Now, that I've done a few local shows/selling at my Art Yard Sale, I thought I'd write about my experiences and thoughts. I haven't done an Art Festival show, yet. And I hope it will be more professional then the few small shows I have done, locally. Here's some of my reflections...
So, we decided to have our Art Yard Sale, again. I was reluctant as it was ultra windy and felt nervous for my work being out (and possible damage happening). Jon stayed out with everything, I watched over the kids.
As it turned out, was an all right day...though, we got some really annoying people. Some wanted to buy art for under $20. When they heard some of the pieces were not "cheap" they got all huffy and said, "That's too expensive". Sorry, lady. This isn't shipped en masse from China and you won't find these original art pieces in bulk.
It reminded me all too much of two shows I did, locally. The first one was were a woman was selling tons of Indian type sculptures for something like $2-5 and kept bad mouthing my work as well as other artists. She'd actually lure people over to buy stuff she bought in bulk. My friend and I were both shaking our heads and thought, what a jerk. She bad mouthed people selling their own handmade work and if anyone was interested, she'd complain about the price! I was like, what in the world is this? Honestly, if a person wants to buy bulk made stuff, that's their choice. But I wouldn't put down others that make their own handwork/crafts to sell. It's just wrong. And oddly, very un-American when you think about it.
I did another show and sold a few things. People were nice. However, it didn't help that it was a show with people who sold mass bulk items, again. For some reason, people who do this are very aggressive and not in a good way. Maybe I'm naive or something, but usually these people seem very loud, flashy and usually have a false friendliness about them. I honestly think nobody holds them accountable and they get away with being pushy. That's the problem. I notice in the world of bloggers and doing business on-line, you are very aware of being polite, courteous, and professional. The big difference, I think, is professionalism. If a person is being professional, it shows. You don't bash your fellow person or talk trash to tear people down. It makes the seller look trashy.
It all comes down to being honest and fair as well as being responsible. I do think supporting the local arts is very important and being aware of what we bring into our homes and lives, can make us better or worse.
So, we decided to have our Art Yard Sale, again. I was reluctant as it was ultra windy and felt nervous for my work being out (and possible damage happening). Jon stayed out with everything, I watched over the kids.
As it turned out, was an all right day...though, we got some really annoying people. Some wanted to buy art for under $20. When they heard some of the pieces were not "cheap" they got all huffy and said, "That's too expensive". Sorry, lady. This isn't shipped en masse from China and you won't find these original art pieces in bulk.
It reminded me all too much of two shows I did, locally. The first one was were a woman was selling tons of Indian type sculptures for something like $2-5 and kept bad mouthing my work as well as other artists. She'd actually lure people over to buy stuff she bought in bulk. My friend and I were both shaking our heads and thought, what a jerk. She bad mouthed people selling their own handmade work and if anyone was interested, she'd complain about the price! I was like, what in the world is this? Honestly, if a person wants to buy bulk made stuff, that's their choice. But I wouldn't put down others that make their own handwork/crafts to sell. It's just wrong. And oddly, very un-American when you think about it.
I did another show and sold a few things. People were nice. However, it didn't help that it was a show with people who sold mass bulk items, again. For some reason, people who do this are very aggressive and not in a good way. Maybe I'm naive or something, but usually these people seem very loud, flashy and usually have a false friendliness about them. I honestly think nobody holds them accountable and they get away with being pushy. That's the problem. I notice in the world of bloggers and doing business on-line, you are very aware of being polite, courteous, and professional. The big difference, I think, is professionalism. If a person is being professional, it shows. You don't bash your fellow person or talk trash to tear people down. It makes the seller look trashy.
It all comes down to being honest and fair as well as being responsible. I do think supporting the local arts is very important and being aware of what we bring into our homes and lives, can make us better or worse.
Comments