Mine walked in on me. I was 26, painting in a borrowed studio above a butcher's shop, and a woman who ran a little gallery on the rue des Capucins bought a small still life off the wall and asked to see more. I thought it was a fluke, honestly, so I said yes to everything she offered without asking a single question. Took me years to learn to negotiate.

I wonder how much of it is luck versus push. Did anyone here actually go out and knock on doors, walk in with a portfolio, and have it work? I never had the nerve for that, and I've always assumed it doesn't happen outside of movies. Tell me I'm wrong.