If you do craft shows surely you can relate to some of this......

Do you do craft shows? If you do then you'll appreciate where this story goes. I haven't had to do many shows over the last 20 years just because I was working a normal job and there was no time to prepare for more then two fall shows in a year. The past two weekends I worked shows, the first one I did just to participate in a town event and represent our shop. This past weekend I set up my jewelry at the annual crab festival. You know thirty years ago I could do this setting up and breaking down my display with one toe tied behind my back, but now this is like work if you know what I mean.

I have to admit it I love doing shows, I equate it to the thrill of the hunt or the catch. Ladies it's just like your husbands who get up at 3:00 am to go deer hunting or fishing. They will start preparing months before the fishing trip and crafters are no different, good grief we find a show and decide that we are going to fill out the contract and do that show. Then we will work on our craft every day getting a little done here and a little done there. Then all of a sudden you look at the calendar and OMG the show is three days away, you panic and rush to take stock of what you have made so far. Well shucks, that's not enough to fill up a table and make a descent looking display. So now this usually means a trip to the nearest craft store, and your off.

Once you've stocked your supplies and bought half of the craft store, yes just like the guys that go to the nearest tackle store to buy more fishing line, reels, gear and whatever else they need to go fishing. Now you settle in to work on making enough product to sell at least one item to every man , woman and child in the county. The hours are slipping away so fast, before you know it it's 2:00 am and you haven't even thought about going to bed yet. But you have to take a break, so you go lay down and pass out, this crafting stuff is hard work. The next few days go by in a blur and finally you have made all that you could possibly make in such a short time span. Now it's midnight the night before the show and you have to load your vehicle to be ready to go no later than 7:00 am to get to the show venue. You're already so tired you can't see straight but the caffeine and adrenalin kick in I guess, you manage to unload a dozen or so large heavy boxes of your crafts and set up all of it on as many tables as you can cram in your space, all of this is done by 10:00 am and now here's where the fishing analogy comes into play.

You set there and wait for them, you pace the floor looking at the clock thinking this show is over at 3:00 where are the people. Finally here come a few ladies and they stop at your booth and look at what you have to sell and compliment your work but no nibbles, they move on. Well look up here come more people and the next thing you know you have cast your lines and your reeling them in and bagging your product and taking their money and taking orders and before you know it it's 1:30 in the afternoon and there are no more people, where did they go?
Don't give up there might be a few more folks stopping by, at least you hope so because now your so stinking tired and sleepy all you want to do is go home and fall into your comfy bed and sleep for days. But you still have to pack all of this stuff that's left over load it back into your vehicle and make the trek back home and unload it back into the house. Are we having fun yet?
If you've ever done craft shows you know this is true and for those that have never done a show now you have a whole new respect for what goes on behind the scenes and you might wonder how could anyone like doing that, it's hard work. From someone who has done it for many years I'm a lot more organised then I used to be, the check list is my friend and I don't pack a dozen large heavy boxes anymore. I think it takes a special kind of crazy to do this several times a year, I think that's why crafters always seem to get along so well because we've all been there, but we get smarter after years of doing this and it's not so bad.
Pictured below is my setup at the Leonardtown Crab Festival last Saturday.

If your out in your neighborhood and see a sign for a craft show take some time to check out the show and hopefully you'll find something you just have to have and make all that work worth while for the artist or crafter.    
 











 

Take time to create something

It took forever to get through the winter months and now here we just a few days before the long Memorial Day weekend. I've been busy leaning new things not paint related, but just as colorful.
I've been learning how to bead weave and I've incorporated some stained glass in my designs.
I've been asked which I like better painting or beading / making jewelry. My answer is I like which ever one is selling so I can pay my bills, no seriously I love working with color so as long as I have the challenge of taking anything and making something pretty and colorful I'm happy.

I like working with the glass I'm not that great at cutting glass but with a grinder I can make a presentable piece. I watch my friend Ginger work with glass and she picks up her glass cutter pushes it across a piece of glass and picks it up and breaks it with her hands just like nothing, I do that and use breaking pliers because doing it with my hands just doesn't work, it breaks just not where I intended it to...LOL. But I can say I'm getting better at it, Ginger has been doing it for probably 40 years, that's called experience.

I've been staying busy with the Craft Guild Shop you know there's always something to do, we had our first craft show of the year at the first of the month and it went well. We set up next door at the winery,
people came out they shopped and had some wine and enjoyed the free entertainment and we had beautiful weather, it was a good day. The next thing on the list is the Crab Festival next month. I'm working on getting as much made as possible and having some different things that I haven't had before.

I hope you have a chance to create something maybe take some time over the long holiday weekend and pull out some of your crafting supplies and get reacquainted them, you never know what might inspire you and what you might come up with besides it's good for the soul.
Make it a good weekend.

