Starving Artist Syndrome

Being an artist can really suck sometimes.  Unless, you are already represented by a decent gallery or agent with an established clientele and loyal patrons, you are going to be relegated to day job purgatory.  I used to consider myself a professional, shortly after I began painting and discovered that I was actually good at it.  I did fairly well with sales of my work for around ten years and sold over a hundred original paintings and commissions.

Then life got in the way.

I had to find a fulltime job and get completely off welfare.  This because they had tightened the rules and were suddenly jumping at any excuse to throw people off the dole.  I wasn't exactly lazy.  I was still reeling from still undiagnosed PTSD, and painting and marketing my artwork helped ground me and give me a sense of purpose.  It did a lot to build my very poorly constituted self-confidence.  It also wasn't a reliable income, for which reason I was reluctant to go off of welfare.  By the same token, it was difficult to juggle sustainable fulltime employment while still getting ahead as an artist, given that I had absolutely no one backing me.  I had to pick employment, or end up begging on the sidewalk.  I also had to spend less time painting, often just not having the energy after getting home from work.  As for promoting my work?  That is in itself a fulltime job.  I work in a very rewarding profession as a mental health peer support worker.  My job, much as I love it, despite my awful employers, also whacks the bejesus out of me, leaving me with not a lot of leftover energy when I get home from work.

In the last fourteen years I have done occasional shows, selling perhaps a painting every three years or so.  Fewer cafes appear to be interested in showing local art and the galleries are becoming increasingly selective.  I did get a website for my paintings and not one single thing has sold because of it, and yes, Gentle Reader, I do promote my page. 



On the challenge of a friend I decided to revamp promoting my art.  Here's what I did:

I contacted two specific art representatives.  It seems that the few cafes these days that show original art now rely on very picky curators whom I often suspect grant favours to their friends and any artist they do not know who inquires gets sweet nothing.  Here is the cause of my current disappointment:

I have contacted since last summer two agents who represent the art interests of two separate Bean Around The World cafes in Vancouver.  One such agent was good enough to respond to my inquiry...but only after three or for emails from me in as many weeks.  I most recently contacted him in October.  He still hasn't responded.

The other art agent has been even worse.  Her assistant did send me a kind first reply, on the late side.  Then I sent the agent herself three separate emails of inquiry in almost as many months.  She has never troubled to reply.

I feel as though I have been victimized by two professional individuals with deplorable bad manners.  Not even the courtesy of a clear reply nor a desire to follow up with me.  This is unacceptable and if these are the kind of people whom I have to rely on to get an art show going then I'd might as well stop wasting my time.  These individuals cannot be trusted, therefore why would I want to entrust them with the representation and promotion of my own paintings, each of which I have poured so much of my life and soul into?

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