Who the hell are you to walk in my booth and ask for a discount? Do you have any idea how long I worked on this piece? Are you that self absorbed and greedy to expect me to take a pay cut so that you can enjoy a nice work of art? Go to hell!!That is just a bunch of junk! Really? My work is just a bunch of junk? Are you seriously saying that out loud to my face? Do you know what an antique is? Do you know anything about art at all? Why are you here? Do you value your teeth?I don't have room for another thing in my house. Then go the f@@k home and stay there. Enjoy your house full of treasures, hoarder!Where do you find all of the things to make your sculptures? Oh, they just fall out of the sky and land in my workshop in mint condition. I go out to antique shops and buy them, you damn fool!Oh, you have to pay to be here? No, it's free, we all just show up and pitch a tent and wait for the money to flow in.So, you fly to all your shows? Sure, me, my rig and all my art just hop on a plane and jet across the country. Nope, I drive!I am in a mood today, feel free to vent.....
Elle~That blog was SO true, & unfortunately just a TOUCH of what is said to Artists at shows~my God, we have a RIGHT to vent~& kick back & have a black Russian!
good luck.... perhaps next year. this will be my first time at the berkshires. i am waiting to hear about a november show in ny. i am doing the october javitts show with amerrican art marketing. then we shall see. perhaps our paths will cross some time soon
That would have been great. We considered making that trip, but I am defending my dissertation proposal July 18th and we will be spending 19 days in Ireland leaving July 23rd, so we thought we should probably put off a Massachusetts trip off until next year when we can stay up there for a while before and/or after the show. Sherry is participating in a ten day plein air festival attending paint outs and workshops in Wexford, Ireland, while I perform the sherpa spouse duties. I learned that term from the wife of a talented Knoxville photographer last week in Oak Ridge. The Berkshires show seemed like it could have been a great market for Sherry's work. We are about a 14-15 hour drive from there. Sherry is a glass art junkie so she would have loved seing your work. We are still waiting for responses on the fall shows we have applied for. We have heard from three of the festivals, two accepts, one not accepted. That currently puts us at 50% accept. We are still waiting for responses from four October, November, and December shows. The farthest north we have applied is southern Ohio.
where do you guys usually show. i am a northeast glass artist. i will be at the birkshires art festival this weekend. if you are there i would love to meet you and perhaps we can all have dinner together
John. i believe we all live the same life. it is hard enough to deal with the public. i think, as artists, vendors or whatever, we should be cognizant of our shared trials and tribulations. i agree with you --- i share and help others as i would have them share and help me.... what goes around comes around..... life is far too short to be so negative
Just an FYI - I am not going to dignify your remarks. What I am going to say is this. YOU paid attention. Some of what I said was most likely painful and highly likely true. And, the likelihood that you will change how you approach someone's booth in the future is most likely going to be different too. No more assuming, you may hesitate a little bit now, and ask rather than assume just because no one is in someone's booth that your non-income producing "visit" is welcome.
Leisure income may be new to many, but you learned from it. And Bored Husband Syndrome...if I made you stand up and pay attention...GREAT, mission accomplished. You may be upset, and find you need to try and make derogatory remarks based in a smidgen of information about me, as I found a few of the statements you made were. But the fact remains, these are issues where attitudes differ among people at shows. If more people paid attention to their own behavior towards other exhibitors, artists, vendors, they will no longer be the cause of potential lost sales, because currently they ARE. SO, mission accomplished. Every time I give the program and broach this subject, I actually pick those vary husbands to do that skit. Thankfully, they don't see all the nodding heads in agreement behind their backs, or the long line of people after I give a program, thanking me for putting the problem "out there" and making people aware of this subtle behavior. So, if what I wrote makes those of you guilty of the Bored Husband Syndrome, change your behavior towards others at a future show, mission accomplished. We will all be better for it.
Elle, I am sorry your entertaining blog has been hijacked by this discussion. Carol, I am disappointed that this thread has sunk to a level where you feel the need to make offensive assumptions regarding my role in our business. Let me make sure that I have this right. I am just a "bored husband" hanging around the shows pestering the other "artists", staying underfoot, waiting for people like you to entertain me, and being generally useless. Wow!!!!! You know all of this about me because I don't agree with you and find certain characterizations you make demeaning to beginning art show artists and vendors. Do I understand correctly that you do some kind of teaching of aspiring artists and art show vendors. If this is the case your comments indicate to me that your people skills need a little work. By the way, I invested in material handling equipment when Sherry decided she wanted to make a go at this. If you would like to check with the Tennessee Creates show organizer that we did last week, you will find that I used that equipment to help several of the other artists unload and set up, and made the equipment available to others. Since this was a home show for us, I brought things from my home that other artists needed and then I sat down with my computer to work on my dissertation until it was time to take it all down. I made one quick loop through the show right before the doors opened, other than that I stayed close to our booth. I did babysit the booth for Sherry so she could go to the restroom, take a lunch break or have a look at the other artist's work. I also watched other artists' booths working alone if they need a break. Several of the artists came up to speak to me at our booth because they met me when I helped them set up. If we did happen to be at the same show you think I would be hanging around your booth to be entertained, don't flatter yourself. I have a hunch you are not that entertaining.
