Validation as a photographer
As I said in an earlier blog post, my mentor kept urging me to submit entries for exhibitions. And I always keep his words in mind, because while happy clients give me validation for my equine photography, entering exhibitions does that for my personal portfolio.
Auto delete
Quite a few weeks ago I deleted an email. I had subscribed to many swiss art newsletters, just to get a lay of the land. I figured this particular email was just one of those and I really wasn't feeling it to read German at that moment.
But something must have nagged at my subconscious because I retrieved it from the trash folder and started reading it anyway.
It said the photoSCHWEIZ exhibition was rescheduled, they were feeling hopeful, yadayadayada. And then it said something like: "But that's not why we're writing you. We just wanted to let you know that YOU are part of it."
I read that again, started over from the beginning, read it again, and again. And then I my breathing got really fast, I got serious heart palpitations, and I got up and started pacing in front of my computer screen, frantically glancing at it dubiously, reading that sentence again and again. Because you know, German. But Google Translate confirmed it.
And then I texted my husband (who was working in the next room), told him I had a problem and that I was hyperventilating, having a minor heart-attack. He didn't text me back. I figured it was too hard to get out off his meeting, just to tend to his ailing wife. So I went outside and played with the dog, because, you know, that's what you do when you go crazy 😂.
The logistical consequences of getting into a big Swiss photography exhibition
So, there you had it, I was accepted into the photoSCHWEIZ exhibition!! I still can hardly contain the excitement!
But now what?!
Because I obviously couldn't go over there in these times. So we recruited a friend in Switzerland to help me out by doing the set up over there. And then I called my preferred print lab and asked if they could do a rush order. Because the hard thing will be to get my pieces over there in time, giving that there are still so many Covid-delays.
The first idea was that my husband was going on our house hunting trip in April, he could take them. But then there were no houses to see so the house hunting trip was cancelled.
So then we sent them with Fedex to that incredible friend.
Just a couple weeks ago, I got an email saying that the live exhibition was postponed to June. I truly hope Covid will let that happen.
And guess what, I will be there in time to set it up myself. We arrive a few days before the start of the exhibition!
Anyway, these are the eight pieces I entered, under the title "The many colors of winter":
