Art Organizations; can you spare the time?  Should you?

Art Organizations; can you spare the time?  Should you?

I belong to a couple of art organizations; Women Artists of the West, Women Painters of Washington, Spokane Art School and Northwest Pastel Society.  I don’t have a lot of time to spend with them but I enjoy them and volunteer what time I have.  If I am so busy running an art business why should I be involved with them?

Well first of all, it is about networking.  I have met and made some amazing friendships through these organizations.  You never know who you will meet when you become involved with these groups.  When you make these friendships, you end up with access to resources that you might not have even known existed.  Currently, I am in a couple of shows with a few of these organizations which introduced me to a new gallery.

Knowledge; how many times have you wanted to know something or learn something new and didn’t know where to get that information? I have learned about new techniques, been to workshops that I didn’t know existed, and found out about new places to hang my art.

Paying it forward; I get to help others.  I was taught that you shared knowledge, not guard it and keep it from others. I tend to answer questions honestly and I give as much information as I can provide.

It creates an artistic energy that builds and supports my own. I can be inspired by other creative people when I am around them.  I don’t need to copy what they are doing but seeing what they are accomplishing gets my mind open to the possibilities of what I can do too.

You get out of these organizations what you put into them but yes, I think every artist should join some art organization.  Give back without weighing what you get in return.  You just might be surprised.