What if, part three

I asked the question: If you woke up tomorrow, and all model horse shows were banned, gone, a thing of the past never to return. would you still collect the way you do now? What would change? Why? 

At first, the discussion went almost exactly as I would have predicted, with respondents falling into one of four basic camps.

• I don't show so it wouldn't change anything for me.
• I do show, but it wouldn't change anything for me.
• I do show, and showing drives my collecting decisions. If shows were to disappear, I would still collect, but I would probably collect differently.
• I do show, I love to show and if shows were banned, I would probably sell most of my collection.

For what it's worth, I feel like all these options are equally valid. There are no right or wrong ways to participate. Hobbies should make you happy.

While the question was specifically about collecting, a few artists - including Stephanie Blaylock - did say that if all competitions were banned, they would miss the inspirations and artistic boost they get from seeing other artists' work on the show table.

I expected that, too. As a longtime hobby artist and performance shower, I have also experienced that boost.

What I did not expect was this comment from Lisa Smalley: If shows were banned, she writes, I would probably paint more. When we prep models for painting at LSQ levels, it is a laborious task of repeatedly prepping and priming, and we do yet another round when we find tiny flaws. It is not fun. I would still prep, but I would be ok with some small flaws that I could live with. That would make painting more enjoyable, and I would do more of it!

This resonated. Damn, Shauna McDaniels said in response. This is valid as shit. Release of perfection would be so good for us collectively.

Bobbie Allen agrees. I would still collect the way I do now, she explains. However, in the artistic sense, I would feel SO much more free without the perceived idea of assumed non-LSQ work being worth next to nothing. The looming idea of things needing to be “LSQ” keeps me from doing… nearly everything. I know they don’t “need to be” and yet, most times, I’m paralyzed.

Samantha Burnette has a similar take: Customizing would be less stressful, she writes, because people would be buying custom pieces for the sake of owning an art piece. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but without the worry of making my lsq, I could show more of my humanity in the small imperfections while still having good workmanship skills.

Lauren Ball says: I feel like I try to tone some of my work down for shows, so I’d honestly probably start making a lot more pieces for myself that are a little bit more wazoo and less realistic.

Without the pressure to create live show quality work, several people, including Heather Davis, said they'd be more likely to participate in the maker side of the hope. I'm in the "rarely show" boat, she explains. I don't think a lack of showing would change what I buy - might encourage me to paint more of my own pieces, though.

Carra McClelland has a similar take. She says, I might focus on developing my customizing skills more.

Although Heather Moreton would continue to concentrate on tack, she reports that without shows she would probably be less picky about who paints my horses. 

Lisa Sharpe says, I would probably take more interesting photos instead of worrying about super correct photos that are aimed for online show classes. 

I really appreciate everyone who took part in this discussion. It's clear that most of us like shows and wouldn't want them to disappear. In addition to being an important social outlet, competition encourages excellence in all areas of model horse artistry: sculpting, molding, painting, tack making, doll dressing, prop making and performance showing.

That said, the emphasis on perfection can also be stressful and stifling. I hope that as a community, we can find a way to support and encourage each other to be a little less rigid and a lot more wazoo. Imagine how fun that could be!