And then to balance the scales, you have days like today. I’m at the Broad Ripple Art Fair in Indianapolis and my guess is that in the last hour, we’ve gotten 2″ of rain. Now what you should know is that yesterday it also rained. Truth be told, we’ve had more rainy days than sunny this spring! (I haven’t done any real fact-checking there, but that is what it feels like!) 

So, the field I’m in was good & muddy before the sky opened up & Armageddon began. Good times! Here’s where a good sense of humor is critical. Because the tough aspects to schlepping my wares around to sell become REALLY tough as I sit here. In the rain. Not selling anything. Staring at the artists across the aisle from me. (Who are delightful people I’m sure! But I’m not venturing over there in the torrential downpour just to say, “hi”.)

In an effort to stay remotely optimistic, I’m going to make a snazzy little list of things you can do while waiting for the rain to clear. Trapped in your tent. At an art fair. 

1. Take a video for Facebook/Instagram to gather sympathy from family and friends. Videos are supposed to be good for social media, right? 

2. Call/text someone who loves you. It’s always important to connect with your people. And gather sympathy, of course. If they can’t give you a, “Man, that sucks!”, who can? 

3. Stretch. It is vital to stay limber. Standing stretches only, obviously. 

4. Write a blog post. Share your experiences with your online followers. It’s good to post on a regular basis to verbalize your unique point of view. And of course, gather sympathy. 

So my friends, that is the current state of affairs. Upbeat and soggy in Indy! Feel free to rejoice in the fact you are indoors! And if you are feeling generous, I’ll be collecting bits of sympathy through today at 6:00. Or until the sun comes out. 

Please tell me about your awesome day creating cool stuff, setting your own hours or developing your unique style? I need to live vicariously for a bit…

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1. Anytime you have an opportunity to stretch yourself (no matter the outcome), it is a good thing! Intimidating artists, stunning displays, a smart & knowledgeable audience – this show had it all! It was scary & I was nervous, no doubt! While I was setting up the day before the show began, I majorly fumbled around with my booth display. My plans for a unique wall of Wallets went out the window almost instantly, and I had to go to plan B & C for my lighting just about as fast! In the end, my solutions worked out fine! Will I do it differently next time? Heck yeah! Was I cranky trying to figure it out? You betcha! Did any of my customers know? Not a chance! 

2. You never know who you will meet! Two holidays ago, I did a show where a lovely woman named Arwen Fine got my information, but we didn’t really connect in person. Through online communication, she then invited me to participate in her online gallery, which has been a great budding partnership. Well, at the ACC show, we finally had the opportunity to chat in the flesh! It was fantastic! 

3. Take notes, be influenced, but stay true to you! It’s so easy to get caught up in all the amazing things other artists are doing. Are they better than you? Maybe. They might have more raw talent, more drive, or more experience. But, no one is you! And someone (hopefully, large groups of someones) will connect with you over everyone else. I had a woman walk into my booth like she was on a mission & buy a bag. She made a point to tell me that she normally has to walk the entire show once before she buys anything. But, I was in the first aisle and she couldn’t go further without owning this handbag! Woohoo! I’ll take 30 more of her, please! 

4. A great show doesn’t guarantee great sales. The ACC Show had so many wonderful elements going for it, yet I didn’t get close to my sales goals. Is it because I’m a first time artist? People are nervous about the state of the world? There was too much fiber at the show? It’s nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact reasons I didn’t sell well. But at the end of the day, it’s up to me to analyze the data and decide what’s next. 

5. Keep learning! This show definitely affirmed that I am moving in the right direction – which sounds odd since you wouldn’t call it a success by looking at my bank account! But, when I analyze the arc of where I’ve been and where I want to be, this totally fit. I took copious notes on improvements I will make the next time I’m in this position. I’m already feeling better prepared! 

So, ten years from now when I look back at this time in my career, I think the ACC Show in Atlanta will definitely be seen as a pivotal moment! How? I’m not quite sure yet. The good news is, I don’t have to know right now. I only need to carry on – taking risks, being brave, and weaving like crazy! I’m excited to see what’s next! 

What valuable insight have you gleaned from a recent experience? 

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But what I’ve learned is big crowd or small, record-breaking sales or a big goose egg, when the show is over, I need serious downtime! I mean, lock myself in a room away from any other people/pets/plants/anything that might remotely need me. 

You see, at the core of it all, I am a big ‘ole introvert and being friendly for an extended amount of time is exhausting! Don’t get me wrong – I love people! I find them fascinating and I sincerely enjoy interacting with them during an event! But the minute it’s done, I need everyone to go away so I can read a book or aimlessly watch tv for a few hours. 

Once I’ve recharged my battery, I can be allowed back out into society. But, if recovery time is too short, I become a snapping, snarling beast – it is just not pretty. So I’ve learned to simply build in time to the schedule, think of it constructively and ride it out! I’m simply hard wired this way – no need to feel guilty or wish I was different. These days, I look forward to losing myself in a good story after hours of smiling and know that I’ve earned every minute of it! 

How do you handle the post-event period? Are you really pumped after being around a crowd, or do you look for the closest quiet corner to hide in (like me)? 

