Get Ready With Me
- Cindy Watson
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Behind the scenes: How an artist prepares for Open Studios
“It’ll be fun,” they said. “It’s just two weekends.”
Ha!
Deciding to open my studio to visitors as seemed like a good thing to do after years of creating art that very few people saw: so I screwed up my courage and applied to be one of the artists in MHOS 2024.
Then I took stock of what I needed to do before welcoming people into my home. After working through the mental and psychological aspects of major imposter syndrome, (am I really going to call myself an artist?), what if nobody comes, what if nobody likes my work, what if nobody buys anything, what will I say if I’m asked about my art, can I sustain conversations for at least 4 days? And on and on. Thank goodness for supportive friends!
I had just six months to prepare. Although in hindsight, of course, I had been preparing for a lifetime.
My house was in the process of being renovated, including a walk-through lounge area that would double as a gallery: flooring was replaced, bright new lighting was installed as well as a picture hanging system. The studio was reorganised and tidied- several times- before the event, and my gardener was kept very busy planting, pruning, tidying, edging and mulching. I might never win a Beautiful Garden award, but there were flowers and signs of life.
But what about the art? After all this was the main attraction. Which pieces would I have framed? Which work would be on display? How would I display it? My sons were pressed into action to help hang paintings (and change them around a couple of times) and I made little signs to go with them- title, year, price, media etc.
Thankfully MHOS members such as Yvonne Wadley, Liz Berry and Pene Turner ran workshops to help newbies come to grips with social media, enlisting the help of friends and supporters, insurance, payment options and just generally calming nerves, reassuring us that we’d be fine. The signs were ordered, and picking them up was another step forward into an abstract idea becoming reality: my name was on the sign! It proclaimed that I was an Artist! Gulp!
One of the best things about being part of the MHOS community is meeting other artists in your neighbourhood and forming valuable social connections- apparently not all creative types are introverted loners. I really appreciate the people who welcomed me in and gave advice as well as practical help. One of the key objectives of Mundaring Hills Open Studios is to build connections through art and creative spaces in the hills- not just for the many visitors, but also for the artists themselves. It might seem daunting at first (see above for my list of what ifs), but stepping out of one’s comfort zone can be world-expanding and very rewarding, whilst feeling isolated within one’s community is not great for mental health and well-being. It feels good to be part of a community with shared interests.
My plan was underway: create like crazy, frame the best, and curate the rest! No biggie.
As the first weekend approached I enlisted friends and family to come and help out, made a few trips to Bunnings for supplies (bubble-wrap, tape, more plants), laid in a supply of tea and biscuits, tidied and reorganised, chose music (an artist’s studio tour soundtrack?) and got myself just a little bit worked up.
As the first people came through the door (Saturday, 10.15 AM) I was so flustered that when they actually bought a painting, my hands were shaking too much to work the Square card reader. Fortunately my lovely helper took over and I calmed down.
150 visitors later I was exhausted, talked out and very glad to have taken that big first step. My questions had been answered: people did come, they did like my work (or were polite enough not to say if they didn’t), they did buy some of it, and I was able to talk about processes and product, without feeling like too much of a charlatan.
And then I did it again.
In 2025 I opened my studio for a second time, with much the same sort of nervous optimism. This year I’ll be taking a break, but that means I can visit many other artists’ studios and see how they do it. How exciting!
See you at Mundaring Hills Open Studios, 17th- 25th October, 2026!
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