What Worked, What Didn't

My art show season is from October through April each year. The Florida Summers are too hot to venture outside. It is in the mid-90's today. Even worse is the humidity which makes breathing hard. All of which means, there are no outdoor art shows in Florida during the Summer. Of course, like some of my art buddies, I could pack my bags and head up "north" where all the great Summer shows are. But, that is just not in me. So, I will have to make do with the Florida shows.

My October 2008 - April 2009 show season brought to light some great insights that I want to share. I exhibit both my art (acrylic paintings) and handcrafted jewelry - not at the same show of course. So, every time I apply to a show, I have to do some research about the area before I decide what I am going to exhibit. Last year, I decided to figure out a way to split my 10 shows into exhibiting art at 5 shows and jewelry at the other 5.

All of my jewelry shows were a great success. Even at the slowest show, I made a minimum of $1000. My art shows (exhibiting my acrylic paintings) were all failures. It appears that people are willing to spend money of wearable art or functional art. They are definitely holding off on the decorative art.

My game plan for this art season (Oct. 2009-April 2010), I am going all the way with my jewelry. I will be back exhibiting my paintings when the economy gets better. I shall keep you posted on how this new game plan works. Here is a photo of some musical kids at the MayFaire show in Lakeland.

The Health Insurance Issue

Many artists do not have health insurance. For that matter, many people in the U.S. do not have health insurance. It is mind boggling to me that, here we are, the N0. 1 country in the world and we do not have the infrastructure to take care of our sick. Well, let us not get me started on that road.....

When hubby and I retired from the corporate world, we kept our COBRA coverage for a few months. During that time we did our research and got personal health insurance coverage. We soon found out that the best medical/dental/vision coverage you have is the one you have at work. Personal health insurance coverage is not the greatest. Since we were in Hawaii at that time, the choices were pretty limited. So, we got the best personal health insurance we could.

When we moved to Florida, I decided to incorporate my business. And viola...a new avenue for health insurance opened up for us. We now could apply for health insurance as a small business and could, in fact, get the type of coverage we got when we were both working. The premiums are on the pricey side, but you do get the best coverage. And best of all, you can get coverage even if you have a pre-existing health condition. I found a health insurance agent who was able to help me out with the research and paper work.

So, if you need good health insurance and are willing to pay for it, you may want to check the guidelines for small businesses in your State. According to my health insurance agent, not all States have the same guidelines. Good luck!

All this health insurance talk has stressed me out, so I leave you to enjoy one of my favorite flowers - the tulip (smile).

When Inspiration Isn't Forthcoming

We all go through times when we are not inspired to create new things, when our energy level is low, when frustration mounts, when we wonder if we will ever create something unique and original again. I know what you are thinking - been there, done that!

I used to push myself during those times, thinking that lazing around was not the solution. I have since figured out that channeling my thoughts in a different direction is more productive. So instead of trying to paint my next masterpiece or make that unique necklace, I take off to check out color schemes at the paint shop or fabric store. Sometimes it is just to Pier 1 Imports to see what their new season is all about. The magazines at the local library or book store are a treasure trove of ideas. Any place that deals with color, texture, design.

So, when you are feeling low, instead of trying hard to find inspiration, take the time to research, so that inspiration finds you!

Kumihimo, the Japanese art of braiding is one of my favorite techniques for creating necklaces. I found this rather interesting pendant made of leaves, bark sealed in acrylic and viola, this natured inspired necklace evolved.

More About Price Tags

Price tags - what do yours look like? Do you have small ones hidden somewhere or large signs? Do you group your items by price and place them together or are they placed at random all over the place? Is there a right way or wrong way? I don't believe so. I think it is what works for you and the type of items you sell.

Let me share mine. I spoke about what I do for my paintings here. My prints are encased in plastic sleeves and they have a small price sticker in the back. My marketing strategy is to entice someone to pick up the print and check it out, to feel a connection before they turn it over and check the price. I have seen friends who have a large sign that states the cost right in front of the print rack. It works for them. But, I prefer going my way.

I follow the same strategy for my jewelry. Small price tags - subtle, not in your face. The necklace tags are looped at one end of the necklace. They show the price on one side and my reference number on the other. Earring prices are affixed to the back of the earring cards. Sure, sometimes I have people ask me what the price of something is and I have to direct them to where to look for the price. But, by then they have already decided to buy that pair of earrings or print(smile). I also do not group things together. They are spread out in a way that creates an overall sense of balance in my booth.

I would love to hear what ideas you have for price tags?

What Is The Perfect Booth Setup?

