RustyBug
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Upload & Sell: On
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sum1sgrampa wrote:
I think my biggest surprise was the level of interest. My friends and relatives have been telling me for years that I should attempt something like this. I've always just shrugged it off feeling that my work was not something people would be interested in. Especially spending time on this forum. I see so much amazing work here and I just felt mine was well below par. And this isn't really any indication that it isn't. There are numerous people who replied here that would blow me away in a contest. But I had convinced myself that wildlife photography was only of interest to other wildlife photographers. We had 30-40 people there the night of the reception and probably around 20-25 another night for my presentation. People were going out of their way to talk to me and tell me how much they enjoyed viewing the prints. At the presentation people seemed genuinely interested and engaged with their questions. Now this took place in a smallish, rural village. And as it turned out, I ended up selling two more pieces the day after we took the showing down. So six sold out of eighteen was a shocker for me. The sales were totally unexpected. In fact I didn't even bother putting prices on the pieces. I grossed a bit over $1200 but the gallery takes 30% and after prints and frames I might net about $400 or so. But that wasn't the point to begin with. I'm not a person who's financially able to donate much to a place like this Art's Center. So to pass along about $400 in commissions was really nice. They were very appreciative and you feel like you're a part of something too.
Thank you for asking, I really appreciate your interest....Show more →
Superb backstory / info. 
I hear ya about how high the talent bar is here in FM ... I can feel very 'mediocre, average, sub-par on any given day. Sometimes, I just have to "quit looking" for a while. I am really pleased to hear that your experience was far better received than what we sometimes get in our heads about our own work. Cool Beans !!!
Cool, too ... about the altruistic piece of the puzzle. While making money may not be the end all, be all ... it's nice to hear you had a win / win for the center and yourself (i.e. nice to not lose money, too). I'll pocket a nugget of inspiration from your story.  Hopefully, others will too.
Again ... Congrats !!!
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