she had. She had created a large painting of a young woman. At the last minute, she added tear drop shaped rhinestones to the piece, because she had them lying around. A lot of people interpreted this addition as something large and dramatic. She thought they looked neat and added some depth to the painting.

Maybe there is a lesson in here for the artist and the viewer. For the viewer, sometimes rhinestones are just rhinestones. They could mean something deep and epic, or they could just finish a piece nicely. For the artist (me), it’s okay for rhinestones to be rhinestones. They don’t have to be soul-baring. Everyone can have their own interpretation. Maybe we should all talk about it instead of assuming the meaning behind each component.

If we happen to run into each other at the cafe at Book People during the month of August, let’s chat about what you are seeing!

- Lauren, public artist for the very first time