Today is the early bird deadline for Houston International Festival Arts Market. I am debating whether to put in for it. It's my hometown which should make the decision easier.  However, I participated in iFest, as it is more commonly known, during 2012.  It was my first "big" festival and it was very disappointing for me. The crowd, I'm using that term loosely, was small and scattered. It appeared that the attendees just didn't know we were there. I showed only one weekend and did not make my booth fee for the weekend. No originals sold. I did sell several prints and did not have to replenish my business card stand. 

As I looked back on the festival, I could see exactly why that was the case. I initially looked internally and asked myself if it was my artwork or setup. At the time, I was exhibiting with multiple personalities - showing different styles.  I did separate them into related displays but still could be confusing. However, a large percentage of what little crowd we did have stopped in my booth. So now I'm on to looking at the show set up, promotion, etc.  I came to the conclusion that it left a lot to be desired. But this is my hometown and I care about the events that happen here and what it says about our town. So I decided to write the Arts market manager and share my thoughts and concerns before committing more money to the show.  And, no, I did not think I would be blackballed for this but as Connie stated, if I was then it would be a show I don't want to be part of anyway.

To cut this short, I got a response within 24 hours and it was positive in that, she also had several of the items I named on the radar.  Now I will submit and I am more convinced that we should always handle our concerns in a straight-forward manner. 

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