President’s Message – July 2026

Ego. What springs to mind with the word? Egotistical? Blow-hard? Or perhaps a more technical flash-back to learning about psychology?

At the risk of wandering into territory I’m ill-prepared to cross, come with me as I bumble around in a quandary that’s been bugging me: ego and promoting our own work.

If you’re not an artist, you might be interested to know there’s a weird thing that happens around making art. Artists can bump up against internalized messages about our worthiness and value, our importance (or lack thereof) in the world, what’s been drilled into our heads about humility, plus the ever-changing assessment of our work and how that reflects on us personally. 

Many, many, many of us have thought, “Who am I, out of the billions of people on the planet, to think I have something meaningful to say through my art? Who am I to put myself and my work into the spotlight?” This lack of ego keeps a lot of amazing art from ever reaching the public eye.

Some folks embrace this messiness easily. They promote their work without feeling self-conscious. It’s not personal – it’s simply part of the business of making art. You make people aware of it and get it out there where people can see it.

Similarly, some see the work itself as having come through them. The work expresses what needs to be made physical. Or a story came to the artist and needed to be told sculpturally. Again, it’s not really personal. Promoting their work is advocating on behalf of the work itself. It’s not standing up and saying “Hey! I’m a fabulous artist – come see and buy my work!” It’s more akin to being a parent – not really taking credit for the “child” (aka sculpture) but wanting others to get to know and appreciate it.

Still others think this is a ridiculous thing to even ponder. Through years of work, they are confident in their skills and firm in the knowledge they have something special to offer the world. Note: this is fewer people than I would have ever thought.

So where is this pondering headed? If you hesitate to promote or otherwise make your art public, take heart. You are not alone. It can be complicated and challenging for many reasons.

But posting your work here is an easy way to get started. Share images of your work-in-progress or a recently finished piece. Write a post about upcoming shows or a sale you’re proud of. Just sign in, go to Members > Member Profile and choose Create Post.

If you are an art-appreciator, please take the time to encourage the artists you come across. Sometimes all it takes is a nudge!

May your art flow,

Leslie Crist