The valley was so still this morning. The sky was pale pink with the rising sun and a white mist hung low over the icy fields. John Berger talks about the key aspect of community being recognition. I love that idea and the more I think about it the more profound it always seems to get. Recognition is more than picking a face out of a crowd. We talk about recognizing a person’s achievements. Recognition is also about valuing someone. There are so many people and places to recognise in my community. I bet there are in yours too.
Something I will never be recognised for is business acumen. Today I was very kindly taken in hand by one of the galleries I work with and given a quick rap of the knuckles for not valuing my work more highly and therefore not charging enough. At the heart of it is confidence. I feel embarrassed taking money for my work. But sometimes all you need is someone to believe in you and these ladies do. Not in an airy-fairy “your work’s lovely” way but in a down-to-earth “your work sells” kind of way. So, you have about 15 minutes to visit my shop before I make some serious alterations. The squirrel is tutting at me by the way because, as we all know, squirrels are excellent at business.
