I suppose I ought to disclaim that I’m a big fan of Jolie’s writing. I have probably a dozen or more of her zines, and we talk online. So I guess I could be slightly biased by the fact that she’s an awesome and friendly grrrl.

So Jolie’s 24 hour zine this year is, “Tick Tock Biological Clock #2.”

Finding herself in the middle of a pregnancy scare at the time the zine was written, Jolie talks a lot about her past experience as a taken-advantage-of babysitter for friends that had kids young, her ambivilant feelings about having kids, and how both her and her husband’s feelings about having kids have changed during their marriage.

Illustrating the zine are pictures of babies, toys, and child-like toys. The best is a two-page spread in the middle. In a segment titled, “the anti-baby years,” Jolie includes an illustration of a baby and a couple of storks. There’s a rip through the bottom third of the picture, and the two pieces are just slightly off set from each other. It’s so subtle that you might even over look it during the first read through, like I did. But it is PERFECT in the context of the writing on the page.

The writing lacks a certain polish that a lot of other zines have, grammar-wise…but I must say, that doesn’t bother me in the least. And I say this as a first class grammar nit-picker! But part of the beauty of a lot of zines, including all of Jolie’s and definitely “Tick Tock Biological Clock #2” is that they transcend grammar. Zinesters like Jolie meld together fine art and literature so beautifully and are so full of raw emotion that their work would certainly lose something if they spent their energy on careful sentence structure and perfect punctuation.

Throughout a lot of “Tick Tock Biological Clock #2” Jolie refers to herself as “anti-baby.” I don’t know, I don’t really see that in her writing. Mostly I see her as amazingly self-aware…if only more parents were! After reading it, I couldn’t help but feel like either way, if she decides to have children in the future or if she remains childless, Jolie will be awesome at it and will make her decision based on what’s right for her and not what anyone else thinks. That’s an amazing bit of strength in soceity these days.

“Tick Tock Biological Clock #2” is DEFINITELY a must-have! Jolie has an Etsy shop filled with zines, art and spoken word CDs. She also has LiveJournal through which you can contact her; and this grrrl is a self-proclaimed lover of trades!

A good chunk will over lap from last month’s list; I kept everything that the deadline hasn’t passed on yet

Deadline Date: Fee. Theme of show/location of residency.

URL to apply and get more information

August 20th by 5pm EST: $32 for 2 images, $5 for each image after that. “’Cultural Crossroads’ Artists are encouraged to consider many aspects of the theme – from their own traditional historical cultural perspectives to the ways in which travel or other cross-cultural experiences have influenced their expression and creativity. ”
http://www.associatedartists.org/ (the prospectus is down a little on the left)

August 25th: $10 for each piece. Where a work of art first begins.
http://www.manifestgallery.org/context/

August 25th: $10 for each piece. All interpretations of the human head.
http://www.manifestgallery.org/headfirst/

August 29th: $10 for each piece. Your interpretation of peace.
http://www.thewhole9.com/thepeaceproject-info.php

August 30th: $15 per entry or 3 for $40 (max of 3 entries). Art that references maps or mapmaking.
http://www.sebarts.org/index.htm (click “Calls for Entry” then “Mapworks” to download the prospectus). Note that this gallery has other shows calling for submissions from California artists only!

August 31st: $35 for the first 4 images, and $5 every image after that. Another show dealing with the human head.
http://www.slowart.com/prospectus/head.htm

August 31st: $40 if registered by deadline; $65 after. An exhibition/selling fair open to artists that live and/or work Dorchester, MA area. Registration before the deadline guarantees a spot on the map and a profile the website.
http://thedac.org/open_studios.html

September 1st: No fee. Create a full-color promotional poster for the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in Jacksonville, FL. You may be required to be available for promotions before the event and to be at the event. The city’s website is listed, but there doesn’t appear to be any further information, so I’m linking the ad.
http://www.artsopportunities.org/search_detail.cfm?id=6147

September 1st: $10 for 5-10 images. No apparent theme. It appears this show is NOT accepting applications online!
http://www.artsopportunities.org/search_detail.cfm?id=6121

September 10th: $30. Proposals for a gallery show.
http://www.daytonvisualarts.org/content/2010-biennial-call-entries

September 14th: $30 for first three images, $10 every image after. No specific theme, photography only.
http://silvermineart.org/gallery/call_for_entries.cfm

