I’m an artist. Art is on my mind and in my heart every single day. I study it, teach it, dream it, show it, sell it, buy it. Most days I make it. The days I don’t haunt me a little, and although I can’t quite describe how or why, I know I cannot escape it. It is my world. But when I think about “The Art World,” I also know that my place in it right now is not on the mainland.

How do you get around this place? Maybe you have a rinky-dink boat. Maybe you’re walking. Or maybe you have access to a helicopter or a plane. Things will be different for you based on what resources and skills you start out with and which ones you pick up along the way. Wherever it is you begin, you’ll likely run into some barriers or traps on your journey.

Thinking about the Art World as a tangible place and identifying some of its features has been so much fun. Even a bit curative. How I wish I had been given a map of it early on. I don’t know if it would have made my journey more direct, but at least I would have had an idea of what’s out there.