I thought this was an excellent podcast that just ended a few minutes ago. There were many subjects that we could only touch on the surface because one hour went by really fast. One point I wanted to make, that was touched upon, by Toni, was the subject of show directors and committees understanding that it is beneficial to a show to treat artists well. There is a commonality between all the best shows in that they treat the artists well. I've seen a lot of shows that were once good, go into the dumpster simply because they were more concerned with their own bottom line, forgetting that the reason why they were successful is because they took care of the artists, whether it be an emergency, bad weather, or just showing up every day to tell us they appreciate us being there. We don't need much.

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  • I enjoyed the podcast, too, and wanted to add a story or two, since I couldn't listen live. 

    My favorite sale ever wasn't even a sale. I donated a gift certificate for a pet portrait, at a show. A couple bought it, and came by, telling me that their daughter's beloved dog, Chance, had just died, very suddenly, very young. 

    I made the portrait, and we schemed. I put it up in my booth at another show, a couple months later, and the couple came along with their daughter. They came into the booth, and she saw the painting and just broke down into smiles and laughter and tears. Everybody was weeping, including the artists near me, whom I'd told what was going on. You can see photos of all this by clicking here. It was so great! 

    My most terrifying moment at a show was last year in Columbus. It was my first Columbus show, and I was on a bridge. It had rained - poured - on and off all day. It was about 8 p.m., and the clouds were low and black and wicked, when a volunteer came to tell us that the show was closing, but it was too late for us to leave. The storm was too close.

    So I zipped up the tent and sat inside, while thunder and lightning crashed around us, and I cursed that I'd decided to buy a skylight! All was OK with me, through the storm (Showoff tent with 500 lbs of weight). Others were not so lucky, though all in all, most fared pretty well. 

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