September 15th: $10 for up to two pieces. Day of the Dead show; not limited to traditional imagery. Open only to artists in the greater Kansas City area.
http://www.westportcenterforthearts.org

September 17th: No application fee. It’s an artist residency in Finland. There IS a monthly cost for room and board. They say grants can be used to pay for it…not sure if they help with the grant process.
www.arteles.org/apply_to_residency.html

September 17th: No applicaton fee. A show “that considers death and ephemerality in the modern era. The work assembled in this all media show will look at how artists are confronting these issues today and consider impermanence in contemporary culture.”
http://gallery5arts.org/Call for Artists.html (note, the spaces are NOT a typo)

September 21st: No fee stated. “All entries must express the following regarding the Delmarva Peninsula (past or present): modern agriculture, agricultural heritage and/or rural culture of the Peninsula.”
http://hollybranchapw.org/Events.aspx

September 27th: $35 fee for the first 3 images, $5 for each one after. Interpretations of the human figure.
http://www.eyartists.com/figuratively_speaking_show_2010.html

September 28th by noon (presumably PST): $5 fee per piece, maximum of 3 pieces. “Fostering Harmony: The Symbiotic Relationship of Architecture and Nature.” Open only to artists living in Washington and Oregon. Emphasis on 2D work.
http://visitahc.org/content/call-artists-2010

October 1st: $50 for up to 2 images. No specific theme. And HELLO, grand prize is LUNCH with a Guggenheim curator!
http://www.artcenternj.org/ (mouse over exhibitions and click on juried show to download prospectus)

October 2nd: $25 for first 3 pieces, $10 for each piece after. A photo show, “which should be an exploration of human existence in a political, social, and/or personal context.” Any photographic process is eligible.
http://www.castellphotography.com (the prospectus is tricky to find. After you enter the site, click “Information” on the very bottom of the page, then a sidebar will come up on the left; click “CALL FOR ENTRIES.” You’ll be taken to a page where the prospectus can be downloaded)

October 31st: $30 for up to three pieces. No specific theme, US and Canadian artists only.
http://www.elmhurstartistsguild.org/ (link to download pdf of the prospectus is near the bottom)

November 1st: 25 UK pounds (about $39ish USD) for up to three pieces. This is specifically for printmaking and multiple copies of each piece work have to be available and for sale. The show travels to 5 locations in the UK.
http://www.leicesterprintworkshop.com/smallprint/

November 1st: No fee. Anthology to survivors of sexual abuse, from other survivors and allies. Primarily letters, but poetry and drawings are also being accepted!
http://rosietint.tumblr.com/post/863322237/call-for-submissions-to-dear-sister

November 7th: $35 for the first 3 pieces, $5 for each piece after. Focuses on the nude figure. Open to all artists, 2D work only.
http://www.aunaturelastoria.com

November 10th: $45 for up to three pieces. Contemporary use of historical photo processes, with no specific subject matter.
http://www.stacarts.org/exhibits/show/43

December 15th: $30 for up to three pieces; maximum of three pieces per artist. No specific theme, but the show is only open to residents of North and South Carolina. Link is to the PDF prospectus/entry form.
http://www.northtosouthartshow.com/uploads/Entry_Form.pdf

December 31st: No fee noted. Blueberry View Artist Retreat; 2 week residencies in Riverside, MI from May to November. Housing, studio space, and some meals provided. Studio is best suited to 2D work.
http://www.youllgogaga.com (click on “Artist Retreat”)

January 11th 2011: No fee, no limit on submissions. Outdoor show celebrating diversity. Selected works will be blown up to billboard size (16 feet x 12.5 feet)
www.EmbracingOurDifferences.org

I officially participated in this years 24 Hour Zine Thing! I actually had a little 24 Hour Zine Thing party…a couple of friends came over, we talked, we wrote, we drew, we cut and glued, we watched Steven Leyba’s What Is Art? (review of which will be forthcoming!) and we went to bed incredibly early in the morning, only to be woken up a few hours later by my kids. It was awesome.

So I present ManDuhLand: Sexual Assault. It’s about rape-apologism, my own sexual assault, and my ambivalent feelings about it. 28 pages, black and white, quarter-sized.

