Just a review of my feelings and comments.
This had been a year with so many up and down. The consisting topic for sales this year is there is no reason why things goes well or bad. The consisting act it was playing catch up with the bills. I personally believe, that this is the first year where I feel I pick up good shows with potential and no regret of the outcome from any of my choices. This is the first year that make certain that I was over prepare for each show. There was no reason to doubt myself if the show went south on me.
I remove myself from Facebook groups and did not review any show because I wanted to see where I was standing at the end of the year and to not see too much negativity. It seems to be a very hard year to many of my friends that started about the same time as me and do not have deep pockets to cover bad shows. It was important to me see other people struggle same as me but even more important see friends with the same problems and learn from them how to keep going.
Let me share what I finally understand but there is no guarantee this may work next year.
Figure out my budget per month and including a savings account. That budget should be the goal set for each show. I need to be part between 24 to 30 shows that have the potential for being good for me. I can aim to the stars but need to be realistic where I am as an art show artist. At slow shows look around at the display of other artists and see that will work for me. This year because I took an advice from friend to print big I realized that my standard tent is to small to display my work properly. Those that means that affect my sales I do not know but want to see my work as I will see at a house. What does that mean for me is to rise the wall 22 inches and eliminate the center wall. I understand that presentation is what you stand out from the rest. I am adjusting my pricing of my items because I need market what I believe is the proper price and have confidence that they will move at that price point because I am as good as the next photographer in next booth we just have different vision in our work. Until this day I had not seen any art show artist doing work that has not been done in the past and is like any other skill job we have some skills better than others but nobody is light years ahead of anyone. Anyone that believe that is just arrogant artist and good for them.
When you apply to show just not apply for applying. Black and white photography specially the one still done in the darkroom it consider to be better. Using film is consider to be better photography. Advance manipulate photography is consider better art. Photography is not consider real fine art. Those are the assumption going in. Jury process is the first step in our industry. Know what shows use this assumptions are shows that wont apply. Yes they tell us that we get different jurors each year but guide line for the shows are the same. The art shows are no different that a gallery. They have an idea what they want at the show. That process I may be not apply to certain shows any more: La Plaza, Winter Park and St Louis Art Fair. This is a honest observation of my work vs what I understand about the show. Still to this moment I am upset with friend that I told this and consider my point that is stupid and childless. This shows had produce a lot of income to people that get in but the key is to get in which it brings back to my observation. I believe that all show started in some place and those shows can become very good for me because I will put the work and effort. At the shows that you are in keep a positive perspective and know that hardest thing is deal with the fact that may not have enough to cover bills if the show does not produce. Regardless what people said we all have that problem.
I am applying to shows that fail in the past. Why I am doing that, well it had been a while since I did them. My work and presentation had improve. I believe that should give them another try if those shows still had good recommendations. I hope to be back at the sows that did well in the last two years and keep improving my work.
The biggest lessons are not to doubt your choices and keep improving your craft and marketing. I personally do not have a big budget to start this adventure and paid as I go. I do not have a spouse to cover the bills when thing go bad. My biggest fear is to be homeless and that is a fear I face with outcome of each show. Some people will understand others will take this wrong way. There political factor that affect the economic environment. There are people at lot republican artists as well as democrats so do not assume things. Being a minority in this country sucks and people wont understand that so why to even bother to explain.
For all these I am grateful for my friends: Adam Egenolf, Thomas Harris, Anita Melling Baldauf, Stephen Baldauf, Mark and Wendy Zoschke, Chad Jerzak, and crazy Tanya Leslie.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Comments
Right after posting I realized this video showed up, I have subscribed to Eric's videos because they are consistently positive and encouraging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN9TcXoK-u0&feature=em-subs_digest
Oscar and Connie,
You both make some very good points. I am encouraged by your remarks to work harder, smarter, find new avenues to sell, and improve my skills. I tend to be a "second guesser" about so many things. As Oscar wrote, I need to have confidence in what I do and my prices. When I am at a show I usually go around and see who has painted furniture that is similar to mine. I do a price check and see if it's similar size and finish. All this to help build my confidence in what I have done and how I have priced it. So far this season, my first full season with furniture, I have had my prices confirmed.
Oscar wrote:
Until this day I had not seen any art show artist doing work that has not been done in the past and is like any other skill job we have some skills better than others but nobody is light years ahead of anyone.
