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A big congratulations to Carroll Swayze, newly confirmed as a board member of the NAIA. Many of you know Carroll began doing street shows at the age of 14 and never turned back. Her 40+ years experience and broad knowledge of the arts, as both an artist, instructor and show director will be a great asset to the group. She has very solid ideas and isn't afraid to stand by them. What a great day for ethics in the arts. (bells and whistle noises)

Way to go Carroll!!

Thinking about a second show in Florida this winter and since it's a long drive for me, I was wondering if anyone has done this show before and if it's worthwhile or not. It does look really good but I'm thinking about the economy and expenses and what kind of buyer. Any info would be appreciated.

The St. Luke's Craft Fair is the perfect opportunity to sell your art and fine craft for a meaningful cause. To be considered applications must be submitted by January 14, 2011. Include a detailed description of your work and current photographs. Payment, $50 per space ($60 includes a 6' table), is required with the application in order to hold your space, as spaces are allotted on a first come first serve basis.

Please email info@chinacare.org or call (203) 227-3655 for an application.
Learn more: www.ChinaCare.org

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Find more art fairs, big and small, famous and infamous for your 2011 season:  www.CallsforArtists.com

Just wanted to know if it was a success, I had to cancel at the last minute due to injury.

40 Questions Blog Series Question # 36 Are you happy with what you create and sell?

Greetings everyone! I am happy to be back blogging since the busy season selling at art fairs is complete. I am happy to finally be able to blog more and talk about a question that I thought of when I was at my last show of the year. To paint a (small) picture, I was at a convention center Christmas show where there were about 125 vendors over Black Friday weekend. While the show was packed with shoppers I was amazed at how so many exhibitors looked as if all their energy, all their passion was sucked out of them. For me I was thrilled to finally be apart of a bustling show – one of the most well attended of shows I have been to in a long time and couldn't understand why so many did not share that enthusiasm. So many of my neighboring sellers were sitting - bored, chatting on cell phones, reading the paper and IGNORING all those who near and in their booth waiting to see if someone would help them. Due to this I have to ask all of you...

Question # 36 Are you happy with what you create and sell?

All the advice I have “spewed” with this blog series cannot be effective unless you – yes, YOU , are happy with what you create. In other words are you excited to be in your workshop each day? Are you focused and eager to make sales to anyone that shows and interest in what you make and sell at shows? If you find yourself complaining more and more each day how the economy is making it impossible to make money or how there is too much re-sell at a show, or whatever the excuse is, you are heading towards disaster. Excuses and reasons for not being passionate about your work rubs off on your art/craft (quality goes down), your customers are disinterested in your lack of wanting to talk up your work and why they should buy it, and others will see this too. You might not see it now, but you will (or perhaps you are) that sour puss we all see at shows that sees the life of an artist is more work that it is worth rather than a happy lifestyle that is full of hard work yet the pay off is great.

You need to find a way to get excited about what you create. You need to rekindle the passion of sharing your story of how you became a craft artist in the first place. Much of this passion is sucked out of artist's lives due to spending countless hours each day isolated – alone in their studio, alone in the car driving and setting up at shows, alone in selling ... Just plain isolated – out of touch with the outside world. AT the same time surrounding yourself with negative people or focused on negative news. This might mean you need to go back to the basics especially if you are dabbling in so many types of art and craft that you feel overwhelmed, sales are dropping, or your creative well is running dry. Look to the internet and seek out other craft artists who are blogging away about their last successful art show or tweeting/updating their Facebook page regarding a new item they just made. Learn from this. When you start feeling the happiness being sucked out of you, that is the time you need to surround yourself with positive influences to boost that “can do” attitude. Join a guild, connect with fellow artists from shows you do together over coffee at a local coffee shop, read all the inspirational stories you can via the social network realm of artist based groups and participate, start listening to artist or art business podcasts to find advice on how to be a better art/craft business owner, etc. Speaking from experience, the more you isolate yourself, the more the thoughts of defeat creep in, pessimism will out weigh your original thoughts of YOU CAN DO IT!

The fact of the matter is you all can do it – you all can be happy at what you create, if you aren't already. If you are not happy re-evaluate what makes you happy and re-focus on that. We are living in an entrepreneurial age and despite what you hear on the news, doors of opportunities are opening. Supplies, real estate, advertising, even art show spaces have all become more affordable and that is half the battle right there! There is no better time than the present to find and do what makes you happy whether you have been in business for 20+ years or just thinking of taking that first step into being your own boss. As I am wrapping up this blog series, I aim to start recapping all of these questions that artists often ask since I started this back 2009 as well as reflect on my experience doing this blog series both with the feed back I have received and using my own advice when taking the next step in growing my own craft business. If you have anything to add, if you have used this advice and want to share your success stories please do so via the comment button with this blog. Until next week... (expect this blog to be more of a once a week blog now that my art fair season is complete) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! - Michelle Sholund, www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com

This from the Coconut Grove Grapevine:

You may remember, in October, we sat in on the two-day blind judging process for the upcoming 48th Annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Well the artists have been chosen for the festival to be held February 19 to 21, 2011.