I’ve decided this issue will be for trade only. I’m actually debating whether all my zines will become trade only, but that’s another topic entirely. If you’re interested in a trade (I’m especially interested in reading other people’s 24 Hour Zine Things!), shoot me an email.

-Admin

So I was just making a list and posting it as a note on Facebook and tagging my artist friends, but today Facebook crapped out on me. And I thought, “Well why not put it up on TDMB? I’m sure there are others outside my circle of friends who would appreciate the info.”

And so here you are! A list of shows, galleries, and residencies accepting applications, in order of deadlines. I’ve ordered it to read

Deadline Date: Fee. Theme of show/location of residency.
URL to apply and get more information

I think I’ll be posting lists like this once a month or so, if there’s an interest.
July 30th. $35 for up to three pieces. Political themed work that addresses, “current sociopolitical, economic and environmental climates.”
http://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/new/node/841

July 30th by 5pm EST: $35 for up to two pieces. Online submission only. No specific theme
http://www.sica.org/Exhibitions/JURIED%20SHOWS/2010/2010MAIN.html

July 31st: No fee, it’s an artist residency in Japan! (For those that don’t read Japanese, be sure to click “English” in the upper right corner)
http://aiav.jp/programs/2010/trans_apply/

August 2nd: $20. “…a show of work responding to the relationship between location, identity and perception with New York City as the particular location.”
http://recessionartshows.com/submit

August 6th: $20 for up to three pieces. The show is about the relationship between science and art.
http://www.desotorow.org/exhibits/calls/science.html

August 10th: $25 for up to four pieces. The show reacts to the word “shift,” address change or movement in someway.
http://www.becaicad.org/artist-designer-submissions.php

August 20th by 5pm EST: $32 for 2 images, $5 for each image after that. “’Cultural Crossroads’ Artists are encouraged to consider many  aspects of the theme – from their own traditional historical cultural perspectives to the ways in  which travel or other cross-cultural experiences have influenced their expression and creativity. ”
http://www.associatedartists.org/ (the prospectus is down a little on the left)

August 25th: $10 for each piece. Where a work of art first begins.
http://www.manifestgallery.org/context/

August 25th: $10 for each piece. All interpretations of the human head.
http://www.manifestgallery.org/headfirst/

August 29th: $10 for each piece. Your interpretation of peace.
http://www.thewhole9.com/thepeaceproject-info.php

August 30th: $15 per entry or 3 for $40 (max of 3 entries). Art that references maps or mapmaking.
http://www.sebarts.org/index.htm (click “Calls for Entry” then “Mapworks” to download the prospectus). Note that this gallery has other shows calling for submissions from California artists only!

August 31st: $35 for the first 4 images, and $5 every image after that. Another show dealing with the human head.
http://www.slowart.com/prospectus/head.htm

September 1st: $10 for 5-10 images. No apparent theme. It appears this show is NOT accepting applications online!
http://www.artsopportunities.org/search_detail.cfm?id=6121

September 10th: $30. Proposals for a gallery show.
http://www.daytonvisualarts.org/content/2010-biennial-call-entries

September 14th: $30 for first three images, $10 every image after. No specific theme, photography only.
http://silvermineart.org/gallery/call_for_entries.cfm

September 17th: No application fee. It’s an artist residency in Finland. There IS a monthly cost for room and board. They say grants can be used to pay for it…not sure if they help with the grant process.
www.arteles.org/apply_to_residency.html

September 27th: $35 fee for the first 3 images, $5 for each one after. Interpretations of the human figure.
http://www.eyartists.com/figuratively_speaking_show_2010.html

October 1st: $50 for up to 2 images. No specific theme. And HELLO, grand prize is LUNCH with a Guggenheim curator!
http://www.artcenternj.org/ (mouse over exhibitions and click on juried show to download prospectus)

November 1st: 25 UK pounds (about $39ish USD) for up to three pieces. This is specifically for printmaking and multiple copies of each piece work have to be available and for sale. The show travels to 5 locations in the UK.
http://www.leicesterprintworkshop.com/smallprint/

November 1st: No fee. Anthology to survivors of sexual abuse, from other survivors and allies. Primarily letters, but poetry and drawings are also being accepted!
http://rosietint.tumblr.com/post/863322237/call-for-submissions-to-dear-sister

November 10th: $45 for up to three pieces. Contemporary use of historical photo processes, with no specific subject matter.
http://www.stacarts.org/exhibits/show/43

January 11th 2011: No fee, no limit on submissions. Outdoor show celebrating diversity. Selected works will be blown up to billboard size (16 feet x 12.5 feet)
www.EmbracingOurDifferences.org

Additionally, I’ve opened an ArtFire shop. So far I’ve just listed my zine, ManDuhLand: Boobs, but there will be much more to come in the very near future!

