Stage artists blow me away with how they create emotional moments with their fearlessness and ability to “sell” it. The recent Grammy awards proved that! I get nervous for them.. they are the focus for massive audiences putting everything they have into each performance; and they thrive on an audience. Visual artists need an audience too. With the exception of in person shows we rarely get the “live” chance to showcase our personalities, guts and determination. While live performance is immediate yet temporary, gaining “fans” for visual artists is a long game. The prevalence of social media and access to personal websites has greatly improved exposure, but visual artists still peek from behind the curtain to ascertain if anyone is noticing our work. I had an art professor who once quipped, if you wanted applause you would be a performer. So from all the studio artists who work alone, thanks for your patronage, encouragement and recognition and “buy art from living artists, the dead ones don’t need it” (I am not the creator of this phrase).