Carry your cards with you always!
Last evening I went across the Richmond Bridge to San Rafael with Adam, a poet friend to hear another poet friend, the delightful performance artist Marvin R. Hiemstra at Cafe Arrivederci. The Monday evening Artist Salon is run by Angar Mora whose idea it is to mix it up where artists are concerned. There were musicians, printmakers, fiction writers, and most importantly visual artists in attendance, including Elizabeth Addison, a printmaker, who spoke about making monotype prints. Her work was displayed around us on the restaurant walls.
Because Mora heard that I did art as well as wrote poetry, he asked me to bring examples of Artist Trading Cards. No one at our table had ever heard of this phenomenon, and they too, wanted to see my binder full of cards. My little pieces proved quite popular, a real ice-breaker for the 10 or so folks sitting around baskets of sourdough bread and bowls of shredded parmesan.
Towards the end of the evening, Angar ran an auction for work that various artists had brought. On a dare, I held up my ATC of the little imp peaking over the sunflower; I had created him at one of Deb Price's ATC workshops and he seemed to represent one side of the Muse. Surprisingly, someone paid $4 to own my little collage, a man who turned out to also be a painter.
You just never know. Og Mandino may be right about what it takes to be "the greatest salesman in the world." The first task is just showing up.
