Selling MOAR ART.

Just did my second craft fair.  More of a street festival, really.  Not affiliated with the previous one.

This one…kinda sucked.  Or maybe other locations in the festival might have been good, but literally all the vendors on the sidestreet I was on were visibly dispirited and indicated to Minx and I that they were having a pretty shitty day.

And I feel kind of stupid because my booth was right next to a stage with music performances and stuff, and I knew this ahead of time and had misgivings about it, but the organizers said it was a great location because the music would bring customers my way. I figured they’d know more about this stuff than I do so I agreed to take that spot.

Well, it sucked being next to the stage for all reasons I expected it would.  It was too loud to talk to my customers, and the people who were drawn to the music didn’t stop to look at my stuff because, duh, they were single-mindedly heading to check out the stage.  There were also some problems I didn’t anticipate: most of the day was taken up by a kids’ talent show, so I had parents clamouring all up in my personal space trying to see and photograph their spawn; also, because I didn’t rent a $100 tent, my area had no walls or boundaries of any kind so performers ended up hanging out in my booth that I paid for while they waited for their turn to go on.  Mostly they were unobtrusive but one (adult) singing duo filled half my space with their equipment and kept jostling me.  Later, this same duo let their little toddler paw all through my merchandise without watching her or stopping her whatsoever.  I was about ready to punch them in the face.

To top it all off, a couple of the performances were dance routines with multiple kids, and the stage wasn’t wide enough to accommodate, so they danced on the street in front of the stage – and extended partially in front of my table.  So I paid $45 to sell my stuff there, and the organizers decided to put a bunch of spinning, kicking children in front of me.  The other issues I had that day maybe couldn’t have been predicted, but that was just total shitty planning.  I wish I had the balls to demand a partial refund on my entry fee.  I did at least write to one of the organizers and let her know that it’s problematic having a booth right next to the stage, and that in future they should at least put a five-foot “buffer zone” in between.

I have to brag a little bit, though: I’m pretty sure Minx and I did better at that festival than anyone else in our little quadrant.  Mostly because everyone else was peddling big expensive paintings while I had paintings and cheap little impulse items.  Thanks to those impulse items, I made a whopping $36 during the course of that 8-hour day (I have resigned myself to the idea that the paintings are really just there as advertisement/display and nobody will buy them), and I don’t think any of my neighbours made a single cent.  So I feel pretty savvy right about now.

Also, I did have a few bright moments where someone really dug my work and eagerly took a business card of their own accord, asked me where else I sold things,  etc.  I love when I connect with people like that. 😀

Anyway, remember that first craft fair I did?  It’s a recurring event that happens three times, total, over the course of the summer.  I enjoyed myself at the first one, so at the end of it I signed up for the next; after this recent crappy experience the other one seems even more awesome by comparison, so the minute I got home from it I contacted the guy in charge and asked if the third instalment still has any openings.  Then I went on Craigslist and bookmarked a bunch of jobs, since I’m kinda-sorta getting to a point where I should try to make some actual money.  Mostly office jobs, because I can’t stand doing customer service unless it’s for my own business.  I hate the idea of having obligations in my life that distract me from my art, but I think I’m more functional when I have structure in my life – and of course I’d really like to have some money coming in.  I was thinking I could even work somewhere full time for a couple of months, just to beef up my bank account again.

But!  The organizer guy from the craft fair I like emailed me back that there is room in the third event still – and that he also wants to put me in a brand new craft fair that happens every week.  And because the weekly thing is so new, he’s gonna let me participate for free until it gets off the ground!!!!!

So now I have the structure I’ve been craving plus a shot at making money.  The guy did say it’s very slow there so far, so I’m setting my sights low and assuming I’ll make like five bucks a day at first.  But since I’m participating for free, it’ll be my five bucks, dammit!  And I think the money will keep on growing.

I’m…not gonna look for full time work just yet.  😀