Page 1 of Not Another Rockstar
“Phoebe Fletcher’s illustrative paintings, currently featured at the exclusive Hogan Gallery, depict deeply emotional stories in a manner that speaks not only to children but the neglected inner child in every adult. We’re expecting many great things from the social media-risen artist in the future.”
Lena, her agent, read Phoebe the review from her phone because she was too nervous to read it herself. Phoebe tried to contain her happy squeals—best to be professional, considering how many people were gathered in the gallery to view the exhibition.
“They love the collection?” she asked, peering over Lena’s shoulder. It was her first time being reviewed in the paper, and the praise felt too surreal to believe. It felt like she’d finally made it.
“Love it? There are two more paragraphs singing your praises!” Lena beamed, earning a few stares from those around them. “The review has been posted all over social media. Be prepared to be very busy.”
“I feel like I can finally breathe again, after months of stressing about all this. I can’t believe they love it! I’m so glad I left the commission form open on my website.” Phoebe couldn’t wait to get home and check if she had any new commissions or print orders.
She took a deep breath and resisted the urge to burst out in a fit of joy-filled laughter. Probably better not to look like she’d lost her mind, if she wanted these people to purchase her art.
“Has Cillian seen this? When is he getting here?” Lena asked the dreaded question.
She read Phoebe’s hesitation in an instant.
“Cillian hasn’t turned up? You’ve been showing for a week, and he couldn’t make it for one night? Are you serious?” she whispered as Phoebe placed a red dot on another sold painting.
She’d been worried about the price putting people off, but Lena had informed her at the start of the night that three of her largest paintings had sold to one collector at asking. The best part about having an agent was that she did all the price negotiating. Phoebe was terrible at pricing—she’d give everything away for free if she could.
“After so many years of struggling, I have a sell-out show and an agent to celebrate my success with. Please let’s just bask in this moment?” Phoebe pleaded. “Do I want him here? Yes, but nothing can dull my shine right now. I’ve a sneaking suspicion that Cillian bought the three paintings since he couldn’t make it. He mentioned wanting to purchase some art to decorate the villa in Italy.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t think the worst of him. I won’t bring him up again, but you shouldn’t let him get away with not being here for you. How many times have you made sacrifices to be at one of his shows or be there to support him?” Lena offered her a glass of sparkling water, since she didn’t drink while working.
Phoebe clinked her long, manicured nails against the glass to ease her nerves. She’d had her nails done for the first time for the show, since they were usually stained with paint. Given all the hands she’d be shaking, she wanted to make a good impression—and give her hands a treat for all the hard work they’d done to bring her to this point in her career.
“It’s the band’s first stadium tour. Him missing one exhibition isn’t the end of the world,” Phoebe reasoned. She hated to be the girl who was always defending her absentee boyfriend, but she’d been with him long before he was a famous rockstar and understood the stress he was under.
“Judging by how this exhibition has gone, and the beaming faces of the gallery owners, it won’t be your last show here,” Lena said with a wink.
Even if exhibitions were more stressful than selling prints online, it was great to see the collection appreciated by so many in person.
“He wanted to be here, but he has a show in Munich tomorrow. I couldn’t ask him to fly home for my last night. I had no expectations that he’d be here,” Phoebe said, organising her remaining prints at the front of the gallery. It was awfully hot despite the late hour, and with the door opening and closing, it was nice to get a breath of fresh air. “The same way he didn’t expect me to be at his London show last week because I was getting everything ready for the exhibition.” Phoebe tucked a strand of her cropped lilac hair behind her ear as the draught by the door caused some strands to stick to her lip gloss.
“That’s different,” Lena countered, taking a salmon puff from a passing tray of hors d’oeuvres. “You’ve gone to countless concerts, and this is your first big exhibition.”
Phoebe knew Lena didn’t like her fiancé. They’d met briefly before Cillian left for the tour months back, but they hadn’t clicked, and his lack of support since hadn’t helped. Not that sheneeded them to get along. Lena was her agent first and friend second, and she was always professional.
“We’re in this fabulous gallery, surrounded by fabulously creative minds, and celebrating my sell-out exhibition. Please just be ridiculously happy for me.” Phoebe put out some more cards with her commission details, trying not to let Lena’s concerns ruin her buzz. “Tomorrow, when you wake up hungover and I drag you to an early-riser yoga class, you can bitch as much as you want about his failures as a boyfriend.”
Fiancé,Phoebe corrected herself. The ring on her finger, an obscenely large diamond that wasn’t her style, glared up at her, but his heart was in the right place. They hadn’t grown up with much, so he tended to overcompensate. At twenty-six, she hadn’t been expecting a proposal. Her art career was taking off, and with Cillian being away for months with his band, Brothers of Anarchy, it felt crazy to think about planning a wedding.
“Fine, I’ll stop.” Lena gave in. “I’m ridiculously happy for you. With all the money you’ve made tonight, you’ll be able to stop temping.”
Lena was the only person Phoebe knew who loved her desk job, though she was rarely at her desk. Public relations meant she spent most of her time wining and dining, attending openings and premieres of the clients she managed.
“You’ll be happy to hear I handed in my notice this morning. I’m officially a full-time artist,” Phoebe said, still in disbelief. “I didn’t have much of a choice, since you’ve already booked three more exhibitions next year.” In the meantime, Phoebe hoped the royalties from this show, commissions and her website sales would keep her comfortable. Once the rent was covered and she could paint all day, she didn’t care.
“I’ll cheers to that! I’m sure your mum and dad are so proud of you. I didn’t see them around?” Lena glanced around the busy studio, alive with small talk. Phoebe illustrated emotionsas characters, with scenes to match. She loved listening to what people thought, and seeing if they could figure out what emotion each painting depicted.
“You already missed them. They were some of the first to arrive, but with Dad’s bad hip they couldn’t stay long,” she said.
Just that morning, she’d paid them back for the two years of art school she’d attended. Her professors had called her work childish and doubted she’d ever be a ‘real’ artist. When she’d decided to drop out after two years, her parents never doubted her decision.
Phoebe had the internet to thank for making her a success. She’d started with small prints, but seeing the large canvases on the walls felt like coming home. For an extra dash of petty, she’d sent some of her professors invites to the opening—which went unanswered.
“I’ll have to catch them next time,” Lena said. “Getting back to the sunrise yoga, why do we have to get up at the crack of dawn? Why don’t we have a late brunch and then go to an afternoon class like regular people?” she suggested, touching up her red lipstick. “I think celebrating should come with a long lie-in.”
Lena was blessed with genes that allowed her to remain trim without having to exercise, whereas Phoebe only had to look at a dessert and her body would decide to hold onto it for life. That didn’t stop her from loving her sweet treats; she’d learnt to love her curves after years of too much exercise and obsessing over ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. It did nothing but ruin her mental health, and what’s wrong with being pear shaped? Pears are juicy and delicious.
