Artists dream about the day that they’ll have a chance to exhibit their artwork to the world, and this past February, I was able to make this dream a reality when I opened my solo exhibition at the Mad River Gallery inside Starbucks.

  It all started with my typical visit to Starbucks to see my friend Amanda and enjoy a delicious grande vanilla mocha. While I was ordering, I noticed a card that had a website for the Mad River Gallery. I visited the site, and found out that they display local artists work at the gallery. This gallery offered me two of my favorite things, art and coffee, so I took this as a sign from the art gods and began to ponder the idea of submitting some of my work for consideration.

  The first thing I had to accomplish was choosing which five of my photos I should submit for consideration to the art director. My photos are my babies, I love them all equally, and so it was hard for me to choose which ones were better than the others. I needed some advice, so I turned to my wise professor, and asked her to give me her opinion. We sat there and talked about my photos. She gave me the positive feedback I needed to go through the process of getting my photos displayed. With her suggestions, I finally chose my five photos and sent them to the director.

  Since I had e-mailed my photos to the director, I was expecting a response in a couple days. I’m used to getting instant gratification, since everything now a days seems to happen instantaneously. High speed internet, fast food, one-hour photo developing, I’ve been spoiled, and had forgotten that some things don’t happen as quickly as you may want them to. After a week of waiting for a response, I began to fear the worst. Were my photos horrible? Did he not get my e-mail? I didn’t want to send it again, in case he did receive it and just didn’t like it. I was on pins and needles, and that’s not a comfortable position to be in. Finally after about two weeks, I checked my e-mail, and he had finally written back. It was good news, he wanted to meet me and discuss my artwork.

  Since I was thinking that this interview would either make or break my chances at getting my own show, I made sure to do all of the things they teach you in school when they talk about interviewing. I wore slightly fancy attire, which is hard to do when you are a jeans and t-shirt type of girl, and I showed up on time with my portfolio in hand. Once the interview got started, I realized that he just wanted to meet me to discuss the different parts of putting a show together, which photos to include and what types of frames to put them in. After discussing these important issues, we set the date for my art show to begin.

  February 13th, 2006, was the first day of my art show at Starbucks. This was an event that most artists dream about, and I had just made it a reality. It was the weirdest feeling to have my photographs on display, because anyone who walked into Starbucks could see them. The last thing I had to do was show them to my friends at the reception.

  The Friday after I put up my artwork, I had a coffee reception at Starbucks for all of my friends to see my artwork on display. You don’t realize how many friends you have until you have your artwork on display (along with free coffee). It was one of the most touching moments of my life. Watching people look at your artwork is funny, because everyone responds differently. Overall, the support was amazing and greatly appreciated.

  Now, it’s been a couple months since my show, and I can honestly say it’s changed my life. Strangers have e-mailed me to tell me that they saw my show and enjoyed it. Being the shy person I am, this experience has really brought me out of my shell. Thousands of people have now seen my artwork. Though these people may not know who I am, they have now been able to see what the world is like through my eyes.