One of the many things I absolutely love about being an artist is getting in my safe, secluded creative bubble and creating out of my comfort zone. It doesn't take long before that particular creative bubble is maxed out, along with some finances, when the itch and necessity to venture out, face the public and Internet with my art takes hold. Yep, don my marketing and selling hat and get to the real work. Beret, fascinator, stetson, hard hat, your fashionable choice.
Art fairs and shows are a natural and necessary vehicle for artists to show and SELL their work. Indoor and outdoor. It is the best way to interact and connect with the public one on one, artistically and professionally. You can get verbal and non-verbal feedback about your work, SELL IT direct and build a customer base.
Now that I officially declared my new artistic style as mixed media from functional, it is time to get this new work out there and sell it. No holds barred. It is Show time!
Except.....I have a fear of doing shows and some excuses for not doing them. Let's rattle off three fears: financial-recouping my booth and expenses and not selling my work or enough of it; emotional-EGO/rejection; and physical - I don't own a car and limited residential space to store a tent. I actually sold my new tent several years ago after only two shows to a macro green farmer for farmers' markets in Wisconsin. I have indoor and outdoor show experience so I do know of which I speak. Outdoor leaves me traumatized.
Artists put their heart and souls into their creations and most of all COURAGE into their shows. There is an investment on EVERY LEVEL and I admire and respect their courage for making the haul and going the full distance(s). I'll have what they're having :).
Let me share one example of an extraordinary artist profile in courage and another one of my personal artist heroes, Melissa Banks of Rapt In Maille. She is a full time WORKING (and oh does she) artist and designer of chain maille jewelry and does lots and lots of shows. She posted a recent outdoor experience at the Ann Arbor 2011 show on her blog that left me gasping. I want you to read it too. Perhaps you will gain an ever greater appreciation and insight of and for an artist's show life. Why do they do this?
Please click on the link below, to see what it is and can be like doing an outdoor show:
I would love to again possess what it takes to do what she and every outdoor artist in particular does. I suppose I will some day. I certainly have a reason to do more shows- New Mixed Media creations and old excuses to go with them.
Thank goodness for the artists who help, instruct, inspire, lead, share and are honest with what is it truly like doing shows- Retail, Wholesale, Indoor and/or Outdoor. They are the pioneers and models for me to again GET OVER IT!
Recent read: Ceramic artist Eva Zeisel is 104 years old and still making art. She is introducing a new line of lamps and when recently asked in the WSJ:
Q: What do you want to achieve with your new lamps?
A: I want to sell them.
Ms. Zeisel, that's all I want to do with my new art. Did you do shows? If so, how long did it take to get over the fear?
P.S. I have an indoor show coming up in October-Ravenswood Artwalk! We'll see about more before this year is up. I'm not holding my breath. Definitely 2012.
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