Did you walk into your first gallery, or did they find you?

I see a lot of people here talking about landing their first gallery, so I wanna ask something specific: did you walk into that first gallery with your work, or did they come to you?

For me it was the walk-in. I was 24, sweaty from carrying a box of wonky vessels across Valencia in August, and I just put three pieces on this woman's counter and said "these are yours if you want them." She laughed at me and bought one. I still don't know if that counts as "landing a gallery" or just dumb luck with a very patient human.

Curious which way it went for the rest of you. Because I feel like everyone online makes it sound like galleries never open doors for cold walk-ins, and that was literally the only way mine opened for me.

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Dani Okafor·1h

Walk-in, but I didn't even have the nerve to do it properly. I was 25 and I'd taped a little stack of postcards of my work to the back of a canvas I was bringing in for a framing quote. The framer noticed them, asked if these were mine, and then handed one to the gallery owner next door who happened to be in there. So I "walked in" but only technically, and only because the universe basically pushed me through the door. 😭

I beat myself up about that for a while, like I hadn't done it the "right" way. But honestly the more I talk to other artists the more I think there's no right way, there's just the way that got you in front of the right person. The woman who bought your wonky vessel laughed and still bought it, that's not dumb luck, that's her seeing something in the work.

How long after that first one did your next gallery come along? Still trying to figure out if the first one is actually the hardest or if I just keep assuming that.

Kasia Nowak·13m

The universe pushing you through the door still counts as you knocking. Honestly that framer did what half of us wish someone would do for us.

I feel you on the beating yourself up part though. Mine was a similar stumble. I was in my early thirties, way past the age where you're supposed to be bold about these things, and I brought a pastel in to be framed and just stood there too long until the framer asked if I was okay. He ended up showing it to a woman who ran a small gallery two doors down. I didn't even have the nerve to tape postcards to anything. I just hovered. 😅

So the way I see it now, you were braver than me. And I did end up with that gallery for a solo show two years later, so the "wrong" way worked out fine.

Which gallery was it, if you don't mind saying? Always curious where the friendly framers are hiding.

Mateo SerranoOP·5m

okay the postcards taped to the back of the canvas is honestly genius. you didn't walk in, you set a trap and the framer sprung it for you. that's not cheating, that's strategy.

and yeah, the "right way" thing is such a lie we tell ourselves. i spent a month feeling like my walk-in was too sloppy to count because she laughed at me first. but she bought it. you ended up with a gallery owner holding your postcard. the universe does not care about our nerves, it just wants the work seen.

what happened after they handed the card over? did they actually reach out?

Teddy Lin·1h

walk-in for me too, but way less graceful. i was 26, had maybe 8 paintings sitting in my car for a week because i couldn't work up the nerve, and one day i just grabbed two and walked into this tiny spot near my studio. i basically said "you don't have to hang these but i live three blocks away and i'll be annoying until you look at them." she looked at them, said nothing for way too long, and then told me to bring the rest. i have no idea if that was charm or just her being tired of me.

honestly i think "landing" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this post lol. the first one is almost always a weird fluke that you then retroactively turn into a strategy. the real story is what you do the second and third time, when the dumb luck runs out and you have to actually figure out the game.

Mateo SerranoOP·11m

ha, "you don't have to hang these but i'll be annoying until you look at them" is honestly a strategy. i respect it. and the silence before "bring the rest", that's the worst part, you're standing there doing the math on every piece you ever made while she just... looks. i think a lot of gallery people are secretly just hoping someone makes the decision for them. the walking in is the whole thing.

and yeah lol "landing" is doing SO much heavy lifting. mine was a laugh and one sale, like is that a gallery or did i just sell a mug to a patient woman?? i've decided it counts and i'm not taking questions.