Good morning everyone! I am new to this site and new to the art world so to speak. I started painting at my local civic center in January 2011 and I have found my passion. I have sold some paintings online, however I did my first art fair this month and only sold one painting. Does anyone have any advice on art fairs? I still work full time and I am thinking if I am doing ok online, why spend time at a art fair? I would like your feedback or advice.
Thanks everyone and I am excited to be part of this group.
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I’ve been doing art festivals for 13 years now and I always say there are many things you cannot learn about doing art festivals until you do them. Unlike you my online sales are much, much less than my art festival sales and I firmly believe that art festivals are where the money is. But my first few years were very slow. I would have quit if I hadn’t put so much money into tent, walls etc. I had to learn the best way to display my work, how and when to approach customers, what shows worked and didn’t work for me, a multitude of things that no one could teach me because they pertained to me and my work. These were many things other artists could teach me but there were a lot of things I couldn’t learn except by doing and by sometimes falling flat on my face.
I still have my job. It pays pretty well and it is pretty nice to sit at a bad show and know that the mortgage is still paid. It also allowed me to look at those first couple years as a learning experience rather than be stressed about needing to sell to pay the bills.
Alison, thank you so much for this advice. I guess I just need to jump into the Art Festivals and learn as I go. I always said, in order to be great at something you first needed to be bad! hehehe
I have been doing my art work full time since 1990. Prior to that, I always did it part time starting after completing a 6-year apprenticeship and getting my BS in geology in 1965. I did it during grad school and left with $$$ in my pockets. Besides the learning curve of selling art, I think it is important to ask yourself if you have the personality and work ethic to pursue art work full time. You can go for weeks on end working alone in your studio, then for two or three days you are trust into the public who will scrutinize your work and hopefully open their fat wallets. I find it fun and interesting.
Thanks Richard. It's the work ethic I need to work on! I started painting in 2011 when I took a "one stroke" class at my local civic center for $5. Then I took an acrylic class, then went to oils. I am still learning alot! How did you work your schedule when you were working full time?
Thanks!
Rosie
In the office/lab I worked 7/4, at home evenings I worked 7/10 and some weekends. I had a very understanding wife. Out in the field, after dinner I would spend evenings designing, doing job cost (pre-computer) and later putting all of the studio data on computers we were given for field work. When I started doing shows I had to work on people skills, selling skills and stuff like that. It has paid off. I was the odd man out in the mining company and was criticized for not being a "company man" for not going out with the boys after work for a pint. My field assistants liked working for me (some were the first women hired in exploration) as they were given lots of responsibility and were left alone to get the job done ( like how I worked). I stayed technical and the scientist to the end and had no interest in management. During a 75% layoff in 1985, some geologist went to management and said they should let me go as I had a business I could go too. Technical expertise won out and I watched them pack up.
I work 7 am to 4 pm too! I leave the house at 6 am, and get home around 5 pm. I am so tired by the time I get home it's hard for me to start painting, however I guess I need to force myself to do something for at least 30 minutes. Once I start I keep going though. I paint on the weekends and my husband is very good about picking up around the house. Thanks for the advice! Right now I try and focus on getting better so hopefully when I retire I can do all the shows. :) Did you read any books on selling or people skills?
I took night classes in accounting and business management at community college. Most of the reading was articles and some books, but that was 30 some years ago. Better resources are on internet today. Take a look at "psychology of selling" topic. It's interesting.
Thanks, I will!
This has been my full time job since the early 90s. Part time for years before chucking the corporate world to strike out on my own along with my wife who left the corporate world in the late 80s.
Like a lot of full timers here we make a decent middle class living. The biggest problem is I have to kiss my own butt for a week for permission to take a day off.
Thanks for the advice Chris!
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