The Accidental Collection (Or: Why You Should Check Your Email)

I’m currently prepping for a local art show—one I didn’t even realize I’d been accepted to until twenty-four hours before the submission deadline. Let that be a lesson in the dangers of "email account object permanence."

​Since I had exactly one day to get my life together, I sifted through my finished works, pulled several favorites, and set them aside for framing. I’ll be honest: there was no grand plan. The next day, once the frames arrived, I began the laborious work of peeling off the plexiglass film and clicking the pictures into place.

​Once they were finished, I lined them up just to capture a record of the "Holy crap, I actually did it" moment I was having.

​To my utter shock, every single piece—save one—looked like it belonged together. I had created an accidental collection. I wish I could say this was a first, but alas, this tends to happen every time I manage to pull myself together enough to show my work.

​The cohesion was easy enough to explain; I’d created these pieces with a shared mindset and a singular emotional drive. I immediately knew which piece should replace the "odd man out" to complete the set. Suddenly, I could see exactly how they should hang to tell a powerful, cohesive story.

​It’s easily the collection I’m most proud of. And it’s the catalyst that launched me here, with a clear vision to move forward and find like-minded artists to walk this road with me. I want to build a badass community of all kinds of people.

​If there’s a motivational takeaway here, it’s this: You don’t need to have it all together. You don't need your ducks in a row. You just need to answer your texts, check your emails, send the applications, and just start. Take the first step, then the one after it, and see where you land.

​Do it for the journey. Don’t forget to look at the scenery along the way, because there is so much you’ll miss if you aren't enjoying the ride—or worse, if you never let the journey start in the first place.