1. Do your research- decide which competitions are most appropriate for your creative practise.
2. Be focused and ambitious about what you enter- (ambitious doesn’t necessarily mean bigger… Scale can be a powerful thing- a small piece can be ‘jewel like’ in a sea of ‘average’ sized work)
3. It is generally better to enter more than one piece as this gives the selectors more of a sense of you as a practitioner and potentially gives them a choice.
4. Making work ‘specifically’ for a competition can over load the odds- better to select something appropriate that is already made ie. Made without the constraints of competition criteria.
5. Keep framing solutions simple and understated.
6. It is usually a big financial investment- however it is worth entering as many competitions as possible. It gets you used to rejection, which is an inevitable part of the process.
7. Positive thoughts on rejection-
- You have worked toward a deadline / goal.
- You have prepared your work to exhibit ( therefore it is ready to go elsewhere if it doesn’t get accepted)
- You have been seen!
- Although you may not have been selected this time, your work may well be remembered the next time you apply.
- Don’t be put off too easily if you didn’t get in the first time- criteria can change and selectors change.
8. Just keep putting the work out there… You just never know who will see it!
Lisa is represented by the Beardsmore Gallery in London
Open Exhibition 