So let me give you a little mathematics lesson about exponential growth that I remember from my days as a restaurant and bar owner near Atlanta. I owned the pub for 13 years and then sold it, it is still operating today. I think a 28 year run would classify this as a success. It is called the rule of 10. The way it works is when you act like an ass to one person they tell ten people, who tell ten people and so on. If you do the math this number gets very big pretty quickly. If you really acted in your booth the way you have described in this thread, well the rule of ten is eventually going to catch up with you...and this advice is free of charge so I will not accuse you of "stealing" it.
The fact is I believe I was put onto this planet to humbly serve others, not just enhance my own bottom line, which is where you and I differ. So at this point and with apologies to Elle and anyone else who has the misfortune of reading this rant I am going to take some important advice I thought I had learned a long time ago; never, never argue with a fool, people won't know the difference.
PS, a friend of mine that creates, exhibits, and teaches 5 days a week and I were talking recently, her asking...who was paying for all my travels, etc. She was shocked when I said, ME myself and I, an candidly asked what my income was. I candidly told her. And while she thought it was great...when I explained all the hours I put into this, what I have given up (my choice) and how sometimes it's too quiet and I have to get out and be among non-artistic people, she realized the grass isn't greener, it's just another way someone chooses to live their life. I am happiest with textiles running through my hands. Followed by being around highly creative people that I can share, grow and learn from; followed by being around people with outrageous senses of humor so I can laugh so loud and obnoxious that other people start laughing because I am. And caring for those less fortunate. Kind of in that order.
I supply to other people so they can create what I create, hence the massive dyeing side of the business. While others consider that "art" I consider it hard laborious bread & butter work that allows me when I can to carve out the time to create what I showed in the previous post. Doing it all myself, I have to find the balance of what is going to generate the income (thankfully in the same field as my true artwork) so I can continue to create with the same. So, I do the hard labor work sometimes up to 18 hours a day, but on good days, only about 10, followed by creating items for others to emulate (I am not saying copy because each piece is unique), along with being able to express what I envision. I would love to see if there are others doing similar combination.
Comments
Elle~That blog was SO true, & unfortunately just a TOUCH of what is said to Artists at shows~my God, we have a RIGHT to vent~& kick back & have a black Russian!
good luck.... perhaps next year. this will be my first time at the berkshires. i am waiting to hear about a november show in ny. i am doing the october javitts show with amerrican art marketing. then we shall see. perhaps our paths will cross some time soon
That would have been great. We considered making that trip, but I am defending my dissertation proposal July 18th and we will be spending 19 days in Ireland leaving July 23rd, so we thought we should probably put off a Massachusetts trip off until next year when we can stay up there for a while before and/or after the show. Sherry is participating in a ten day plein air festival attending paint outs and workshops in Wexford, Ireland, while I perform the sherpa spouse duties. I learned that term from the wife of a talented Knoxville photographer last week in Oak Ridge. The Berkshires show seemed like it could have been a great market for Sherry's work. We are about a 14-15 hour drive from there. Sherry is a glass art junkie so she would have loved seing your work. We are still waiting for responses on the fall shows we have applied for. We have heard from three of the festivals, two accepts, one not accepted. That currently puts us at 50% accept. We are still waiting for responses from four October, November, and December shows. The farthest north we have applied is southern Ohio.
where do you guys usually show. i am a northeast glass artist. i will be at the birkshires art festival this weekend. if you are there i would love to meet you and perhaps we can all have dinner together
Thank you Susan. I am currently embarrassed and very annoyed with myself for getting my hackles up. I am usually better about restraining myself.
John. i believe we all live the same life. it is hard enough to deal with the public. i think, as artists, vendors or whatever, we should be cognizant of our shared trials and tribulations. i agree with you --- i share and help others as i would have them share and help me.... what goes around comes around..... life is far too short to be so negative
Just an FYI - I am not going to dignify your remarks. What I am going to say is this. YOU paid attention. Some of what I said was most likely painful and highly likely true. And, the likelihood that you will change how you approach someone's booth in the future is most likely going to be different too. No more assuming, you may hesitate a little bit now, and ask rather than assume just because no one is in someone's booth that your non-income producing "visit" is welcome.