Side One

Licking Stars Off Ceilings #12: Reviving Punk Rock is all punk rock and love.

Side Two

I really dig the split-zine style. Two covers, one theme, and one bad ass Courtney Love center-fold.

Side One, as I like to think of it, Clementine starts out talking about her relationship with her boyfriend. But it could be my relationship with my husband. Or anyone’s relationship with a romantic significant other.

A strong theme in LSOC #12 (indeed, in all Clementine Cannibal’s work) is promoting girl love over girl hate. There was one piece in particular that struck me:

GRRRL: you are beautiful, way more beautiful than him, but its ok, you can love him. you can love him and you can swear he’s the best, and we can still be friends. i love my share of brilliant, sucky boys too. when he does some horrible shit to you, i’ll say he’s an asshole and he is. i’ll always take your side. And i won’t be like your other friends who point out what YOU did, or how it was somehow partially your fault. no, i blame him. you are beautiful and he is lucky to have ever even touched you, ever even looked at you. but later, when you forgive him, when you decide you love him and you need him, i hope you forgive me too, i hope you aren’t mad for what i said about him. it’s ok, you can love him. i don’t think it makes you stupid or weak, or a liar for what you felt before. i don’t think he’s that bad (well, maybe i do or don’t but that’s not the point). what i’m saying is i love YOU, and if he comes with it that’s fine, i won’t make a big deal out of it or always say rude things. don’t be mad that i said he doesn’t deserve you. you know my boys rarely deserve me either. i want you to be happy. so, be happy. love him if it makes you happy.

How can you not be in love with that?

Clementine Cannibal’s writing has a visceral quality. She’s real, she’s blunt, she loves her femininity, and she makes no apologies for it. If you’re feeling a little down, LSOC #12 will remind you why you’re awesome. It will charge you up and inspire you to move, play, draw, write, create.

Find Licking Starts Off Ceilings #12 and more of Clementine Cannibal’s work at her website, stalk her on Facebook, or join the awesome girlVIRUS group!

I couldn’t resist the temptation to start an article with a clip of Old Gregg. If you haven’t seen the whole thing, check it out here.

I used to be afraid of watercolors. So there was only one thing to be done: take a watercolor class. It was a rocky start to a relationship, but I’m pretty deeply in love now. I think I’m most attracted to the ease with which watercolors lend themselves to mixed media. I want to share a preparation technique that is especially good for watercolor-heavy mixed media pieces.

All brand and store recommendations are my personal and professional opinion as an artist. I’m not getting any kickbacks for recommending specific products or stores.

Watercolor paper. $3-$18. All paper, especially art paper, is categorized by weight. The weight listed is how much a ream (500 sheets) of that paper weighs. The heavier the paper, the thicker it is. Watercolor paper typically ranges from 140lbs to 400lbs. I personally find lighter papers easier to stretch, but harder to work on and heavier papers harder to stretch but easier to work on. Since paper can always be re-stretched, I much prefer heavier paper. 400lbs is my favorite, but to save a little I usually settle for 300lbs, about $10 a sheet at my local art store (Dick Blick appears to have slightly better prices).

One more note about watercolor paper: It comes in hot press, cold press, and rough. Hot press is the smoothest, rough is the roughest texture. When using watercolor paint directly on the paper, I prefer rough. It uses a little more paint, but I feel I have more control over it. Everytime I attempt to use a hot press paper, my paint is running all over the damn place. However for this technique, texture is more or less irrelevant since we’ll be coating the paper.

Wood board. $10-$20. Sized to fit your paper (a 2ft x 3ft board should be just big enough for a full size piece of watercolor paper). I got a 2ft x 4ft, ½” thick board from Home Depot for (if I’m remembering correctly) about $10. Home Depot’s website lists 4ft x 8ft boards starting at $18.

