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Artist's Journal - "Luck"
by Luann Udell
I used to look at craft books and envy the people whose work appeared in them. “They’re so lucky!” I’d think. Now I know better. Years ago, I was on a list-serve with hundreds of other craftspeople. There used to be a little grossing from time to time as other people’s work was published, but I didn’t think too much of it. Those people were lucky—right? They were just going along making their work, and out of the blue, someone said, “Hey, want us to publish it in our magazine?”
Then one day an editor from a well-known publishing company put out a call for entries to the list. Everyone was invited to submit artwork for the gallery section of a craft book she was writing. The terms were fairly standard for the industry— there would be no compensation for gallery submissions, but accepted artists would get complete credit and a free book.
The complaining began almost immediately. The publishers were getting rich on the backs of artists, was the general feeling. Or they were going to steal our designs and mass-produce them. Or there was some other catch. You get the idea.
My feeling was, no one was paying me now for my work, so why not get some free publicity? A handful of us contacted the editor and told her we’d be interested. She sent us the appropriate forms and we were off.
I think only one other artist and I actually submitted work. Mine was selected and was published in the book. And you guessed it. The response on the list-serve was: “You’re so lucky!”
This baffled me. My “luck” usually consists of getting a check in the same batch of mail as a huge bill. I could see this as a bill coming to take all my money, but I choose to see this as money coming to help pay the bill. Maybe luck is all how you look at things. And maybe it’s seeing—and taking the opportunity that crosses your path.
The editor saw my website (because I always include it in my e-mail signature) and said, “Hey, you do polymer clay, too? I’m working on a polymer clay book! Want to send some samples for that?” I did, and my work ended up in the polymer clay book as well. Maybe luck is making sure people know what you do.
Read more in this issue of Crafts Business.
