Behold! A miracle! I have faced my fears and vanquished the demon that has haunted my waking world. Or, to translate in modern English: “I fixed the technical problem I was struggling with last time.” What I thought were giant mountains, turned out to be mere bumps in the road. Who’d a thunk it? Now that I know the key to fighting fears, I can use this knowledge in other parts of my life! I say…waveringly… while ignoring the dozens of voices loudly snickering in the dark corners of my mind.
It feels good to be able to cross off another thing of my seemingly endless list! Frustratingly slowly, my plan of creating a small portfolio is coming together. I don’t know if this is going to help me find someone to represent me. But at least I’ll be able to join exhibitions. Show others that I exist.
Aside from producing work, the other question is: What am I going to wear when the world is inevitably going to throw a gala in my honor? How am I going to be able to get all of these pieces cast in bronze? Where am I going to find the money?
Plan: Sell Sculptures, Make Money
I do have a vague plan. Sell one of my sculptures and use that money to finance the production of another project. There are a lot of uncertainties. What if I can’t find a buyer, for instance? I don’t have a portfolio, when my work is still in its early clay stage. But for some reason I don’t feel too nervous about it all. If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my journey so far, it’s that we are hardly ever alone.
Today there’s this idea that the people at the top made it, because they worked hard. While that is true, these people also had a lot of help. We don’t live in a vacuum. We are given job opportunities by people around us. Get to meet new people, because friends, or business relations thought that we might have something in common. And if we have this grand idea, rarely do we have the money to finance it. And we don’t have to. There are so many ways where strangers are able to chip in. Donations. Crowdfunding. You name it.
Maybe it will take some time before I’m able to finance the next project. I don’t mind. Because this week, while I was thinking about finances, I was again reminded by those time where complete strangers had been incredibly kind and generous to me.
The first time, it started off my doll-making career. I had started a crowdfunding campaign, not really believing that it would succeed. Other makers had tried and failed. Mine did, however. And it was mostly because of one donator. A complete stranger.
The second time was when my art foundry gave an offer that made it able for me to get a bronze cast of Snatch. Again, these people didn’t know me. All they had seen, was my master sculpt.
No, I Will NOT Start Singing ‘Kumbaya’
You might think that experiences like this will give someone a great ego-boost. I can’t speak for others. But for me, it was incredibly humbling. These strangers had placed their faith in me. In the months after, I would do everything to make sure that I was not going to let them down.
These are memories that stay with me. They still fill me with wonder. And they’re far more valuable to me than a cheque. Lasting (working) relationships, I think are built on these kinds of actions. This is why nobody at the top can claim they did it all by themselves. We need each other. Humans are part of a chain. We are linked to the people who came before. But also to those who surround us now. Not being able to do it on our own is not a weakness. It’s human nature.
