Excitement and realizations

 A warm welcome to you from Crows Chase Cottage. It has been an eventful week, filled with long drives, studio work, and getting to know other artists within our community. Needless to say, I definitely felt overwhelmed with the 'newness' of it all. Several of my mornings now consist of a lovely 45 minute drive along narrow back roads that lead to state route 127. Despite my dislike of driving on mountainous roads, the magnificent scenery is always a reward. It only takes a few minutes after driving down the mountain that the breadth of Sequatchie Valley comes into view. With cloud banks obscuring the upper edges of the valley wall and low hanging rain clouds swooping away to the left, nature's beauty has been on full display this week.  

After making my way onto main street, everything moves at a slower pace. I park nearby and make my way to the specialty bakery/cafe next to The Grinning Possum. Their iced coffee is perfect for keeping cool during these humid post rain shower summer days in Pikeville. 

This week has been exceptionally busy, due to the famous 127 yard sale. With main street being a draw for tourists traveling the longer sales route, the established artists at our gallery spent the days prepping for increased sales. Being new to this, I barely had time to get fresh photo prints ordered for matting in studio. Working with more professional artists can be intimidating. Being the newbie, I admit to feeling self doubt as to the quality of my creations compared to others in the gallery. That is one of the challenges I have been facing. As someone new to painting, those unpleasant feelings of inadequacy are constantly trying to creep forward. However, I am discovering that the artist cooperative community in my area strive to lift each other up during times of self doubt. It is such a boost to ones spirit when other artists provide positive feedback and compliments regarding your creations. My advice is to seek out a creator community/cooperative if you feel isolated in your creativity. Yes, there are toxic and negative groups, but you will realize their mentality fairly quickly. Always trust your instincts when dealing with new connections. Fortunately, the encouraging groups far outweigh the negative ones. Even though you might feel deflated inside if your first experience with a group is toxic, realize that there are others out there that will welcome you and your creations into their community in order to help you succeed in your learning process. 

 

Despite being a fairly busy week for Pikeville, our gallery has only seen a slight uptick in foot traffic. This surprised me, as the 127 yard sale brings thousands of people through smaller towns during its four day event. I myself have struggled to draw browsers toward my artwork, while other creators seem to be showcasing themselves far better. Of course, they are more established. While I love the positive aspects of this artist community, there are also a few downsides when it comes to location. Being a rural small town, even though it is quite close to Fall Creek Falls State Park, the amount of people stopping in to browse a gallery is low. This led me to think about offering photo prints regarding local areas of interest for tourists traveling through. Fall Creek Falls itself is gorgeous. So I am now offering unique black and white prints of the park, something that cannot be bought in a gift shop. I am also offering photos of regional historical locations and landmarks, such as railroad themed images. I highly recommend leaning into nearby landmarks or history if you are a painter or photographer wishing to sell your work. It seems to catch the eye of both local residents and tourists. Even if you are not ready to sell your work, it can still make lovely gifts for special people in your life. 

Of course, with the realization that the gallery in Pikeville brings very few art enthusiasts, I began seeking other locations to showcase my work. This does not mean that I will be leaving Grinning Possum. It is a wonderful cooperative space and I expect to be teaching a few beginner classes there this fall. However, there is a more prominent art scene in Crossville, with several cooperative galleries. Some time ago, I had approached FACS:For Arts, Crafts, and Sports on W. 5th Street. Due to a pricing miscommunication I decided not to showcase my photography within their cooperative. However, after speaking with them again this past week, we came to the realization that a simple calculation error had occurred. Having seen my photographs in the past, they were still keen on having me show my work. They were also pleased that I had started painting. I was offered a nice wall space which will hold several canvas and framed photos! Being closer mileage wise to FACS, I can be in studio more often, whether it be Pikeville or Crossville. 

With such a busy week matting printed images, working the gallery, a 3 day internet outage, and attempting to find a second display space, I have been unable to get in front of a canvas. Despite my intense love of photography, I have grown to adore my painting sessions. Currently, it is my go to for decompressing and expressive therapy. As all of these opportunities open up, I must also realize the reason why they have opened up. The creative moments of my day or week that eventually produce something that can evoke emotion from myself and others. I have to remember that in seeking to showcase my work, I must not lose those moments of therapeutic creation. It is my goal going into a new week, to desaturate my schedule. I want to feel the paint brushes in my hands as they blend all those amazing colors into something abstract and unique. It is my hope that you find those moments of creativity this week. No masterpieces required 😍 Just create. With kindest regards, from Crows Chase Cottage 🎕