An Artist Work Is Never Done

The life of an artist is anything but boring. There are a lot of misconceptions about artists. People think we have all the free time in the world to do whatever we want. People have no idea what is involved in doing what we do. First and foremost you have to stay on top of your craft, things change constantly, what was popular a few months ago is blassie today. There are new products coming onto the market every week, this is true in just about any medium you work with whether it's painting, sewing, woodworking, floral design or glass work. This means you spend a lot of time researching new products that you'll use in the making of your craft or art and finding them at the best prices. You must stay on top of new trends be it the trending colors for this year or fonts if you paint signs and other designs that might be used in glass or wood or for sewing projects. There's no point in making the same thing that was popular a year ago because now that's outdated.

Once you have made the best product that you can then you must find a way to market and sell your work. Today with the internet the world is a lot smaller and your computer will bring customers to you but only if you have marketed your work the right way. So where to start. You have to have good quality pictures. Lets face it most of us are not photographers and we are not lucky enough to have a family member or friend that can take quality pictures for us. So that means you get out the camera and learn to do it yourself. Once you have those picture you have options of different sites online such as EBay and the most popular Etsy and others where you can post those pic's and that takes time. Time is spent setting up the page and getting the right look and designing a banner that represents the perfect look for your items. Once you have this page set up you need to monitor it everyday and keep it updated.  

Let's say you decide to go store front with your product, maybe in a shop that sells on commission or maybe you join a co-op like I have done. This will involve an investment in the co-op of money for space fees each month and days where you will work the shop. 

Time will be spent planning and setting up your display, waiting on customers, keeping the shop clean and in order, maybe designing business cards  or working on advertising and the list goes on.

There will be events that you will participate in to raise extra money for the shop and you will pay a commission to the shop from each item you sell. 

You might decide to bypass all that thinking that you'll set up an online shop. Unless you have lots of money to hire someone else to build and maintain your website you will need to figure this out on your own to. There are sites that are reasonably priced where you can build your site. You'll need really good pictures to have a nice website so again you either hire someone or you learn how to do your own. And it's not just the website that will need your attention, lets not forget Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest and you might as well try your hand at a blog while you're at it, heck what's one more thing to add to your list of things to do. 

Now we have all this going on and another crafter tells you about a great craft show coming up in just a few months. So you make the contact with the show promoter and you pay the fee for the show. Well darn now you've done it, you've got to work like a crazy person to get more product made to be ready for this show you just paid for. So you'll work day and night, yes, that's right, nights too, heck who needs sleep....LOL.  You work right up till the last minute till you have to pack and load your vehicle to leave for the show. You'll do your own setup, work your space running mostly on adrenaline and caffeine , make some sales if you're lucky then at the end of the day pack up whatever is left over and drag back home so tired you can't stand up. Are you tired yet? 

Now you want to hear something crazy? Most of the artists, craftsmen and women that I know don't do just one of these things I've listed above. Nope some of them do all of it, and many of us do it on our own. Yes some have enlisted help from their spouse or kids. But that's not always the case. So you see being an artist is a full time job above and beyond working on your art. So much for having all the time in the world to do whatever we want.

I can say from experience that I've worked other jobs in my lifetime but never have I learned more or worked harder for anyone then for myself. Most likely you won't get rich doing this but you will be doing what you love and you will meet some of the nicest people ever. They are some of the hardest working people you'll ever meet and they're always willing to lend a helping hand or pass on a good tip whenever they can. I'm blessed to count many of the local crafters and artists in my community among my friends. 

So the next time you find yourself at a craft show I hope you'll think about all that is involved in what we do and that you'll see us in a different light. Supporting your local artists is so important in keeping local and American made products available for generations to come. 

www.craftguildshop.com   https://www.facebook.com/craftguildshop

Welcome 2014

A fresh new start to the year always make me wonder what will happen in the coming months and what changes while occur in my life. As an artist I have many friends who are artists and they have made a good life working doing what they have a passion for and what they love. You know the saying, find what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life.
That sounds great and many have been able to do just that over the last thirty years or so but in the last few years that's not the case and 2013 has been the most difficult to eek out a living from our art. The title of starving artists comes to mind, well maybe not starving but it's getting more difficult to pay the bills. Even those who license their designs for manufactured products are jumping through hoops to come up with dozens of new designs only to have a handful excepted and still only make pennies on each piece sold. Selling store front is great except the commissions are at 50% or more so you raise your prices and it doesn't sell because the price is too high. So what do you do?
Most are still struggling to continue on in the hopes that the economy will change and things in this country will improve. With Government sequestration, layoffs and jobs that are unstable that doesn't help the cause. Small businesses are the ones that make and sell American made products. When you purchase from a local artist or craftsman in your community more than 60% of that money stays right in your community and keeps other businesses open.
I hope when you shop this year you will take the time to seek out the local shops and will help your neighbors in your own community to continue to do what they love and provide our country with quality made products. It might seem like a small thing to you but it could make a big difference in where this country is heading in the future. Change was promised some years back and it seems that's about all we have left in our pockets these days is a hand full of change. I'm not going to get into any political rant I'm just stating the obvious as I watch one small business after another pop up with terrific products and great hopes and expectations for the future only to see them close a year or two later. Or the saddest of all, the long time privately owned business that's been around for years and all of a sudden fades away.
That's what's on my mind today and I hope you will take this to heart and help those that you can.
I wish everyone a Happy and Blessed New Year.

