did your first gallery come from an email or an in-person drop-in?
I'm trying to work up the nerve to approach a couple of local galleries this year and I keep going back and forth on how to do it. Emailing feels safer but also like it'll just disappear into the void. Walking in with a portfolio feels terrifying but maybe more memorable?
My first (and so far only) gallery show happened because a friend knew someone, felt like cheating almost, like I never really learned how to do it properly myself. Curious how everyone else got their foot in the door. Email? Walk-in? Something else entirely?
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okay so I haven't had a gallery show yet (working up to it this year too, terrifying high five) BUT I've done a lot of thinking about this and talked to a bunch of people who have. The consensus I keep hearing is that email is actually fine if you do it right, like, a real email with a subject line that isn't "hello" and a proper link to your work, not just an attachment they have to open. One artist I know said she made a spreadsheet of 20 galleries, emailed them all, heard back from three, and one of those three became a regular thing.
BUT also, the in-person thing doesn't have to mean cold walking in with a portfolio under your arm like a maniac lol. One guy I talked to said he just started going to openings at the galleries he wanted to be in, introduced himself to the owner when it was casual, and built a rapport over months before he ever brought up his own work. So it's not either/or, it's more like... email to start the conversation, show your face to seal it.
Also I think the "friend knew someone" thing is literally how most of it works and you shouldn't feel bad about it at all haha. That's just... networking. That's the thing. You did it.