This is so true. However I keep thinking "so and so is so much better at xyz than me." Or, so and so is so much more successful financially at her art/craft. I have to quit that and quitting it so hard. I have to find peace with what I do and where I am. If I am not happy with where I am, I am the only one who can change it.
Connie wrote:
You love it when your friends do well, of course, but then start to doubt yourself. "To compare is to despair."
Oh, i am so guilty of comparing myself to this one particular person in our community. She is highly talented in what she does, a totally different kind of art from what I do. She is very successful and her originals often sell in the $100's for a small and $1000's for a large piece. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy that she has found success, and it has not been easy for her. She is always supportive of others and wishes them the best in what they do. My problem is ME--that I keep comparing myself, success, etc. to her, which is totally unacceptable in reality. It's like comparing apples and cheese. LOL
Connie wrote:
Even at a bad show you can learn a lot. AND it isn't always going to work.
That is what we have started working on--trying to learn SOMETHING, anything from bad shows. We had one at the beginning of November. Sales were not good, traffic was not good on Sunday at all. There were booths with products, that if we had known about it beforehand, we would never have signed up. So ... what did we learn? Be ever vigilant in scoping out the show beforehand and see who and what they are allowing in. We also had our first set up with a double booth. We had a good practice session on that.
We are taking the winter to regroup. We have figured out that we want to find some new avenues of finding product for our booth. We do some shows that have art, craft, vintage and antiques. John and I are going to go to some garage sales and estate sales to find things to put in our booth, to alter with paint and distressing, etc. The purpose of going to these places is to find that diamond in the rough, the buried treasure, etc. We do not want a garage sale look but want to take pieces that some have overlooked and give it a makeover.
I am also starting to look at decorating trends, color trends, and to follow people on YouTube or Facebook who are positive, uplifting and actually add to my life rather than take away, like all the negativity we often see. I have left some groups on Facebook groups this year due to bickering and negativity. It is so easy to slip to the lowest common denominator of negativity and bickering. I want to step up above that and be a positive influencer.
I know, you feel helpless. What used to work, isn't working. The sure things aren't so sure, yet every now and then those special people walk into your booth and you are feeling very good. This business has some rules, you're following them: making good work, looking good at the shows, reaching out to your email list, being smart with your pricing, carefully choosing your shows, keeping your costs down ... but what if you didn't do those things? It could be worse.
Do you have any shows left for this year? Will you be at One of a Kind?
I mostly stay away from the FB groups. Too much bickering and bad news, not enough of the good news. You love it when your friends do well, of course, but then start to doubt yourself. "To compare is to despair." I hope you feel safe here, Oscar. You've been a member for a long time.
You are a good networker and learn from others. Even at a bad show you can learn a lot. AND it isn't always going to work. Somehow you just have to dig down and believe in yourself. So hard. Predicting what the judges will like ... the only thing I know is you can't ... yet if you examine the websites of the shows you did/didn't get into and see the work in your category that did get in, you may have more information that will help next time. I used to look at the people who seemed to ALWAYS get in and took a hard look to see why they beat us out.
One of the things I found is that many of them had a very narrow focus on subject matter and their work was distinctly their own. Landscape and nature have always been hard categories for photographers to get into shows. Yet, when they get the good shows, their sales are the best. We did black and white photography. It was easier to get into shows but we knew our "buying pool" would be smaller.
Sounds easy, right? Yet even with a nice string of good shows we had a lot of credit card juggling and a challenge to balance needs and wants. We'd turn over every stone and study new prospectuses and not miss an opportunity that showed some promise. We never traveled very far West because of the expense of being on the road for a long time with maybe only one or two shows to do. I always thought I'd end up in senior housing living on Social Security, but because I've kept working long after all my friends have retired, my life is financially solid.
Attitude helps a lot. You do a solid job of reaching out to others and looking for answers. This surely helps. Are you still doing some hanging of art for others? I agree with your idea to go back to some shows that may not have worked in the past, especially with your new display and larger work and your own email marketing. When we'd head south in February for Florida I was always scared that it wasn't going to pay, yet it did. We'd put together a string of shows clustered around the big ones, A shows and filler shows. The A shows gave us profit and the fillers kept the utility bills paid.
You've got friends! I've got friends, a good social safety net ... plus we live in a country where we can go stand on the street corner and perhaps pay the bills ... Happy thanksgiving to you, Oscar.