So I did it, I finally did my really first show. It was this past Saturday, November 17th. We were asked to be there by 6:30 but I couldn't I arrived at 7:30, but it was OK, the show started at 9 am. I should explain for the ones who don't know me that I am part of a long traditions of Peruvians who are always late and even when I try to change it seems that will not happen, I will never be like my Germans friends always on time, like my dear friend Katalin it was so common for her to say on the phone: I will see you moni in 13 minutes, not 10 or 15 but exact 13!!! and she was always able to manage her time and arrived at the exact time she said she will be!! But I digress from my story.
I was sharing the booth with a fellow classmate the wonderful Kathie King, she makes incredible glass flowers and now she is making fairy houses, kids, specially little girls come to the booth magnetized by them.
So we set our tables in a uncommon Florida cold morning, it look nice everybody working on their booths trying to display their art pieces in the best possible way. We already had a workshop about how to display our stuff how to talk to the people, etc. Things in theory easy to do. . . in theory.
So at 9 am everybody were ready to make a lot of sales, art pieces nicely display coffee or hot cocoa, big smiles ready to welcome the first costumer and we wait, and we wait and we wait. Couple hours later people start coming, not many but some enough to make us feel better. It is something fascinated how people always come in groups without being conscious of that, people come like waves suddenly bug groups of people and then nothing... how that can happen, they don't know each other so how they can do it is like a symphony ( I am just copying my dear friend Erika's way to describe the cars on the highway).
Many people came to our booth and compliment our work but they didn't buy anything. I was next to a booth who was selling pottery and glass as well but way cheaper than us. At some point I was wondering that maybe my stuff was overprice but then I think again, my bowls for example are very unique, there are not 2 exactly alike, I tried real hard to make sets and decorated one by one fallowing a theme that initially is only in my head. Would be much easier to just glazed them in one unique color, less work, less thinking, less material, probably less expensive, but I will not be happy with them. I like my bowls, I only sell the ones that are "perfect" for me, even when I am the only one who can see the mistakes, a different tone of the glaze on the bottom, a scratch when it was on greenware that was cover by the glaze but I can still see it, or a shape that according to me is not for the design I have in my head, those bowls or pots are reserved to be given away, some of my relatives are happy with my craziness, they always get pots.
So then I think that my prices were right even if I sold only one, to
recuperated my expenses I will be happy, at the end I sold 2 bowls and a
couple of more things, so I think it was ok. Some of the vendors sold a
lot and made a lot of money and I am happy for them, specially for the
ones who were congruent and loyal with their true self and respect
themselves as an artist. Another friend who was at the show was Andrees,
he is an sculptor and made wonderful pieces hand build, he uses raku
glazes and his pieces are incredible, I still can not afford to buy his
pieces but I hope I can one day. He was not making any sells for hours
and then suddenly one lady bought one of his big ones, he made $450 on
one sell!!! So I guess one just need to wait for the right person.
I
have been accepted in another show, Art in the Park in Ybor City so I
guess I will try again. I already have the fabric and all the little
things to display my art so why not.
My wonderful
boyfriend took some photos of the event, feel free to make any comment
or suggestion about my display... it is still a work in progress.
