I know this sounds crazy to say on Feb 12, but it seems that the darkest part of winter is in my rear view mirror. The forecast ahead (at least for these next 7 days) is a warming trend and full sunshine. Perfect weather for plunging into the arts & crafts festival experience. It's all happening this Saturday, Feb 17 at the Off The Vine Wine Festival in Tucson, AZ.
As part of dreaming up my art business 6 years ago, setting up a vendor space has been a component of this vision. Meant to be fluid and temporary, the concept seems simple. My learnings to date have been multi-faceted. First, finding venues where my vision, values and brand aligned with the event is ongoing. I considered this event in Tucson for the following reasons: I paint a line of watercolors called The Art of Zin which are small works created out of wine and watercolors; my love of wine from growing grapes to fermentation to bottling; the cost of entry and as well as the beuracracy was acceptable to my current abilities.
For the 6 years that I have spent painting, I often interrupted my state of flow with outlining a small business plan. I was clear on my values and what was important to me. I named my business Blackbird Creations based on the Beatle's Blackbird song. The lines resonated with me - "take these broken wings and learn to fly, all your life, you have only waited for this moment to arise." I developed a logo, a tag line and ordered business cards and thank you cards. I painted - sometimes everyday, all day. At some point I had over 700 finished pieces. I built a website to virtually house my paintings. I wrote an artist statement. I promoted my site as well as my latest works on FB and Insta. I sold a few paintings, got a few commissions, have been asked for a lot of donations and got a lot of likes. All this early work is really the glitter behind a working artist.
About 4 years ago I started painting my small works for The Art of Zin. These watercolors are portable and I strictly focus on these in the summers when I leave Arizona. It is a bit of a mind flip in how to approach these, but gratifying in my ability to create these in one sitting. And once signed, I get to mat, frame and put my own sticker on the back. These small works are ideal for art fairs. I have over 120 pcs prepared. This "inventory" is my glitter to connect with future collectors.
As I looked for venues and events, I also learned by listening to others. It seems some people hit almost every festival around. The fees for a booth can be as low as $25 for a neighborhood event all the way up to $4000 for a top promoted Art Festival. Some had great attendance, but few sales. Some had no interest shown and at other festivals there was tons of interest. There seemed to be no real metrics to support their experiences. But this seemed like a rabbit hole I was not prepared for. Sometimes reality looks cold and daunting, but there is an honesty in it. And honesty is glitter!
I had to find my sale price per piece: cost of mat and frame, sticker on back, material investment, and average hours painting each piece. In order to live up to my tagline of being "Original and Affordable Artwork", I intentionally set a consistent price that levels up to that. The cost of a booth in this festival is $150. I can do that. No insurance required - check. Adding in (2) tanks of gas, the cost of 2 nights at a hotel and meals out, I am in about $700. I also had to buy a tent, have a banner made, redo my business cards and purchase rustic bins to hold my artwork. So over $1,000 just to start. How many paintings do I need to sell to recoup? Humm... Still the value of the learnings will be worth it I keep telling myself. Knowledge is a sort of glitter.
All outdoor festivals are rain or shine. All require a good amount of preparation and access to resources. All will be physically hard in the setup and tear down. There is the matter of collecting money from customers. I don't sell enough to have Square or a chip reader. So I plan to utilize cash, Venmo and Zelle. I realize this is a barrier to sales. But it is where I'm currently at. Cash, Venmo and Zelle are their own kinds of glitter for sure!
So at this point, I can totally talk myself out of this. I alone can sink my own dream. I see flags of all colors going up. But then I remember the early days of dreaming up this art business. And the times working in a corporate cubicle when I would catch myself dreaming of living my passion. And of the fanciful younger high school and college girl who dreamt of painting pictures for people to hang in their own homes. The person before the realities of being a mostly single working mom on a 37 year long treadmill who just tried to raise good humans and save something for retirement. My dream is still here, and there is so much glitter on my path.
I remind myself every day of what a blessed woman I am. I wake up knowing my life is completely my own to make of it what I will. Some people have dreams they let die. Some people have no dreams at all. Some have dreams but they don't belie ve in themselves. And some, like me, have an idea that is with them from as long as they can remember. I have worked hard all my life. These past 6 years were no less hard. I had to decompress from living in a state of fear and lack because, truth be told, my jobs were always in charge of my day-to-day survival. I had a lot to figure out as I reinvested in developing my talents. I created some good work and a lot of duds. I took a few opportunities to put myself out there. But always baby steps. Always waiting for this time to do so. Timing is glitter!
The forecast for this Saturday is warm, sunny and full of glitter!!! This festival is expecting around 3,000 attendees. I have a fabulous friend that heard my dream years ago. She found me a home with an art studio that has allowed me to dream out loud. She is a crazy-busy realtor who is taking 3 days away from selling homes to devote this weekend to help me. SHE IS GLITTER!
I am a lucky gal. I get to live all my dreams. I am prepared for this. Whatever may come, there will be learnings, sales, connections made and a margarita or 2 on Saturday night. So much glitter to be had!
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