Out of 1232 applicants, 360 were chosen from the US and Canada. Over 100 of the artists chosen are from Florida and 19 are from the Miami area. Hans Feyerabend, Dan Bondroff and George Rodez are three Coconut Grove artists chosen.
Read the rest of the article here: http://coconutgrovegrapevine.blogspot.com

The article about the jurying is entitled "Long,tedious process involved in judging the art".

Now, that is funny! This second link is an interesting take on an art fair jury from an outsider, a reporter for the Grapevine.

Getting into or not getting into the Grove has been an important part of the festival business for a long time. At one time it was a make or break deal for many artists. For northern artists it meant winter income and many would trek to Miami for a string of shows. Those days are gone for many of us. The overhead and the low sales really meant it was better to stay home and shovel snow. Read the articles about the jurying and how they made their choices, ruminate a little and send us some feedback.

Are you going to be at CG in February? Did you decide not to apply this year? Why? Share your CG experiences. Do you live in Florida and feel like you're not invited to the prom if you are not at The Grove?

Once again it seems that happiness and disappointment are scattered across the board for both shows. For me, Cincinnati is turning out to be my best show. (I have beaded "over the top" jewelry), having done extremely well both last year and this year. My average sales were 125. but I had several over 500. and one for a 1000. Friday was a good crowd, Saturday a little light and Sunday good after a slow start. The attached Marriott has WONDERFUL beds that I look forward to every year!

Columbus seemed a little off this year in attendance and my sales were definitely lower than previous years but that may be due to my coming in with a too low inventory. I did hear other artists say, though, that their sales were lower this year, too.

Just returned from the Tempe Festival of the Arts on Mill St. Crowds were fantastic, organizers of the show were great, sales were not. Lots of looking and most sales appeared to be in the $30-$50 range around us although we did make several large sales it basically just covered expenses, that is not a good showing!

Next show...Carefree, AZ Fine Art and Wine Festival Jan 14-16. Come by and buy!

Paragon runs events in silver spring maryland in the fall and spring. Does anyone have info on those events or on the producer?

I just visited a great event on Saturday-the Tampa Tourdeclay which featured 6 studios with 20 Florida potters and their guest potters. Fun, food, music, shoptalk and sales were present as I went from each studio visiting with the potters with their unique styles and ways of marketing their work. Had a great time and enjoyed the comraderie. The event is a yearly feature of the Florida Westcoast Ceramic Society. www.tampatourdeclay.com

The Armadillo Bazaar opens this week. This is it's 35th anniversary. It is a legendary venue for arts, crafts, imports, and live music, produced by the much-loved Bruce Willenzik. Is anyone else on this board going to be there?

I have only been doing it 33 years. I could tell you stories! Instead I will post a bunch of pictures of this year's event, once it gets going.

Does anyone have any infoon the Levi Commons Show in August?

An observation or two, a hope or three:

Nels aside (odd duck he is) I have found most photographers to be somewhat reserved, less outgoing than most artists. Perhaps the lack of social grace due in part to inherent shyness, even lack of confidence. I certainly qualify for all the above. After a few years of doing shows, I came out of my shell and stopped looking at the booth down the aisle (and down my nose) as competition and decided to say hey (hey Andy. hey Goob.). I decided not to look at the work, but to look at the person, and what an eye opener this was.

We share so much, the human components to the traveling tent shows much more interesting to me than the work on the walls. I met those the crusty veterans with the twinkle of perspective in their eyes, the young whippersnappers who grabbed hold of the marketing elements and looked big time,the frustrated and bitter black cloud dudes I couldn't get away from fast enough, the young lady living off the grid in her camper ,her soul showing and glowing in everything she did.The guy in the white van whose work DID knock my socks off.

I came away from this year with a few bucks from my efforts, a new found respect for those that have paid the dues and make a living selling their wares off the tent walls. You guys are one of the last home grown entrepreneurs out there, America seems to have outsourced the entire manufacturing base, maybe even the whole damn middle class but in this traveling circus you get out of it what you put into it. Talent, creativity,marketing,communication, networking,schmoozing all make or break the deal for you. Ain't no one telling you where to go, or what to do.

So thanks to those who shared a bit with me, and I hope I managed to do the same.Please remember there are other business people that need your support. Stay away from the mass framers, and get to know the little guy running the frame shop.Maybe give him a chance for a feature piece. Avoid Walmart and Target, hit the bodega and tha Ma and Pa specialty stores (remember where the old downtown is). Starbucks will survive without you, but the woman and her corner coffee shop won't.Oh, and tip the bejeesus out of that waitress that takes care of you all year. And if you're having breakfast at an establishment without waitresses, man you gotta change that up right now.

Keep the spirit of the independent businessperson alive, for the holiday season and the coming year.Peace.

Do read the article. It is full of information about artist's lives, earning a living and gives hope. Then tell us more about your life style choices.

While I am here online HOW DOES EVERYONE FEEL ABOUT THESE EXTENDED DEADLINES FOR ART FESTIVALS////// LET US HEAR IT ALL////

Did the largest $$$ prize show and one of the oldest art festivals have to extend their deadline// 1000 applications weren't enough to choose 200 artists????

ANY COMMENTS OUT THERE???

Hi has anyone done this show? I am looking for some shows to do in FL in Feb and March that I can still get into.

I am a painter and I live in Atlanta. Thanks!