For those who are just starting out - there may be hope.
I think I have come a long way from my first art show. I know I still have room to grow but I'll keep learning and trying to do better.
What a difference a day makes – or years of experience. I admire those of you who have been doing art shows for decades. You have been so good at sharing your experiences and helping those of us who are new to this business. I started playing with a camera about 7 years ago. Many of my friends complimented my snapshots and told me I should go professional. I thought their compliments were nice and that they were just making me feel good. Then one year we (my husband/best friend) decided to see if people who did not know me would actually pay money for my photos. I attended the Daylily Festival in Gray, GA – only 15 minutes from home. AND….people actually paid real money for my photos. Wow. Amazing. So we did another show and another. Intermittent reward verbally or financially is highly addictive. Our first show was an EasyUp with Walmart folding tables, vinyl tablecloths, and Lowes shelving. We had a large variety of Michaels frames.
Picture - my first sale!!!!
Side note – The EasyUp may be moisture resistant but if you are showing anything that may be damaged by moisture – don’t. Remember it is resistant, not water proof. And condensation was a real problem. That all ended when the whole thing collapsed during a rain storm due to pocketing pools of water. Yes we did use the hoola-hoops and swimming noodle tricks. They just did not work.
It did not take long to learn that being in a tent in 100 degree weather with 98% humidity was NOT fun. It did not do good things to photography behind glass either. We quit doing shows between June 1 and September 1. We did take a space in small store in our local downtown area. That was November 2007. Just in time for the economy to go south. Oh Yeah. But we did OK and actually ended up having about 25 artists join “The Gallery”. This is where I learned running a gallery is a 10 hour day 6 days a week job. The weekend (day) was catch up in responsibilities at home. I was not doing any photography. Never any time. Sadly…and happily...The Gallery was closed. But during that time a man came in one day and said “Hi. How would you like to work with me?” I said “Who are you and what do you want me to do?” He was a magazine publisher looking for a photographer. WOW. Sure. If you want to learn photography quickly jump right into being a magazine photographer. You learn very quickly how to deal with different people in a variety of settings and under whatever light exists. For advertising the doctor wants all his staff in a small area all looking wonderfully beautiful and happy with all eyes open and get it done within 5 minutes between patients. OK. Then you go shoot for a feature and can enjoy more flexibility and creativity. Setting appointments and meeting deadlines and it all has to be really good quality. I’m still working with the magazine and loving it and learning more with every assignment.
But back to art shows….We have come a long way. When I look back at our display in the beginning it makes me wonder why anyone bought anything from me. Every dollar we made has been put back into the business. We bought a much better tent. The very first time we set up the Finale (Creative Energies) we got hit with a microburst. The 3 booths in front of me were 15 feet in the air way on down the street. The potter behind me had NOTHING left. My awnings made perfect airfoils. Fortunately we had 50 pounds on every corner and like an idiot I hung on to my booth even when being lifted off the ground. The only damage was a small tear where the awning joined the tent, which Creative Energies promptly repaired in time for our next show. We got a great deal on Propanels from someone that tried the art show circuit three times and did not enjoy it. We bought a 10x10 set with browse bins for about ½ price of new ones. This was a MAJOR change from using gridwalls both from the aesthetic perspective and physical challenge. The weight of the gridwalls was just too much and the time to set them up with all the bulldog clips and wire ties was miserable. Loading them in and out of the back of the covered pick-up truck was a major challenge. So when we saw a trailer for sale for a great price just on the other side of town we snatched it up.
Picture - Bigger is not always better. What a mess!!! I'm surprised we sold anything at all.
We’ve come a long way from our first show. We leaned so much and have met so many wonderful people. Even now, every time I go to a show I learn more from those who have been in the business for years. And when a newbie comes asking questions – I gladly share what I have learned along the way. It’s only fair.
As the quality of our booth and the improvement of my skills continue to grow – so do the profits. I am happy for the “education” I have had the past 6 years. But I still need more time to get out there and shoot!!!!!
Picture - we now have a clean, uncluttered look with consistent frames. I love the skirts below the panels that hide all those unsightly wires and other artist's under table stuff.
We've come a long way baby.