At my first art fair where I exhibited my paintings, I had a couple of tables with nice tablecloth and an easel - that was it. It was not your most professional looking space. I could see that, just looking at the other booths. So, I walked around and took copious notes.

Some artists had created wall space with panels. Some had curtains and carpets on the floor. So, what does the perfect booth look like? To me, the perfect booth is one that reflects the personality of the type of product that you sell. Some jewelry artists have a very "feminine" looking space - all pink with flowing curtains, a romantic oasis to shop for jewelry. Others like me opt for something that is reminiscent of an upscale jewelry store (first photo).

There is no right or wrong booth setup. The important thing is that your booth is inviting, that your customers can move around freely without bumping into tables and that there is space for them to try on the jewelry. For my art setup, I used to have a large table in the center of my booth (second photo). It really hindered the flow of traffic inside my booth, so I got rid of the table, added carpet, inserted a panel in the middle to create a art gallery like effect (third photo).

What have you done in your booths?

Trying On Jewelry

I have a couple of questions for all you jewelry artists out there: 1) Do you let customers try on the jewelry before buying? 2) Do you sell jewelry you have on, right off your neck/ears?

I grappled with this one for a long time. I was concerned about so many different people trying on the jewelry. Especially here in Florida where it is hot and people perspire a lot. However, if a woman cannot try on jewelry and see how it looks on her, she probably won't be buying. So, now I encourage people to try on everything. As soon as they remove the jewelry, I wipe it down with a polishing cloth before placing it back on the display or giving it to another customer. Seems to make everyone happy, including someone like me who has germ-phobia (grin). I keep quite a few polishing clothes handy, as well as paper towels, hand sanitizer, glass cleaner (for the mirrors) - yep, you guessed it - everything including the kitchen sink.

Someone once told me that I should never sell something that I have on. Well, I don't buy into that philosophy. I made a necklace and pair of earrings for myself recently. In fact I made the necklace real small, just to fit my neck. Had it on at a craft show and the first customer that day absolutely loved what I had on. She asked if she could buy it off me. What could I say? Yes, of course. I had to add an extension to the necklace because it was too small for her neck. She then wanted the matching earrings too. Well, a good cleaning with my polishing cloth and everything was in perfect order.

So, my answers to the above questions are a resounding "YES". What about you, what do you think?

My personal style tends to lean towards simple and elegant like these gorgeous freshwater pearl earrings on gold-filled wire.

Art Shows and Judging

My art show journey is a lot of fun for the most part. The customers, immediate feedback, making friends - all good. Especially being enveloped in a collective creative energy field for a weekend. If you sit still for a moment, the feeling is palpable.

The one thing that derails me every time though, is this phenomenon called "judging". It starts at the beginning when you apply for a big show. A group of people determine if your art is good enough to be part of the show. For the most part, the whole ballgame is rigged. It is a 100% political game with regard to who gets in and who doesn't. So, you will see the same people exhibiting at shows year after year. Now, the interesting news is no one gets to know who makes up this original judging panel. They remain anonymous for most shows. How do I feel if I do not get into a show? I have gained enough confidence about my work, have customers worldwide who give me credibility, so I usually just move on to the next show. However, I often meet young artists at the beginning of their art career who are demoralized by not being able to get into a large show. They don't know how the game is played behind the scenes. This aspect bothers me no end.

The other part of judging takes place during the shows. The show committee picks a judge or a panel of 2 or 3 judges. I have won several awards at arts show, regardless, this whole process irritates the heck out of me too. Once in a blue moon, I will find a judge, who enters my booth and introduces himself. A small gesture, but one that shows that he respects me as an artist. This is not about judges taking time to talk to the artists. I realize that they have many artists to judge and need to move fast. But not even introducing yourself? That is just uncouth! Then there are the judges who don't even bother coming in, they just walk on by. You would like to think that regardless of the judge's resume and/or training, they have enough experience in their background to judge all types of art forms. Unfortunately that is not true. One has to remember, judges are merely people. They will gravitate towards what they know and like. This is made worse when a show has only one judge - judging is skewed in only one direction.

When I do get into shows, I check out who the award judge(s) are. Then I wait for the award winners list and rarely am I wrong about who I guessed they would pick. This game is easy enough to predict (grin). My goal is to sell my art and jewelry. If I win an award, great! But, the entire judging process leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, not all judges are the same. Some are very good and fair about what they do. What are your thoughts?

Some photos from the Shrimp Festival in Amelia Island. The first show I have done where they combined the arts with antiques. The crowds were amazing, but not much shopping going on.