Diary of a reluctant art gallery owner, Chapter 3

Why reluctant?

Do you ever get hair-brained ideas? (What’s the origin of that idiom, 'hair-brained' anyway?) I get crazy notions all the time. If you love me, you smile indulgently and sing praises for my visionary mind and entrepreneurial spirit, perhaps while secretly thinking I'm nuts. Want to know the truth? I think those of us who are wired like that just don’t get scared as early as the rest of you. I’m like the kid who climbs the tree too high and then realizes, “Oh my, I could die if I fall down.” Too late now Sherlock, you’re 100 feet up and out on a branch that’s swinging. Now, looking down, the adrenaline starts pumping through the system so you can accomplish the unfathomable but completely necessary, things that you ordinarily would never dream you could do. The need to survive is a strong motivator, yes?

It sounds riskier than it is. Naïve? Oh, yes to some degrees. Guilty. However I would be untruthful if I said I didn’t carefully consider and calculate how to successfully climb that tree. It’s just that I sometimes find myself surprised and terrified by where my actions have placed me. Maybe a better way to view it is, I’m ok while I’m climbing, but every now and again I look down, see where I am, see the risk of falling and then I’m terrified.

So back to ‘reluctant’. Go back in time about five years or so. I saw this lovely little gallery in Philadelphia while visiting an exhibit in which Melanie was included. It was basically a little row sort of like some things looming (do you see where this is heading?) and on the ride home I said to the ever loving and indulgent spouse, “We could do that you know.” Maybe he’s indulgent or he's just as slightly mad as me, but he agreed we could and that’s as far as it goes.

Fast forward closer to the present when the spouse and I began cruising Reading on Sunday afternoons after church. First it was him trying to convince me to live downtown (which we now actually do) and then it was both of us remembering that remark five years earlier about the row in Philly and thinking, “If we could find just the right property near Goggleworks, we could rent to other artists and Melanie could move her equipment out of her home. It would be a good investment for us and for Reading."

As usual, one thing has led to another and to another. I never meant for the gallery to weigh so prominently in the picture. While I was an avid proponent of owning and renting some commercial space, I initially saw the wonderful community being integral with the vision, and the gallery holding moderate importance. I resisted references to us being a gallery for sometime but indeed we have become that and more. I never envisioned it becoming so central to who and what we are. However, I still prefer the term "community" better because that is what we are trying to build: a community for the artist, the hobbyist and the lovers of art. A community that provides a place where everyone gets to do what they love to do, to have their work appreciated and to make some income from its creation.

Reluctant? Not so much anymore…. But I’d be lying to say I’m not still looking down from that branch from time to time with my head spinning and my tummy rolling. It’s not good to look down. I’m going to try to keep looking up and out.

~Rebekah

Diary of a reluctant art gallery owner, Chapter 2

Mother’s day was the opening of text/textile. Wow has it turned out great. This is the first salon style show we’ve hung in the space and I think all of us were delighted that the gallery easily took the 25 or so pieces comfortably. It was really interesting because we had seen this show in another space in Philadelphia. It was beautiful there too but, pardon my prejudice, it seems even more lovely here.

And…guess what? We sold our first piece out of the gallery. I probably shouldn’t admit this (but I’ve decided to be transparent here) , I was so stunned, I didn’t really know what to do for a split second or two. Remember me? The woman who has spent the last 20 some years in a high tech software business? Thank goodness KP was there and brought me out of my momentary coma.

After that our biggest challenge was finding a red pen to put the ceremonial red dot on the exhibit tag. Whoo Hoo! That was so way cool! Nice encouragement for us and for the artist. I loved being able to write that email. And as thrilling as it is for us, it’s almost more exciting to be able to provide the venue of encouragement for these wonderfully talented individuals.

Author Elizabeth Bodien was there on Sunday to do a reading and that was really awesome too. You could have heard a pin drop as the group listening was so enthralled listening to her words. It’s fun to cross promote the arts like that. And what an encouragement she was to me. She was surprised that we could put on such a nice exhibit considering we have only been open two months. That was a great reminder. I’m sometimes a little hard on us. We really have done a lot and in a little bit of time.

The show is short running, closing on June 13^th. If you are close by, stop in to see this wonderful show and say hello to the ‘reluctant’ gallery owner. (One of these days I’ll explain why the ‘reluctant’.)

Rebekah

Diary of a reluctant art gallery owner, Chapter 1

What do I know about art? Well, I know what I like and I like most everything that is honest and surprises me on some level but that’s a most unsophisticated confession now, isn’t it? This isn’t new. I almost went to art school myself. I didn’t have the guts and took a safer road. I admire those of you who have the talent and the courage to go after your dreams.

Frankly, I’m a business woman. I’m not sure how that happened either but that’s another blog. So for the last 20 some years I’ve hung around in my husband’s business interests doing just about every job you could imagine and motivated by my desire to eat regularly. I’ve learned a lot about what it’s ‘really’ like to work for yourself (its hard) and what it really takes to be successful (lot’s of sacrifice and money if you can scrape it up). So when I ought to be seriously thinking about retiring and taking life easy, I’m “re-firing” and once again starting up a new business. And the truth here is that it’s lots of fun for me.

I love a challenge and believe me, art and business are a bit like oil and water. I’m challenged to prove that good business principles when applied to an unlikely commodity can indeed prosper. And perhaps my bigger challenge is in disciplining myself to follow those principles and not get caught up emotionally in what seems right vs analyzing the situation and planning so that the steps we take are right. Again….confessions for another day….

So here I am emotionally naked before you and intending to bare my soul as I share my prospective on our striving to realize this vision we have named, “some things looming”. I should have started blogging sooner. There have been many days where I have had to talk myself back in off the ledge wondering what I’ve bitten off here. So far I’ve managed or my partners Melanie and Floyd have managed to help me refocus and find my two feet once again safely on the ground. Anyway, you are catching me on a good day today. Don’t lose heart for those of you who enjoy that sort of voyeurism, I’m sure if you hang around long enough, you will get to experience that with me yet again. It’s a roller coaster at times. There are these wonderful moments of encouragement and then the great leaps of faith that take such incredible courage that I think I just won’t be able to find again within me…..and then…somehow I do.

Stay tuned for the ride.

Rebekah