The Nicolas BouCage

I'd had a dumb thought one day that I decided to commit to a Facebook Poll. A Nicolas BouCage, or a Jeff Goldblooms? It's this kind of heated debate that brings out all the opinions in my friend circle. I ended up making both pieces, and have since gone on to make several more floral celebrity dad joke puns, but this is the first piece I've ever sold from concept alone.

The poll was nearly a straight tie. BouCage won out by merit of one voter being so massive a fan, they pledged to buy it in advance of even a first look.

My dumb thoughts are not usually so fruitful, but sometimes you strike on something just fun enough at the right time and you get lucky. ;)

Obviously, I've been trying to get the attentions of the celebrities I've been painting. It's wild how much a retweet, or even just a comment can drive engagement up. Engagement which has steadily been dwindling over the past few years. From my gatherings, I'm not the only one to be losing attention online. What I don't know for sure, is whether it's algorithmic - that small accounts are suppressed to encourage paid usage, or if it's just that people aren't using nearly as much social media.

Either way, I'm not ashamed to shoot my shot in hopes of being "seen". I'm no star basketball player, but I figure if I keep shooting, I'm bound to get at least a couple in the net. ;)

~Rachel
Rachelsvparry @ gmail.com