07/17/2022
Written by a fellow Artist...but Oh So True!!!
If you think selling at art or craft shows is easy, let me educate you.
You have to be physically and mentally strong. You have to load a car or trailer with all of your gear. You need to drive and navigate to places you have never been. You must deal with show organizers, who can be great but sometimes can also be not the friendliest of people.
You have to set up a large tent, tables, and any other displays you have...often having to manually lug it all some distance, as you cannot get close enough to your assigned space that you have paid a hefty price by the square foot for, by the way.
Then you have to put your product out in appealing ways and are constantly re-arranging to make sure it looks just right and put up signage.
You chat with your fellow sellers, making sure you aren't interfering with their displays. Then you start your show...though perhaps not until tomorrow as it took you 4-6 hours to accomplish all this...on top of your travel time.
Depending on the length of show or festival, you spend multiple days talking about your product, sometimes hearing how lovely it is but having no one buy it.
You have to have the fortitude to not get frustrated when people complain about your prices, knowing they have no clue what it takes to create your art.
By the end of the day, you are over stimulated from all the interaction. You don't want to speak another word so you secure your inventory, shutter your tent and head "home"...perhaps sleeping in the back.of your 10' trailer, or your car, van or maybe a hotel. You fix something to eat and go to bed. Get up and get ready for another day...arriving 1-2 hours ahead of show opening to set up your art/craft fir a new day.
Often, you aren't eating well because there is no time to do so. You subsist on snacks. It gets you through but it wreaks havoc.
If its hot, you better have a way to cool down. If it's cold you better have safe heat source.
You try to stay hydrated. But if you do a show alone, you have no one to take over when you need the facilities so you have to risk that someone might walk off with some of your product...or hold it.
When its finally time to be done the entire show, you have to do the set up in reverse: pack your product away, take down displays, tables, chairs and your tent, and then load it all into your car or trailer to make the drive home. Drive home (usually in all the tourist traffic.) Then unpack the car once you are finally home (often as you cannot leave it in your car when you go to your other job Monday.)
So if you think this is just a hobby...think again. This is a business. A life.
Perhaps for many of us a calling, but always a job. We don't just get to sit on our butts all day while people buy our stuff. Some of us even work while we are at the show, making custom orders or demonstrating our craft.
When you are at a show, please don't complain about prices. Please don't turn to your friend saying how you could make this or, asking them to make our product for you...both of which could be true but chances are will never happe. Or by the time you pay retail for all the tools & supplies you will need to recreate it, it has cost you 8 to 14 times what the artist was asking.
Respect the crafter or artist because they put their heart, soul, sweat and tears into all of it.
We appreciate your appreciation of our labors of love. And thank you for continuing to support the Art & Craft Souls such as myself and ask that what you do do is at every opportunity encourage young artists to jump on board and join us in our efforts to keep handcrafted art -- of any & all nature -- alive, admired & desired.
AND...encourage the new generations to get off their laptops & phones, buying imported crap. Encourage them to go to festivals. Encourage them to see, touch, admire & buy the handcrafted rather than factory spite-out product. Help keep Art & Craft Festivals filled with artists and those who appreciate the skills & often passions of those artists.
