"Cut It Out" Opening Recap

Well, the big day I have been working towards for the better part of a year has finally come and gone.  It was the opening, artist talk, and book release for "Cut It Out: Cut Paper Art by Heather Clements" at the Bay County Public Library.  Now I can relax.... NOT.  I have put off many things in order to concentrate on my solo exhibit at the library, and now I have a million things to do, including two big commissions.  Those commissions are both going to be really awesome to create, though!

But I digress, back to talking about the opening.

The artist talk:

This was what I was most nervous about.  My artist talks before have been more autobiographical and surface level in relation to the concepts in my art.  But with the opportunity to talk to a large group of people about my art, this time I decided it was time to dive a little deeper.  Sometimes I am afraid to talk too in-depth about the meaning behind my art, because I'm afraid of scaring people off.  They may be turned off by my message, and I still have to sell art and make a living.  But how can I passionately make art with so much meaning and not talk about that openly?  So I spent a lot of time preparing for this talk, complete with images of art dating as far back as high school.  I shared researched facts, quotes, and raw emotions on some of the things I think about when creating my art.  And to my surprise, everyone seemed to really like it!  I got a lot of compliments on the talk!

My first published book release:

I sold out!  People even had me sign their books like I was some sort of writer or book-publisher or celebrity or something.

Did you want a book?  Okay!  You can buy one at lulu.com!

Some photos from the opening:

The beginning of my artist talk at the Bay County Public Library!

Selling my books!

To everyone who attended: Thank you so so much!  It means the world to me that you came!

And thanks to Tony Simmons for writing such a great article for the News Herald!  To read the full article online, click here.

Have I mentioned how much I love being an artist?  Well I do.  A lot.  Yay!


Inspiration Source #12: The Art of Asking.  Don't make people pay for music, says musician Amanda Palmer: Let them.  In a passionate talk that begins in her days a s a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between artist and fan.

Watch it.

Thanks for stopping by!
-Heather