Water-based tape. $7-? This one can be tricky to find. My local art supply store carries it, but Dick Blick doesn’t appear to. It’s a roll of tape that seals like an envelope; it has to be wetted to activate the adhesive.

Watercolor paint. $3-$20 per tube. Watercolor paint varies WILDLY depending on tube size, color, and brand. Generally I like Winsor and Newton. Colors I consider must needs: Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Prussian Blue, Cobalt Blue, Viridian, Payne’s Gray, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber and Titanium White. And even Viridian, Sienna, and Umber can be cut in a pinch. From those colors, you can mix every color you’ll ever need. Even black. Trust me.

White Gesso. $4-$35 depending on brand and size. You won’t need much and it doesn’t need to be expensive.

Natural Hair Brushes. $5-$100+ depending on brand, size, and handle length. A round 2, 4, and 6 and a flat 6 or 8 make a good starter set. Alternatively, 2 or 3 different sized bamboo brushes and a hake also make a good starter set. Personally, I have and use all the brushes listed about and I find myself coming back again and again to my bamboo brushes. They’re versatile (good for ink drawings too!) and have a great variety of stroke sizes. But I do have a traditional western round brush that I love dearly too, so try not to limit yourself to one style brush.

A Small Bucket. Or tupperware bowl you’re willing to sacrifice to the paint gods. Or anything you can hold water in. I prefer a wider opening, but even cleaned spaghetti jars work. The bigger your bucket, the less often you’ll have to change your water. I got one of those little decorative garden buckets from the dollar store and it’s lived through 3 months as a slop bucket for ceramics and 9 months of watercolor adventures.

A Hair Dryer. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it can be used to dry paint quicker and can even push larger amounts of paint around to make cool effects.

Ink, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, etc. Basically ANYTHING else you want to use.

Alright! We’re ready to go! Let’s first head down to the bathroom with your board, tape, and watercolor paper. I have a pretty sweet set-up in my itty, bitty bathroom: My board sit on the washer, my tape and accessories sit on the dryer. Give yourself plenty of space.

Run the bathtub and soak the paper. Water temperature doesn’t matter, and you don’t have to soak it for any extended period of time. I turn on the tub faucet, splash water all over the paper, flip it over, and splash water all over that side. As long as the entire sheet of paper is wet and dripping, you’re good.

After it’s wet, hold the paper over the tub and let it drip. You can give it a little shake to (I’m not sure it makes it dry faster, but it makes me feel better). When the dripping is so slow it’s almost non-existent, hold opposite ends of the paper and make a horseshoe. Take it over to the board. Laying it down from the center of the paper out, center it on the board. So you’re holding it in a horseshoe and lowering the paper onto the board curve first and making sure it’s centered. Smooth it out if there are any bubbles.

Now take your tape and rip off a piece for each side of the paper. Wet the adhesive side of the tape (I find almost-dripping wet paper towels are best for this) and tape down the paper to the board. This is tricky to get right, so don’t get frustrated. I don’t know anyone who gets it right the first couple times. Hell, I’ve lost count how many pieces of watercolor paper I’ve stretched and I still screw it up sometimes.

Now leave the paper to air dry totally. You may be tempted to use a fan to speed things up; I wouldn’t recommend it. Small errors in stretching are exacerbated by fast drying and your paper is much likely to pull up from the board. Spend the time waiting for your paper to dry sketching. When your paper is totally dry, it should be completely flat. A little bit of tape curling or pulled up is ok as long as the paper is still secure to the board and flat. If any part of the paper is bubbled up when dry, re-stretch the paper.

Once you’re good to go, get out the gesso and coat your paper. I like to do this by hand so I can create different textures. The thinner your coat of gesso, the faster it will dry. You CAN use a fan or hair drier to dry the gesso without worry of pulling up your paper. While you’re gessoing, your paper might start to bubble. This is totally normal and ok. The paper is warping slightly because of the moisture in the gesso, but it will dry flat again.

Once your gesso is dry, go forth and art! For anyone who’s used watercolors before, you’ll notice a difference in how the paint handle on top of the gesso. Because the paint isn’t soaking into the paper, you get a lot of different and interesting effects. It kind of reminds me of a chalkboard, I’m not really sure why. For anyone who feels like they don’t have enough control when using watercolors, this preparation technique may be for you.

Special thanks to my husband for editing down the full Old Gregg video to the watercolor clip.

