COMPETITIONS - ARE THEY WORTH IT?

Competitions – are they worth it?

There are many artists who will never enter an art competition and there are others who have based their success on them.  So, is it for you?

Importantly, most competitions are exhibitions too and for this reason alone, it’s worth considering. The chance to exhibit your work is certainly worth the effort if the entry costs aren’t too high and here's why.

You will see your work in a new and important light.  Family and friends may have kindly told you that your work is incredible, and while you may be happy living in this bubble of family-praise, you may never truly know until you see it alongside other artists' efforts.  

Showing with other artists can be a shock, but it’s a good shock. If we are honest with ourselves, we will probably see painting skills that will have us in awe. In this admission we learn the essential lesson that our own paintings are not the centre of the universe. And better still we can improve our own art skills.

If we believe all that family and friends tell us about our paintings, there is no room for improvement because when we believe our own work is truly incredible there is nowhere  to go.

Improvement isn’t necessarily the aim of everyone who holds a brush…. we just love painting, right? But who wouldn’t want to know that their paintings have improved from what they did last year? There's real satisfaction in that!

Being part of a mixed art show is an education – there is always something to learn from the works and techniques of others. There will be paintings that will take your breath away and the way to learn is to ask why you think it's so good. Searching for the answers and finding them are giant steps along the way.

I can say for sure the two biggest influences that propelled my art life, were my first sale (for $30 on eBay) and my first award (a Merit Award at a Rotary Show). There is great reward knowing that people who are unknown to you, love your work enough to pay money for it and that you've been recognised by an award, no matter how minor.

Sales and awards can happen at art shows/competitions, but that’s not all. It's normal when attending these shows that you bump into other artists at different stages of their development. You realise you are part of something bigger than that little art space at home and valuable friendships can be forged for life.

I encourage any artist to enter these shows but beware of online competitions. Some are good, but others are hefty money-making ventures that will invite you to enter unlimited pieces – at a price!

Happy Exhibiting.

Mike Barr