7 surprising lessons from my first Open Studios event

Recently, I opened my studio doors for the first time and invited local friends and art lovers in to take a peek.

It was a low-key and small-scale affair by design, but provided me with many insights and lessons about the value of showing my work in person.

Below is a list of seven surprising lessons I learned from my first Open Studios Event.

1. People are curious about what artists do

Given how curious artists are about what other artists do, this lesson shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Artists and non-artists alike are curious about how art is made.

Many of the questions my guests asked were about process; ‘how do you start a painting?’, ‘how do you apply collage papers so that they disappear into the background?’, ‘what made that cool mark?’.

But they also asked harder to answer questions about ‘motivation’, ‘intent’ and ‘knowing when a painting is finished’; questions non-artists rarely ask me on Instagram or in response to one of my monthly newsletters.

2. The more you talk about your work, the more comfortable you get talking about your work.

While I regularly share my creative process and thoughts about art-making with my online audience, those posts are primarily pre-planned. I’ve thought about what I want to say and had the opportunity to edit it until the message is clear (I hope…).

Speaking about my work, ‘in person’ required me to think on my feet. Some of the questions were ones I hadn’t entertained before. Others came up several times during the afternoon and became easier to answer fluidly with each repetition. Several of the novel ones sent me straight to my journal to write, reflect and contemplate future directions in my work (thank you 🙂 ).

3. Showing work in real life beats sharing it on a 3 x 5 inch screen.

One of the most exciting (and nerve-wracking) things about sharing work in person, is seeing the viewer’s immediate response. This response is unguarded and spontaneous in a way that ‘comments’, ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ on social media are not. I found that viewing my work with others and hearing their thoughts about it, allowed me to see it through fresh eyes and at a greater distance.

Of course, seeing work in person also allows one to notice the more subtle aspects of the piece. My paintings are multi-layered and highly textured; two things that don’t show up well onscreen. The smaller wooden panels beg to be picked up and held in the hand. Comments about ‘luminosity’ and ‘depth’ were made as viewers stood up close to the paintings and asked if it was okay if they ‘touched’ (absolutely!).

4. Hanging your work gallery-style allows you to really see yourself as an artist

Hosting an Open Studio event is similar to having a gallery show. Unless you have a very large space, you have to decide which pieces to show and how to arrange them. Part of this process includes thinking about how different substrate sizes and colour palettes will look together.

The process of arranging (and re-arranging) my work allowed me to see it as a larger entity; a body of work with a thread that runs through it. I noticed the similarities between series that, at first glance, seemed quite disparate. And enjoyed tracing the evolution of my marks from early works to the most recent.

Finding one’s ‘voice’ is a common topic of conversation among emerging artists. Hosting an Open Studio event helped me to realize that I already have one.

5. If the work is for sale, make it clear to your visitors

My primary goal for hosting an Open Studios event was to get comfortable talking about my art with others and increase my visibility as an artist in my local community. I was not prioritizing sales and it showed.

While I knew that the work on my painting wall was ‘in progress’, it was not clear to my visitors. Completed works were signed and titled on the backs, but there were no titles (or prices) for people to see. I know how uncomfortable it can be asking an artist the cost of a painting. I could have made this much clearer (and more comfortable for everybody) by taking the time to create gallery tags and sticking them on the walls next to the work.

(On that note, you can find work for sale on my website by visiting the ‘Shop’ page 😉 ).

6. Conversations on the day can lead to sales in the weeks following the event

While my primary goal in hosting and Open Studios event was not sales, selling work is part of what I do as an artist. Not only does it allow me to finance my studio adventures, it also clears physical space in my house for making new work.

And it feels pretty damn good when somebody connects with something I’ve made enough to want to have it for their very own!

In the days following the event, two of my visitors reached out to me to purchase work they’d seen in person. This reminded me that sometimes, collectors need time to make a decision about buying art and that just because a painting doesn’t sell when it’s first released, doesn’t mean that it won’t eventually end up in the home of the person it’s meant to.

Keep talking about your work; you never know who’s listening and for how long they’ve been watching you!

7. Hosting an ‘Open Studios’ event on your own is a lot of work

Have you every attended or hosted and artist’s Open Studios event? Share your experience in the comments below!