October - Beverly Hill Art Show

I heard about the BHAS a few years back as an interesting outdoor exhibit with a lot of good work and unlike Unique - a lot of paintings. I’d never attended, but after the high of being accepted to Unique, I figured I’d keep up the momentum and apply.

For anyone (hint: other artists I went to school with) who think their work isn’t good enough to apply to something like this - it is competely not the case. I uploaded a few images, wrote a quick artists statement, sketched out a simple booth design and viola! I got my second acceptance email. Learning from the mistake of my last show, I didn’t freak out about my work or my self-worth as much. I’d take the experience in with open arms, and whatever the show was going to be, I’d be proud of it.

(I may or may not have been reading a lot of inspirational memoirs and getting over a break-up at the time, so this sort of Oprah-esque language was well infused into my life by this point. Good times)

Favorite moment: when asked about my background by the man showing one booth over, I explain I live and paint in a studio in Manhattan Beach. That no, it isn’t my full time gig, that I work in advertising - but I’ve managed to keep painting on the side and yada yada yada, I can't really complain.

He pauses and asks rhetorically, ‘You live and paint by the beach. So, you are pretty much living the life?’

I pause and realize he’s probably right.