Well, that’s a title I never thought I’d write out.
In my previous blog [First Solo Exhibition – click HERE to read], I talked about the unexpectedly stressful process of getting my art prepared for my first ever solo exhibition. What I never mentioned, though, was why I was so panicked and eager to get it perfect.
My artwork was set to be shown in July 2023. I was in the midst of getting my artwork ready, when the director of the ArtismUK gallery, Brin, contacted me and asked me if I would be okay with having my art shown on the BBC, for a show called ‘Weatherman Walking’. He said they were coming to film a section on the gallery itself, and since my exhibition would be displayed anyway, if I was interested in being on the show, too.
It was shocking, and unexpected, to say the least. I agreed, with an odd mix of nerves and excitement. The anticipation of the day was overwhelming, and was the primary reason behind my panic and stress. As the day got closer, the feeling kept getting stronger. I was very nervous.
I adore my art. It’s a part of me. That’s probably something every single artist can agree on, regardless of their medium. Whether your art is dance, design, or music; your art becomes an extension of yourself, and it’s incredibly personal. I’m not one to believe in souls, and such, but I once read somewhere that, “to create something is to leave a part of yourself in it forever”. It’s a beautiful way to explain something that can be so scary. I’ve been lucky thus far to have an overwhelming amount of people who both enjoy, and encourage my art, however, because my art feels like an extension of me, it feels like it’s me that is getting scrutinised, rather than my work.
Which is exactly why I was becoming more nervous as the days counted down. Before long, my artwork was in the gallery, up on the wall, and being shown in my exhibition, and I only had a few weeks until the day of filming. It didn’t take long for that to dwindle down, too.
We woke up on the day, and the nerves were at an all-time high. It’s not abnormal for me to get a bit freaked during situations like this, but this was an entirely new level of nerves. I did pretty well at calming myself down, and by the time we arrived at the gallery, I was doing pretty well, considering how scared I’d been only several hours prior.
When we arrived, we met Brin, and the director outside. She was very friendly and eased my fears a bit further. I’m used to being on camera, so I wasn’t particularly worried about that. She voiced how impressive and beautiful my art was, and after asking Mum and Jacob to go inside, asked me if I could stay outside for a few minutes, so they could get my first reaction to the display on camera.
It’s important to mention that this was the first time I’d seen my artwork up. I hadn’t been able to go and see the exhibition in person up until that point. Sure, I had the mixed exhibition several months earlier, but this was an entire wall dedicated my me and my work. Definitely overwhelming.
I cried. Pretty heavily, too, and every relief-filled tear was caught on camera. Lovely.
Joking aside, it was an incredible feeling. Seeing them all up on the wall, knowing how much time and energy I’d spent on getting them ready; all the love and parts of myself I’d thrown into each one to make them look and feel the way I wanted them to, was now worth it. Being a digital artist, I rarely get to see my art in person, much less in a professional setting. It was incredibly overwhelming, but not in a bad way. All of my hard work had paid off, and with my reaction on camera, people have the ability to see that connection.
After I’d calmed down, the presenter (also a lovely lady), asked me a bunch of questions relating to my art, the gallery itself, and the feeling of having my art up in one. It felt like I was in a daze, so I can’t remember exactly what was asked. I suppose I’ll get the joy of finding out when everyone else does.
I showed the presenter parts of my artwork, while she listened to my rambling intently. I can’t remember if it was on camera, or not, but it happened all the same. I told her more about my artwork, focusing on the ones that were up on the wall. She told me that ‘Discovering the Lost’, was her favourite, pointing out how she enjoyed the depth, and clear scale everything had to one another. I told her that it was also my favourite.
After that, filming was pretty much done. I spotted the cameraman looking really closely at my artwork, studying the smaller details with intensity. I walked over to him, and he expressed how cool it was to never run out of things to look at. I pointed out my favourite detail in ‘Discovering the Lost’ (he was also fascinated with this piece), and he was shocked that he hadn’t even spotted it yet.
After that, the artist who also had his exhibition showing at the same time as mine came in, and they did the whole process again. His artwork is amazing, and follows a comic-book theme. As a lover of comics, and as a general nerd, they were cool to look at.
Then it was all done. They got a shot of me and Brin looking intently at my artwork in the background of one shot, while the presenter talked to the camera. That felt a little weird. I wasn’t sure if they wanted it to look like I was talking to Brin about my work, or not, so I just didn’t say anything. So now, there’s an awkward shot of me in the background, staring at one of my pieces, to look out for.
When the filming was finally done, I got more compliments on my work, followed by more questions and general interest. Two of them thought that my work was done by A.I. which shocked me, to say the least. I assume that I’ll go into more detail about my thoughts on A.I. generated artwork, at some point. For the purpose of this blog though; they were pleasantly surprised when I told them I did them all by hand. No A.I. involved.
All in all, it was a surreal but lovely day. ArtismUK has given me, and so many artists like me the opportunity to see our art in a professional way, and I cannot properly put into words how amazing that feels. It was incredibly emotional. An entire wall for my work. Thank you Brin, and everyone else at ArtismUK.
As for the episode, I don’t really know when it will come out. We were told Spring next year, but don’t quote me on that. I’m nervous, but looking forward to seeing it all the same.
Cerys, out!