When I went in search of Calls for Submissions, I discovered a colorful online gallery where talented artists are proudly publicized in monthly themed exhibits. Since then, the J. Mane Gallery challenges me to live a creative life, making decisions leading my way toward extraordinary expressions I wasn’t aware I was capable of producing. Making a conscious decision to pursue photography was initially based on a combination of crazy life circumstances and already wanting to redefine my entire existence. Their call for submissions was a ginormous step to build confidence within an industry I’m passionate about and motivates me to pursue brand new skill sets daily.
For years I was the type of photographer who shyly captured portraits or scenes and shared them only with friends, if at all. It was those people closest to me who loved the images and encouraged me to do something with them. Anything! But throughout time, my focus of being a specific type of career woman consumed me and closed off any hope to grow in the field. My ideas for photo projects grew and again, without realizing it, I was inspired to carry my cameras with me often, capturing the most unexpected moments and finding all sorts of similarities in them later on.
After more than a decade of saving my hundreds of thousands of shots on a terabyte hard-drive (I try to preserve at all costs because one died about nine years ago and I inconsolably sobbed for that loss), the J. Mane Gallery is forcing me to revisit this vault, to look at ten year old blurry images with an artistic eye, to get out of my comfort zone and use that scary Lightroom + Photoshop package I have been subscribing to for years. The walk down Memory Lane is always welcome; there are so many beautiful faces and places I still see to this day and would feel honored to highlight in any show.
J. Mane Gallery has a lot to offer artists who, much like me, have felt overwhelmed and uncertain. They share their background, experience, goals, visions, and dreams with anyone who takes the time to visit their site, which include information about how to submit work easily, which happens to also be extremely affordable, has bios on past & present winners, and practical guidance for newbies. The help is always valuable to me, helps me navigate tedious applications so I can stay focused on the end-goal: to be in a featured exhibit.
One of the attributes I appreciate most about J. Mane Gallery is the incentive to win cash awards. There’s an instant joy in my work being accepted in the first place, add the idea of them adding a competitive edge by awarding me cash (to help offset my costs) and acting as my art agent for a month where my vision is showcased is just a giant life bonus. What can I say? I’m a simple person who wants to put in the creative work and eventually find a way to live comfortably doing so.
As of the time of this post, they have three current competitions running, definitely do not hesitate to submit and/or become a member today!
Monthly competition is Fins, Feather, Fur;
Second Annual Seasons Art Competition;
Second Annual Abstract Art Competition.
