The gallery has been busy preparing for our holiday events, interviewing artists, preparing for the 2023 V.I.A award ceremony, and talking with guests as they visit our gallery. During the busy, a nugget of wisdom keeps dancing around my psyche.

I was introduced to a podcast by my step son not to long ago. To be honest, I do not remember the identity of the motivational speaker, and I do not remember the primary topic of the speech. All I remember is his question. "Which two do you want? Out of these three, which two would you select? The options are, quality, cheap, or fast. I have applied this question to much of what we have accomplished. I remember the speaker explaining,

"If you want cheap and fast, you can not expect quality."

"If you want quality and cheap, you can not expect fast."

"If you want quality and fast, you can not expect cheap."

So,this is certainly food for thought. These descriptors are very subjective. Of course, a V.I.A award recipient must have quality as it pertains to skill set, purpose, ethics, and professional values he or she implements. An artist should create quality work, which takes time, and most likely will not be cheap (as compared to hobby lobby home decor). Professional art classes should demonstrate a quality that hobby art classes do not demonstrate, and therefore they will not be as cheap as hobby art classes. Gallery events should have a quality to them, however, often visitors or participants just want cheap entertainment. I continue to ponder the question, and my goal is to find a balance of the three. Yes one may be sacrificed for the other two, but since these descriptors are subjective I do not have to choose only two. I can attempt to choose quality and fast at the best price possible. I can choose cheap and quality if the event is planned in advance, and I can choose fast and cheap if the purpose is to have fun and socialize. In those situations the focus should be on the social connections and not so much the activity.

We are looking forward to the upcoming Christmas season and are excited to participate in the Downtown Woodstock parade again this year. The gallery will be open for fun and socializing. I can promise I will continue to ponder this question and these descriptors will be applied to the event, the works we have for sale, and the timing of it all.