Leisure income may be new to many, but you learned from it. And Bored Husband Syndrome...if I made you stand up and pay attention...GREAT, mission accomplished. You may be upset, and find you need to try and make derogatory remarks based in a smidgen of information about me, as I found a few of the statements you made were. But the fact remains, these are issues where attitudes differ among people at shows. If more people paid attention to their own behavior towards other exhibitors, artists, vendors, they will no longer be the cause of potential lost sales, because currently they ARE. SO, mission accomplished. Every time I give the program and broach this subject, I actually pick those vary husbands to do that skit. Thankfully, they don't see all the nodding heads in agreement behind their backs, or the long line of people after I give a program, thanking me for putting the problem "out there" and making people aware of this subtle behavior. So, if what I wrote makes those of you guilty of the Bored Husband Syndrome, change your behavior towards others at a future show, mission accomplished. We will all be better for it.
Elle, I am sorry your entertaining blog has been hijacked by this discussion. Carol, I am disappointed that this thread has sunk to a level where you feel the need to make offensive assumptions regarding my role in our business. Let me make sure that I have this right. I am just a "bored husband" hanging around the shows pestering the other "artists", staying underfoot, waiting for people like you to entertain me, and being generally useless. Wow!!!!! You know all of this about me because I don't agree with you and find certain characterizations you make demeaning to beginning art show artists and vendors. Do I understand correctly that you do some kind of teaching of aspiring artists and art show vendors. If this is the case your comments indicate to me that your people skills need a little work. By the way, I invested in material handling equipment when Sherry decided she wanted to make a go at this. If you would like to check with the Tennessee Creates show organizer that we did last week, you will find that I used that equipment to help several of the other artists unload and set up, and made the equipment available to others. Since this was a home show for us, I brought things from my home that other artists needed and then I sat down with my computer to work on my dissertation until it was time to take it all down. I made one quick loop through the show right before the doors opened, other than that I stayed close to our booth. I did babysit the booth for Sherry so she could go to the restroom, take a lunch break or have a look at the other artist's work. I also watched other artists' booths working alone if they need a break. Several of the artists came up to speak to me at our booth because they met me when I helped them set up. If we did happen to be at the same show you think I would be hanging around your booth to be entertained, don't flatter yourself. I have a hunch you are not that entertaining.
So let me give you a little mathematics lesson about exponential growth that I remember from my days as a restaurant and bar owner near Atlanta. I owned the pub for 13 years and then sold it, it is still operating today. I think a 28 year run would classify this as a success. It is called the rule of 10. The way it works is when you act like an ass to one person they tell ten people, who tell ten people and so on. If you do the math this number gets very big pretty quickly. If you really acted in your booth the way you have described in this thread, well the rule of ten is eventually going to catch up with you...and this advice is free of charge so I will not accuse you of "stealing" it.
The fact is I believe I was put onto this planet to humbly serve others, not just enhance my own bottom line, which is where you and I differ. So at this point and with apologies to Elle and anyone else who has the misfortune of reading this rant I am going to take some important advice I thought I had learned a long time ago; never, never argue with a fool, people won't know the difference.
PS, a friend of mine that creates, exhibits, and teaches 5 days a week and I were talking recently, her asking...who was paying for all my travels, etc. She was shocked when I said, ME myself and I, an candidly asked what my income was. I candidly told her. And while she thought it was great...when I explained all the hours I put into this, what I have given up (my choice) and how sometimes it's too quiet and I have to get out and be among non-artistic people, she realized the grass isn't greener, it's just another way someone chooses to live their life. I am happiest with textiles running through my hands. Followed by being around highly creative people that I can share, grow and learn from; followed by being around people with outrageous senses of humor so I can laugh so loud and obnoxious that other people start laughing because I am. And caring for those less fortunate. Kind of in that order.
I supply to other people so they can create what I create, hence the massive dyeing side of the business. While others consider that "art" I consider it hard laborious bread & butter work that allows me when I can to carve out the time to create what I showed in the previous post. Doing it all myself, I have to find the balance of what is going to generate the income (thankfully in the same field as my true artwork) so I can continue to create with the same. So, I do the hard labor work sometimes up to 18 hours a day, but on good days, only about 10, followed by creating items for others to emulate (I am not saying copy because each piece is unique), along with being able to express what I envision. I would love to see if there are others doing similar combination.
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