             

Change is in it the air...

That old saying of  "Everything changes nothing stays the same" is so true. Just when you think you've figured it out and worked hard to get to where you are something happens that makes you do an uptake.
The property where our shop is located has been sold. This was done unexpectedly with no warning, sure we knew there were strange people lurking around after hours checking out things but you see people come and go all the time, no big deal. So now we have a new landlord who has big plans for the property that he just purchased and big plans to more than double the rent. In all fairness he has allowed us to stay with a small increase in the rent but come February it will double. I wonder if he's ever heard the term Starving Artists. The only reason we have been able to have a shop and do what we love to do it because we work together as a co-op, there is not one of us that could go out and have a shop on our own but together we have managed to make a really nice shop. The new owner likes our shop and wants us to stay put, I think he walks in and sees all the things we have to offer and he thinks the shop is making tons of money. I wish that were the case but not so much, we have good days but there seems to be more not so good days and days of no sales at all. This summer when the government started the sequestration we saw a big drop in sales, every time there are furloughs we feel it. Small businesses like ours struggle to get from one month to the next.

There is a custom frame shop next door to us Shelby's Custom Framing will be closing after 32 years in the business. Shelby has had rheumatoid arthritis in her hands for years but yet she has managed keep working to frame and do restoration on artwork for her customers. She has restored artwork that has been cut and ripped and had water damage and worse to look like new, it's fascinating. With the slow economy and the raise in the rent and of course the issues with her hands Shelby has decided it's time to give up her wonderful little shop and start working out of her home. After so many years in business Shelby has gained a wonderful clientele that will follow her no matter what she does.
As for me I'm not really sure how this going to work, I've come to rely on custom work, to pay my bills. My customers find me through the shop they come in they see my work and we start a conversation that leads to them asking if I will paint their chairs or a sign or who knows what. I think when people see my work in person they feel more comfortable discussing a custom order. It doesn't seem that online photos get me that same response or reach the right people for that matter. I've tried Esty with no success and Ebay is not the ticket for me either. I'm open to suggestions. When things like this happen you have to get creative so I'm going to think out of the box and see how creative I can get.
I've made another glass mosaic and I'm really enjoying working with the beautiful colors of glass, the new designs in glass that are available now are just amazing. Of course I'm just learning and I haven't gotten into all the new things but it's fun to learn about how they are used and see what others are doing with them.
Here's my latest piece....

 





               

Trying something different

Where did the summer go? I feel like it just flew by, but here we are in September and the fall Craft Show season is upon us. I'm trying to paint Christmas ornaments but my mind is not on it I still have summer designs on my mind. The summer time sales were slow, I'm blaming that on the sequestration. It sure would be nice to have a busy fall and Christmas season. But we have another issue. Last month the property where our Craft Guild Shop is was sold. And unfortunately with the rent more than doubled and other the expenses that are added to the lease it looks as though it's time to move within the next four or five months. Just what I want to do is move in the dead of winter. Finding another affordable location is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I think we need to get creative and think outside the box and we'll find something. I feel like God has a plan the trick is to be patient and it will come to pass. In the meantime I have picked up another hobby working with stained glass, I love the beautiful colors of stained glass and have a few friends that have done it for many years so I'm using the scraps and making mosaics. It's kind of time consuming but the end result is worth it.

I just love the colors, there is a mate to this one I just need time to get it done. I've been painting chairs for someone, once that project is done then I'll have more time to work with the glass. There are so many different types and colors of glass it's like pulling together the colors for a painting the possibilities are endless. So there's no excuse for not working with color, there is always something you can do, if you have a passion for painting , stained glass or sewing you can pull together the right color combinations and make something beautiful with your own two hands. Try something new this week it might change your outlook on things.      

Lovin' Summer, Even though it's HOT

Somebody, anybody, please tell me why summer flies by so fast. 

It's the middle of July people, summer will pass by so fast it's a blur. I don't know why I'm shocked, it does this every year. I just realized it's time to get to work on Christmas ornaments, YES, that's right I said the word Christmas. I must be getting old because I can't seem to keep up anymore. Am I the only one that struggles to stay ahead of the game or is everyone else thinking about Christmas at this point in the year. 

I'm interested in painting some furniture now, my friends and I got together and went to some cool antique shops, well one was an antique mall, it was huge. I found a couple of tables that I'm going to play with. I'm wondering if I should buy some chalk paint or try making my own. There are instructions to make your own chalk paint on Pinterest ( yes Pinterest has become another of my weaknesses ), the prices of chalk paint are a little high so I think I'm going to play with it and see what I come up with. It should be fun. I'll let you know how my homemade version works.

On another note we have a new member coming into the Craft Guild Shop. George McWilliams will be joining us the 1st of August. His artwork will be in the shop by August 2nd and he's planning to have a drawing workshop on Saturday Aug. 3rd and the watercolor workshop on the 4th. This is a great time to learn from one of the best, I hope everyone will come out and support our newest member.

Well until next time I hope you dust off your brushes and find some time to paint and of course stay cool.