Red Dot Artist? Who, me?
This past weekend I debuted my first two pieces of art in a public show as an adult. I was in a number of student shows growing up, but until now, I’ve never shown my work as an adult! It was such a wonderful experience as well, I feel very lucky to have had my first show be a small community show for a local nonprofit.
Raksha Inc is a nonprofit that provides support to survivors of domestic violence, especially in Atlanta’s South Asian community. They host an annual art show, and this year’s theme was “Leap of Faith.” I submitted two pieces, “Universal DNA” which was a gliclee canvas print of one of my digital illustrations, and “Reignited” which was an oil pastel on watercolor paper, framed. The experience of submitting and being accepted to the show was easy and smooth, but I still felt nervous dropping off my pieces and driving away without them.
This past Saturday was the opening of the show, and I was able to attend with a close friend, who acted as my hype woman for the evening! (Shoutout to you, Lara Martin!) When we arrived, I noticed that my info plaque for “Universal DNA” had a red dot on it. Little did I know before this weekend that a red dot is what all artists strive for at a show! I noticed that not all the artists had red dots so I figured I might have made a sale, but I was too nervous to ask. Lara asked for me, and indeed, my first ever piece for sale was sold before I even showed up to the event!! It was a surreal almost out of body experience, and I definitely teared up, because I’m me.
My favorite part though was seeing the diversity of voices and expressions in response to the theme for this year, and the undercurrent of hope present throughout each piece. It gives me hope that things may not be as bleak as they seem, or at least won’t be so bleak forever. So many talented people live in this city, and I’m so grateful to get to create alongside them!
Most of the money from the sale will go towards expenses, but I did set aside a little to buy myself a fancy new set of dice for my newest dungeons and dragons character. Because joy can be found in the little things. Like good games with friends and superstitions around lucky dice. I’m so grateful to my family and friends for cheering me on, and continuing to support me on this weird, wacky, wild journey.
Send some good vibes my way, if you think of it, as I’ve already submitted to two additional shows later this year here in Atlanta. Here’s hoping this was just the beginning! <3
