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Contests for Artists and Writers Good or Evil?

December 30th, 2013

I have more experience in contests for writers than in the area of my visual art.
Having said this there are two sides which this post will explore.

First off, let me say I have seen writers gain attention and exposure by placing in contests.
I've also seen some writers enter and waste their money. One contest and the comment from one judge impacted me. Her name is Adrienne deWolfe. A wonderful author, speaker and teacher. Adrienne's comments encouraged and helped me focus on the technical aspects as a beginning writer without becoming overwhelmed.

My scores were thus: one loved the story and characters, one judge hated everything, and one was mediocre about my contest entry. I never could figure out how that kind of scoring was supposed to help me. When I began to see a pattern I stopped entering writing contests.
The explanation I was given for the scoring: I just didn't write well for contests. The answer never made sense to me since I was selling my work. My thought process stuttered on that phrase. I write what I love and what readers want to read. Readers come first.
I don't write for any contest. I write the stories that come from my heart and for my readers.

I write romance and paranormal romance. The professional organization I belonged to had chapters across the country who offered contests. It provided a great way for the winners to get their work in front of an editor or literary agent. This can be a good way to get your writing placed in front of these professionals quicker than sending in a query and waiting.

Very recently I began entering contests for my photography and paintings.
I have an account at Fine Art America and I've slowly entered some contests to test the waters. To see what kind of response I'll receive from my peers. Dealing with the art community further than just locally is going to take me a little while to learn. Each discipline has their own way of doing things.

This month I entered four different contests on the Fine Art America site.
I hope the exposure from this art site will expose my work to a wider audience. The contests I entered a way to bring positive attention to my forms of creativity.

This post is personal opinion and personal experience. Not everyone has the same results.

In the future, I may well enter a few writing contests. Things are much different for me now. Possibly timing and the Universe are also involved.

Good or evil?
This question is going to be answered differently by each one of you. The experiences you've had in the past play a part in the decision process. It does for me.
Asking yourself questions and giving truthful answers can make the experience easier.

Why are you entering a contest?
What do you expect to happen?
Can you deal with rejection?
Are you able to pick out the information you can use and toss the comments that aren't useful?
How much weight does winning a contest really hold?
Will this contest assist you in the goals you've set?
Can you afford the fees?

Contests can be a wonderful way to gain feedback on your work and give you a better idea of where you are: such as beginner, intermediate or advanced level.
They can open up networking channels with other authors or artists.

The dark side of contests can be an area people would prefer not to talk about. Cheating or squishing the results to a certain type of writing style or artwork because that is what is accepted by the powers that be.
The amount of money spent on entering contests mounts quickly. Not receiving the feedback needed hinders the creative process (at least it did for me.) The frustration from not getting anywhere affects the entire inner workings of the artist/writer.

The work we create is a part of us. Learning how to separate ourselves from our creation can be a painful process. It is hard to not take the rejection personally. Growing as an artist is vitally important. Accepting not everyone will like your work is one of them. Be warned there are people out there who think personal attacks on authors or artists is constructive criticism. Ignore those individuals.

Research the contests you'd like to enter. Make sure they are in line with the work you do and check to make sure the organization is legitimate. When researching go to more than one place on the internet.

Contests are a tool in the arsenal for the artist and writer. Using the information and the experience is a way to give you a point of reference for you as a professional. Let me repeat this: contests are tools for the artist and writer. This is the point of the entire post. Contests are neither good nor evil.

If you decide to dip your toes into the water and enter a contest, I wish you the best.
If you choose not to take the contest pathway but have found another way, good for you!

For those interested in viewing my online portfolio at Fine Art America: Here is where you can purchase my work in a variety of sizes and more.

Create with love and passion. Create because of the joy it brings to your soul for that in itself is a precious gift.

All the best,
Tambra Kendall-Sas

***Please note: the photographs in this blog post are created and owned by Tambra Kendall-Sas.
Thank you for respecting my art.

Art Explosion

October 24th, 2013

Art Explosion

Late November 2011 my life changed. I didn't know at the time just how much and how quickly.
My best friend/sister introduced me to a wonderful man. I thought if this turns into friendship, I'm okay with this. When she introduced us, I had made up my mind I was going to write my books and continue with my art. I wasn't out looking to date or anything like that. I was happy with my life and with myself.
Well, David and I immediately got along and discovered so many things we had in common. Still, both of us had been terribly burned in the past, so Kath acted as a go-between for awhile. She told me to call him. I said, "no way." I really liked him and I don't chase men. Yeah, I'm a bit old-fashioned but that's me.
Fast forward to April 2013: David and I were married in a historical building in a nearby town, in a small, intimate ceremony.

What does all of this have to do with an art explosion?
His love and support has given me the confidence to learn and try things I would have shied away from despite wanting to do them.
This year I bought my first good camera. A Canon PowerShot SX500 IS. Photography has been an area I've been interested in for a long time.
Since I do watercolors, taking photos so I could paint from them was the original idea. Now, I'm discovering how much I love photography itself.
The photograph of the flowers symbolize the explosion of creativity I'm experiencing. This photograph was taken on the grounds where I was married earlier this year.

I have a watercolor series I can't wait to start. I'm a long time fan of fantasy art and have wanted to create a series. I hope to have the first one out early in 2014 (this is a tentative date). Julie Bell and Boris Vallejo, Brian Froud and Beatrix Potter have all been tremendous influences on my work.

Digital art is another area I've long desired add to my creative endeavors. I have a WACOM Intuos 5 tablet and the learning curve is a bit steep. I'm used to looking at my paper and creating. Trying to sketch and look at the monitor is going to take some getting used to but I'm excited about mastering (to the best of my ability) this area of art.

Being creative extends to cooking. My first cookbook: The Scottish-English Texan: 56 Teatime Recipes is part of my Celtic Heritage Series.
It's available in Kindle and in print. The book has received mostly 5 star reviews on Amazon, so thank you to those who took the time to review the book!
Currently, I'm gathering information on book two of the series.

My art explosion is photography, digital art, a fantasy series and writing fiction and nonfiction.

Each day is a blessing and I can't wait to get up and CREATE something or many somethings as the case may be.

I hope the excitement, joy and passion for what I do shows through. I want my art to affect people in a positive way. It is an honor to have
people think enough of what I create to buy the item and include it in their lives.

My wish is that you find your passion and share it with the world; to make this a more beautiful place that we all share.

All the best!
Tambra Kendall-Sas