This past summer I exhibited my work at Seattle's Armory Gallery for the second time along with other amazingly talented Latinx artists. This year I had much more work to show and I feel like I finally found the direction and perspective I want my work to have and I was thrilled to show this to my friends, family, and Seattle.

There is this inexplicable joy and sense of gratitude that came over me every time I saw a friend or family member enter the gallery. It sort of was like- "Oh my God, You came! You really took the time to and effort to come see these things I created." It was moving to see so many people from my community come out and show support of my work. Hearing their takes on the paintings and how they interpreted them was so great. It was much needed. I do like feedback (to a certain extent).

To me exhibitions serve two purposes.

The obvious purpose- to show off your work in hopes of making a sale (which isn't always the case).

The not so obvious purpose I realized this year- for a community to come together in order to show solidarity and support. Maybe they can't buy a painting or maybe they just don't want to (which it totally fine) but they do want you to succeed and they want to outwardly show that support by coming to your show or one that you're participating in. That kind of support is vital to an artist. It's almost like a confirmation that says what you're doing is right and more importantly that your work is pulling people in. It shows that people care! When people care about about something they'll share it with others either verbally or through social media. That could increase you're chances of reaching a potential client.

As much as I do love having someone show support through a purchase, I do also love having a community that comes together, shows up, and shares my work because they want me to succeed, because they all care.