My husband told me I'm a pain in the neck the week before a show. I guess I keep all the details in my head and fret and fuss and run around the house like a maniac...so he stays out of my way and says nice things like "what can I do to help?" I must be a horror to be around - here's why:
I worry too much.
I worry about getting to the site on time, or that we'll get there safely...
I worry about set up and where we'll park, and how far the hotel is from the show...
I worry that my neighbor will have set their booth up first - over the line and not have enough room...
I worry about the weather - setting up in wind, rain, tornado warnings [it's happened]...
I worry about the tent getting "broken into" [unzipped] overnight and my art getting stolen [it's happened]...
I worry about not making my "nut" - about a kid or a dog ruining my art [it's happened]...
But, really... we've all had disasters happen somewhere along the line, and we keep doing this. Because there are some amazing moments!
One of my high points is being approached by a gallery [who sells my work], selling original work to very nice people, seeing some of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. from Salem, OR to Washington D.C. and...
I get to be with my husband. Each weekend is part retail, part detail, part honeymoon.
I get to meet the people who like my work IN PERSON! And, make new friends [like some of YOU] on the way.
Take a moment to share with me some of YOUR high points... and worst disasters - that you've survived.
We can all use a good chuckle!
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I worry about all of those things too Sandhi. And I totally agree with you that the amazing moments outweigh all the anxiety... else why would we keep doing it? It is truly an addictive lifestyle if you have the fortitude :-) I particularly remember a night at a hotel in Richardson, Texas -- the night the Dallas Cowboy's training facility caved in a few years ago. We were there for the Cottonwood show and it was raining and raining and raining. If you've done Cottonwood, you know the craziness that is getting in and out of there. We were all set up and had had one excellent day but all we could think about was how we were going to get out on Sunday. The rain eventually subsided though. The show organizers covered the sodden grounds with hay bales (fun!) and it turned out to be a lovely day. I will have to go find the photos I took of that day....
Plus I have a routine going. Monday's I mat and order, Tuesdays I frame, Wednesday I seem to be delivering, Thursday I drymount and so forth. Hmmmmm I never realized I had become so anal. LOL
HOWEVER. Perhaps having 6 shows in 7 weeks helps. I know show #1 this year was a nightmare in organization.
I can relate to the worrying -- and I only do local shows. I would love to venture out to shows and stay overnight -- especially in a coastal resort area.
I am a single woman, and I can't get my courage up to do such a thing SOLO.
Although, I REALLY DO want to combine a trip to the ocean ( live in midwest) with a vacation and art show. How nice that would be in the winter. Family and friends who might join me all work or have other commitments, and I am retired.
Is there anyone out there who travels solo who can give me some encouragement, inspiration, or moral support to move forward
with this?
Some of my shows were local but I frequently travelled far enough that I had to stay over night. Since I was struggling to pay the bills for a family on one salary, I never could afford a hotel. I had an air bed that fit in the back of the mini van and I found safe places to park and sleep. At many shows, I found other artists doing the same thing (usually with trucks or campers) and parked near them.
I was in Minnesota and I have driven to and from a show in Arizona a number of times by myself. Once I drove to a show in North Carolina by myself when I was 5 months pregnant and had car trouble along the way. That one was a bit stressful but it did work out ok.
Also I flew to the ACC show in San Francisco several times. I stayed in a hostel and rode public transportation or walked everywhere. I even had to figure out how to make a display system that I could ship economically. My art is light so painted cardboard boxes with books I bought at a local second hand book store for weights, did the trick.
Mother is a neccesity so I just had to do what I did. But sometimes one just needs to take a leap of faith and try an adventure. It is so worth it. One grows stronger from adventure!
By the way, a year and four months ago, my husband had surgery for a very rare tumor on his pituitary gland. He is in recovery. During this process, we lost our home and moved in with the kids in Utah. I have taken this year off of doing shows or making very much art. But I am happy to have the husband I thought I was going to lose! And I am happy to have had the adventures that I had!
Hi Judy, You can do it! To get up your courage, try to get into a show where you know another artist, and ask the show promoter to put the two of you next to each other. Sometimes all you need to know is that someone else will be there that you know. I usually travel with my husband, but have also had to do a number of shows by myself, and it's do-able. I also see a lot of other artists traveling alone.
A number of years ago, I did a show in Harrisburg, PA. After setting up my booth, I went to park my car. When I returned, my booth was missing – literally. Running closer, I found that my (former) canopy was lying tangled and twisted, halfway down the bank of the Susquehanna River, with an upside-down golf cart on top of it.
