Walked into a gallery with a box of my wonky cups and no appointment. What's the worst that worked for you?
I did the stupid thing last month. Carried a box of six wonky cups into a gallery here in Valencia with no appointment, no email first, nothing. The woman at the desk was nice about it but clearly wanted me gone in under a minute. Now I'm arguing with myself about whether emailing first is better or if it just gets you filed and forgotten.
So settle it for me. What's the weirdest or boldest thing you ever did that actually got you in front of someone? Walking in unannounced, sending work out of nowhere, hanging around until the owner noticed you? Or the total opposite, a cold email that somehow landed?
Mine: the box of cups got me a maybe, which is more than my emails got me, so I'm leaning walk-in. Tell me I'm wrong.
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I understand the impulse, but I think the problem was not the lack of an appointment, it was the box of six. A person at the desk cannot look at six cups and form a judgement in under a minute, so she does the only thing she can do, which is politely wish you gone. One piece, carried flat and wrapped, presented with a name on the back, is a different proposition. It respects her time and it gives her something to actually look at.
For what it is worth, the cold approach has worked for me exactly once, and it was a letter rather than a walk-in. I sent three photographs and a sheet of paper with the species names, the medium, and the paper, and asked whether they would like to see the originals. No flattery, no story, just the work and the facts. That got a reply. Most of the others did not, which I have made my peace with.
The filing and forgetting worry is real, but at least a file exists. The wonky cups left no file at all.