When a woman dressed in a way you don’t approve of gets raped and you say, or even think, “Well she asked for it,” you are excusing the rapist. You are apologizing on the rapists’ behalf.

It’s not a figure of speech. It’s slut-shaming, it’s victim-blaming, and it’s rape apology.

I could link to plenty of studies and personal accounts as evidence that clothing has zero impact on a rapist, but if my recent experience has taught me anything, these studies will go right over rape apologists’ heads. These studies we be called biased or inaccurate or academic, or anything else that a rape apologist stuck in their own little rape apology world can think up as a reason to not be bothered to think critically about their extraordinarily misguided point of view.

But just like rape isn’t about sex, I don’t think rape-apology (in a woman as victim and man as rapist situation) is really about rape. I think it’s about misogyny and patriarchy and control. Those stuck in a patriarchal mindset have, for whatever reason, such a deep-seated fear and hatred of women that they stop at nothing to control them. These are often the same people that think women should be strictly at home and think that women shouldn’t be allowed control over their reproductive organs. I also suspect these people don’t believe in such a thing as marital or date rape.

Simply, these folks don’t see women as people. What’s sadder is that I didn’t say, “these men” because there are women of this same mind-set!

An asshole friend of my husband’s once gave him a self-help sex book called, “How To Please Your Woman Every Time,” or some such non-sense. The woman author’s advice for women? “Total sexual surrender” to their men (apparently lesbian relationships don’t make it into this lady’s worldview). I distinctly remember one line in the book that the author said something along the lines of, “Now I’m a feminist (I believe in equal pay, etc)…” That, I think, is the mentality of these rape-apology, slut-shaming, anti-choice “feminists.” They think women (who aren’t married, don’t have kids, and of course aren’t having sex like shameless strumpets!) should be paid equal to men and think that makes them feminists. Equal pay is important, but so is equality in all facets of life! Including equal freedom to dress as one pleases, to come and go as one pleases, and to consent to sex with whomever one pleases.

If she “deserved it,” you’re not a feminist. You’re not engaging in rape prevention by passing judgement on a woman’s clothing choice. You’re promoting rape. You, YOU are as bad as and as guilty as the rapist, because YOU said the rapists’ actions were ok.

I think this show has the potential to be beyond awesome. I don’t care what I have to do, I’m there whether I get a piece in or not (well of course I’m going to submit a piece…possibly two [nothing in the rules says I can't!]). And the cause is also beyond awesome. I could write pages and pages about the (unfortunate) necessity of groups like the Women’s Medical Fund to help assure equal access to abortion.

Two major (art) things that strike me the most though:

– How incredibly, awesomely, cool is it to have a feminist/women’s issues art show??? I know they exist. And maybe I’m just a sheltered Upstate NY girl (I am), but there doesn’t seem to be NEARLY enough of them! I’m so psyched to have heard of one that I can go and submit to.

– I don’t have any pieces that fit the parameters currently, so obviously I need to make something new for it (not that I wouldn’t anyway). How exactly do I interpret the parameters?

It’s that second one that’s hanging me up slightly. I spent the day at the park with one eye on the kids and both hands on my sketch book trying to come up with ideas around the given quote, “No woman is required to build the world by destroying herself,” (Rabbi Sofer). This brings so much exciting imagery to mind (I have the sketch book pages to prove it). But after looking over my sketches I’m left wondering, “But is it reproductive justice???”

The submissions pages goes on to say,

When creating your art, please keep in mind that reproductive justice is a commitment to “the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women’s rights.” This includes the right to have a child, the right not to have a child, the right to parent the children women have, the right to control birthing options, and the right to an empowering education so that all women are aware of these invaluable rights…

So ensues the torture of getting a piece to come together. Do I create based on the quote? Based on the definition provided of reproductive justice? Based on both? The obvious answer would be to base the piece on both, because that’s what they’re asking for. But what if this compromises the piece and makes it less than what it could be? Am I hack if I change the piece in hopes of increasing my chances to get in and win a prize?

I’m probably a hack anyway. But if show submission guides are anything like college assignments, than the focus should be the piece.

It’s all about interpretation I guess. Not surprising given the subjective nature of art. Why do we do this to ourselves? (I’m pretty sure the answer starts with an “m” and ends with a “asochism”)