From Empty Exhibitions to Art Industry Leader

You think this guy in the picture has never had a failed art exhibition?
Wrong. Very wrong.

14 years in my multi award-winning art career.
More failures than I can count.
And one exhibition in 2017 was hard to look back on.

The 2017 exhibition was a disaster.
Poor execution. Weak series. Barely any reception.
I don't even know if anyone cared about my art at all.

I was 22.
Eight years into my career.
And I felt like one of the unluckiest artists on earth.
Nothing was going right.

I stood in that exhibition room, watching people walk past my work, uninterested.
I poured my heart into those pieces, and yet... silence.
No praise.
No excitement.
No sales.
Just me, standing there with my artworks.

I could’ve quit right there.
But I didn’t.

I knew something had to change.
I couldn’t just rely on selling paintings and drawings.
Not everyone could afford them.
So I started thinking.

I noticed people reading books. They needed bookmarks.
I saw fridge magnets in a lot of homes on tv
And that gave me an idea.

I created my own bookmarks.
I designed fridge magnets featuring my art.
Small, affordable, accessible.

February 2019
During my post-grad year at the Art Academy, I tried again.
This time, I had my bookmarks. My fridge magnets.

Did I sell out? No.
Did I make a fortune? No.
But I sold something.
And for the first time, I saw progress.

I kept going.
I kept innovating.

That’s the thing about failure.
It’s not an ending. It’s a signpost.
It teaches you what doesn’t work, so you can switch it up.
You can complain about failure.
Or you can use it.

If something isn’t working, change the approach.
If something is working, build on it. Add new layers.

The worst thing you can do?
Stay the same.
So here’s my message to you:

Try something.
Anything.
You don’t have to get it perfect.
You just have to keep trying something new.

Now I am:
-An Art leader in the art industry
-Multiple accolades to my name
-International Recognition
-Artworks that resonated with many people worldwide.
-Made an impact in the art industry
-Now I am going for Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe, my top dream!