That was a modest mouse reference.... it's not really ALL bad news....
I mentioned a while back that I had applied for grad school at VCU. Well, a few weeks ago, I got an email from the head of the metals department saying that they were impressed with my portfolio, but there was a very large, very competitive group of applicants this year, and currently I was at the top of the waiting list. There were two positions open, and I was number three in line. What a bitch. So they were waiting to hear back from the one candidate ahead of me, and if they decided not to accept, I would be offered the position. So I waited. And waited. And I saw the professor at a gallery opening, and she said she should know in a few days. So I waited some more. Finally, another week later, I emailed her, and she wrote back that she was sorry not to have emailed me at the beginning of the week, but they did not have a position for me this year. Suck. So I was pretty bummed. But Mark helped cheer me up. He's good at that. It's funny how you feel good about something when you submit the application, and then as time passes, you feel worse and worse about it, and your confidence dwindles. Then you hear that hey! they did like it! there's a chance!!! And you feel pretty good again. Then you wait and wait and wait and your conifidence dwindles once again. So by the time I finally got an answer, I guess it's kind of what I was expecting. But I won't lie, it still sucked.
Guess you have to have some disappointments along the way. We also found out that a house we had seen (awesome!) and were thinking about making an offer on got snatched up from under us. Boooo. Not a very good few days.
But I feel a lot better today and can focus again on getting going. Keep on keepin' on, as it were.
So I've been busy with various tasks here lately. I had been putting off getting all my official business done, you know, the part where you have to get tax ID's and register your business and licenses, etc. So I finally got around to that. It seems like there is no clear answer on the web about exactly how you're supposed to get things done and in what order. So I asked a friend who owns a small art-based business, and she was so helpful! It's not that hard when you don't have 47 different websites telling to you to do various things and just not really being clear and concise. So I will share it with you now:
1. Get a federal tax ID number, called an EIN from the IRS.
2. Register your fictitious business name (DBA) with your city or county Register of Deeds. (In Virginia, you can find that at the Circuit Court office) $10
3. Get a business license.
I haven't actually gotten the business license yet, but I'm on it!
Now I can buy supplies from wholesalers, deduct expenses from my taxes, be eligible for many craft shows and fairs that won't accept you without at least a tax ID, and all kinds of other stuff. Just have to be sure to keep immaculate records of my expenses as well as income. My friend also told me about a free software for managing your finances at https://www.mint.com/. So I will check that out.
Among other things, I took some work to Quirk Gallery here in Richmond. They could only take consignment right now, but with the economy still being the way it is, I'll take it. Obviously if someone will buy your work straight-up for wholesale prices, that is preferable, but I love this gallery and just really wanted to have some work there. So if it sells well, maybe next time they will buy it wholesale. Most of the other galleries that I have shown in for years have been on a consignment basis, so it's not like it's that big of a change for me. One step at a time!
I also applied for Piedmont Craftsmen's Guild, a prestigious craft guild for artists working in the Southeastern US. They are based in Winston-Salem NC, my home town. I actually worked in their sales gallery right after college. It is a two-part application process - an image jury, and then if you pass that, you are invited to show your work at their annual fair in November, where you are judged again based on how your work looks in person. Whew! But once you're in, you're a lifetime member. Many of the best and most well-known craftsmen in the region are members, including my mentors, Andrea and Chuck Kennington and my former employer, Jon Kuhn. Once a member, you are also invited to show your work in their gallery, participate in group shows, and show your work at the fair each year. And just as an added bonus, it would drive JK crazy to have to call me a colleague. Ha!
I also have a couple of shows lined up. A faculty exhibition at the Sawtooth Center over the summer, and an alumni exhibition at ECU in the fall. Nothing too fancy right yet, but they should both be very nice. And I have a few more things in the works.
So I'm trying not to let the whole not getting into grad school thing get me down. I have a lot of things cookin', so hopefully things will take off soon! Guess I better get back to work. Sorry no pictures today! I'll have some for next time. Thanks for reading!
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