The view from my booth

Obelisk which was right next to my booth

This was my corner of the world for 2 days.

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So, in the spirit of chilling at home for a couple weeks, I am working on a small bolt of custom fabric. An acquaintance of mine brought me a box of neckties from her late husband and she has asked that I use them to create woven fabric that we will sew into handbags for her family! I love these types of projects, where I’ve been given something personal and then have the challenge of transforming it into something new to be cherished and enjoyed!

And while I could be making an enormous to-do list and vigorously checking things off, I have to admit I’ve been thrilled to spend hours simply cutting up a big pile of ties, prepping them for a project I’ll get into this weekend… probably…

What are your tricks when changing the pace in your life? Thanks for the tips! I’ll have many opportunities to incorporate them for sure!

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– My feet seem to have adopted permanent tan lines from my Chaco sandals. They might fade by next May? 

– The bungee cords holding the weights to my tent have stretched out to the point that they look like over-stuffed sausages. 

– After my last event, I discovered an inch rip in the butt of my lucky Lucy pants. Thankfully, I had been wearing a long cardigan so I didn’t over-share with the world! (There’s no photo for this one, for obvious reasons!)

– I have finally figured out the best spot in my car for the dolly. Getting everything I need into a little hatchback is a crazy puzzle. And for the most part, I have it down to a science! Except the dolly. So of course, at the very last moment, it all comes together – just in time for me to change it next year… 

– My demonstration loom finally snapped. I got my loom used about 5 years ago and I’ve noticed the cords at the top have started to fray. The entire season I’ve kept replacement cord at the ready & haven’t needed it… until last Sunday! 

So with all these signs, I am calling it – the 2016 outdoor art fair season is over!!! Until next year…

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My rule of thumb is to propose 2 options that I like, so it doesn’t matter which one wins. Seems very logical, doesn’t it? Well, last week was the first time I seriously considered throwing the vote! Blue was the common color between the pair of fiber foursomes. (See the choices below.) Yet, one was distinctly spring-ier colors and the other one screamed fall! Warm, dark, earthy – all my favorites! And I’m counting on the crowd to be in the mood for sweater weather and vote the same direction I’m leaning! 

As the votes begin trickling in, nearly all of them are for spring (you should know that when I say, “nearly all”,  that’s about 5…) For the first time ever, I start strategizing how I can sway the vote! Not very diplomatic of me, I know! But, I talked myself off the ledge and decided to wait. Sure enough, by the end of the day, the crowd had planted themselves firmly in the fall camp (and by “crowd”, I mean 8…). Whew! Big sigh of relief. And after all the drama, a beautiful piece of fabric was born! (Not that I couldn’t have woven something cool with the other colors! I just wasn’t feeling it… we’ll call it an artist’s prerogative…) 

Which brings me to this week! Of which I have NO idea… better think of something soon…

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So, I thought I would start with a little vignette from the road. I’ve been a traveling fool this summer! Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Connecticut, Tennessee and of course, homebase Indiana. Most of the art fairs have been new for me – which just ratchets up the anxiety level! Not only am I driving to a new place, I’m hoping to sell well in front of new buyers, impress new organizers, and ideally, connect with new artists! It’s a tall order, let me tell you! 

Here’s the scenario – I’m in Nashville, TN at the TN Fall Craft Fair at B24 for a 3-day show. You always hope you have been assigned to a good spot, but you never really know. Turns out, B24? Best spot in the event! How do you figure, you ask? Well, I have some shade (which is priceless when the temps are in the 90’s every day), I’m close to the food & port-o-potties, and I have brilliant neighbors! 

On Friday (first day of the art fair), I ventured over to get the largest cold beverage I could find, since it was hotter than the sun. Or at least it felt like that, as I had already sweat through my outfit multiple times. Up to the coffee vendor I go, “Biggest ice tea you have, please!” Turns out, they offer a fish bowl – 32 ounces! Perfect! The drink is prepped and I don’t see any lids. So, I ask and they respond, “Yes, we have no lids”. Now, I’m not the world’s most graceful girl and a number of scenarios instantly play through my head of how this could end badly. But, I cautiously proceed back to my tent all the same. 

My neighbors at B25 are Julie & Darrell – fellow midwesterners, newbies to the show just like me, and all around extremely likeable people! I share my predicament with them and Darrell chimes in, “We’ve got a lid”! Julie, who has a fierce love of lemonade, got a humongous drink earlier in the day from a different vendor. So, I happily borrowed their lid to ensure that neither myself nor my handbags ended up covered in iced tea! 

Over the course of the weekend, it became a thing – Julie would use the lid early in the day for her lemonade and then pass it over to me for my iced tea (we were being good recyclers and reusing the cups, too). On Sunday afternoon, as everything was winding down, we made our final swap & I ended up as Keeper of the Lid. Being an artist is mostly a very solitary job. So, finding kindred spirits at an event is an amazing bonus! When I see Julie & Darrell next (in November at a holiday event in Michigan), it will be great fun to reconnect, see how the fall was, and most importantly, hand back the lid! 

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