An employee of the show promoter was driving that cart, with a passenger, and had stepped on the gas rather than the brake. It took out half a glass artist’s booth and totaled mine. I realized how incredibly fortunate I was to have been out of my booth for the few seconds that it took to destroy it. However, two people were taken to the hospital on back boards by EMT’s, which was the worst part of the accident.
A few weeks later, I received a check for several thousand dollars for my loss, and promptly called Flourish and ordered the very best display canopy they made, with all the bells and whistles. It had everything but central air-conditioning!
I also love the way we art vendors look out for one another. Every time we set up, my husband knows I will spend more time checking on my neighbors, helping them out, than I will helping him set up our shop. In the few years we have been doing shows, I have come across only one exception, a show we did in Macon, GA. Trying to inch our way to our booth space to set up, we had to stop because another vendor was taking up the room in the street. I smiled at her. She mouthed back, "I'm NOT MOVING." I smiled again, got out of the van and asked if we could help her get her things to her tent. She said, "Yes, if you want me out of your way." I said, "It's OK. We'd just like to help." (and I DID want to show her some kindness; I felt she needed it.) We helped her, moved on to our booth, and then upon leaving, came upon the same kind of incident trying to leave. Another vendor would have needed to move his vehicle maybe a couple of feet to let others out, and he refused. We just decided to never do that show again. Seemed to have more than its share of unhappy people. Even though that experience left a bad taste, it is far outshined by the wonderful, fun, helpful, generous and kind people we meet at every show.
First, I love how you put it (as I am lucky to have a husband who supports me and my work) "I get to be with my husband. Each weekend is part retail, part detail, part honeymoon." Amen!
This past year has been both horrible and also amazing and have been counting my blessing. I was diagnosed last May with breast cancer, but decided it wasn't making the decisions in my life...I was. I had been accepted into Central PA Festival of the Arts, and there was no way I was going to miss it. I had a double mastectomy with reconstruction 3-1/2 weeks before 'Fest, and with the help of friends, got my booth set up and did the show...and started chemo 3 days after.
I still did shows through chemo. I had my bandana on for setup and take down, but donned my wig and false eyelashes for the show. I only cancelled out of one show, but it was in the 40s and pouring all weekend, and I couldn't risk getting sick with my lowered immunity.
So instead of letting cancer run my life, I was there at shows, and got the affirmation of seeing new customers discover my work and fall in love with a piece. Old customers were supportive and it gave me such a high to be there, and to have not skipped a year of shows. All the annoyances and frustrations of doing a show became much smaller because I wanted so badly to be there.
That being said, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. I was often exhausted and it wasn't a great year creatively...I ended up pretty much following my previous years designs and making any big creative advances personally in my work. But ultimately I think it was the right decision.
This year is going to be great. After a big artistic lull and 3 months of exhasted vegetating after chemo was over, my artistic side is kicking in again. The elegant linear, classic, symmetrical designs I've always done have been joined by some artsy, fun, swirly, unsymmetrical designs that I have been getting great response to.
It was really funny, though, at my first show this year when I greeted a previous customer with a "Hello! Great to see you again! How has your year been?" and she looked at me blankly and said "Do I know you?". Yeah, my long straight blonde-brown hair is gone, and I have very short curly brown hair now (thanks chemo)... :)
What an inspiring story! Glad to hear you're on the mend. Life tends to go on whether we choose to be an active participant or not. Sunshine and rainbows or not, you chose to move forward and embrace the positive. Bravo!
This is a great topic...my story is actually not a show story but rather a "road story". In December we were on our way home to Arizona from a show in Texas. When we hit West Texas there were some snow flurries which seemed very unusual but nothing really to worry about. We passed through El Paso and Las Cruces and it was snowing harder but we decided to press on as we only had another 4 hours to go. We reached the top of the hill and knew that was the wrong decision. Cars were spun out all along the highway and the snow was really coming down. By the time we were 30 miles out of Deming it became clear that we were not going to make it home that night so we started calling hotels. Every single room in town was booked because they actually had diverted traffic BOTH directions off at Deming. So we start calling all of our friends to see if anyone knows somebody in Deming....but no luck. So we decide we better get gas (while they still have some) because we have resigned ourselves that we are probably spending the night in our car. At the gas station my husband starts talking to a family (mom and 2 teenage kids) and they invite us into their home. We had a lovely evening with the Madrid's, had a great Chorizo and egg breakfast and left them with some glass treasures....and reminder of the kindness of strangers....
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