“Poppies in blue”.

Continuing my flower obsession and more abstract style lately, I wanted to go BIG. This one is gorgeous and large at 48” x 60”. It was hanging on my family room wall for a short while after I completed it. Then came my last show of the year, so I brought it along for the ride.

Set up for this show was rather easy and without incident (which isn’t always the case…maybe another topic for another day). “Poppies in blue” hung in its spot just beautifully in its debut, commanding front and center stage, I was so excited to get reactions to it when the show began. I had time to take this photo above, isn’t she lovely?

Then POOF. Just like that…it was gone.

I had written about selling an original painting in a previous post called “When it’s not meant to be mine”, and how that connection is made with it’s new forever owner, but that process usually is a long time of my paintings appearing at multiple events and galleries before that happens. This sale was different, and one that boosted my confidence that the path I am on isn’t just a figment of my imagination (But I’ll get back to this confidence boost shortly).

First, I want to explain this feeling suffered by many artists, especially new ones like myself.

It is called Imposter Syndrome. If you're an artist, you know what I’m talking about already. Isn’t it horrible!?

I came across this EXCELLENT blog contribution on the SKETCH DESIGN REPEAT website about this topic, written by Cody Alice Moore, a very talented illustrator and pattern artist. In this blog, Cody lists the symptoms of this dreaded syndrome, which I share below, along with a link to the full blog.

Symptoms of imposter syndrome as an artist

Are easily and often overwhelmed with anxiety when working on art for fear of failing
Have an inability or hard time accepting compliments of your work
Have a lot of abandoned art pieces because you have a hard time finishing them if all conditions are not right at any part of the process of creating
Discount your achievements and attribute them to luck or external factors
Your artwork never seems to be finished because you often go back to tweak and perfect
Don’t feel like you deserve to price your art so that it meets a living wage and undercut the value
Feel out of place at professional events and networking opportunities
Embarrassed when asked about what you do for a living and calling yourself an artist
Extremely worried about what other people think about your work and the choices you make for your art business
Constantly comparing yourself to other artists
Feel like your work isn’t ever going to be good enough and being called out as a fraud
Procrastinate or over-prepare for an art project

Link to full blog here

Yep, that is the feeling, all wrapped up in a tidy bullet point list.

Back to this sale, that was like a shot in the arm to help cure my affliction. I have sold original paintings, many of them as a matter of fact (no brag), but every one of them up until “Poppies in blue” was to an individual for the purposes of having it be their own, and the connection they had with it to gaze upon it daily. And for that I am forever humbled.

This painting, was sold to a known Art Collector and Supporter, for the purposes of public display…excuse me while I giddily grin with that sentence…I don’t know what I can equate this feeling to. Is it validation? See symptoms above, they all disappeared in that moment. Not to say that those symptoms don’t subside with every original art sale, but this one was like a prescription dose. Also not to say that these symptoms don’t slowly creep back in from time to time, but there is a little less edge to them. Knowing my art was deemed “worthy” for this buyer, and knowing it will be seen in public display…Mind blown. Poof. Just like that.