OK everyone I know you will be able to help with this. I am a peer group mentor for an arts incubator, next month I'd like to do a role play exercise to help them think of ways to deal with all the crazy/dumb/odd questions the public can come up with at festivals, fairs and showings of their work. So what I'd LOVE to know is what kinds of questions do you get all the time, and if you'd like to offer advice on how you handle those questions I'll be sure to pass that along as well. Thanks in advance for your crazy questions!
My website is through weebly. I love them. I hear intuit is good. To see what I've done with weebly, feel free to check out my website www.bythebaybotanicals.com - Michelle
I'd second Robert's suggestion of Weebly, I know a lot of artists who use it and are very happy with their results. It has some nice free gallery features and I think it is clean and easy to use.
Thank you Winthrope Hiers and Robert LeHay for the information. I will look into both the sites. This infomration helps a lot. It is a step in the direction I feel we need to go in..
In regards to websites – you should check out Weebly. You can find them at http://www.weebly.com/ It’s a completely free service that allows you to create and publish your own website. There are a few options that costs a little money – i.e. paying for a “custom” domain name – however these are completely optional. The program is very easy to use – if you can post messages and create a homepage on Art Fair Insiders - you can create a website using Weebly.
I’ve had my site on Weebly up and running for around a year now – if interested you can visit me at www.lehays.com
With all the options I have (I haven’t used many of them) I don’t believe I have any more then $50.00 invested in it. As far as time I “plug away” at it now and then so I don’t have a real sense of that – however you could easily have a decent site up and running within eight hours. To start selling products on your website you may have another day or so invested (options include using Google Checkout, PayPal, etc).
Marie, take a look at ifp3.com (my website is blp.ifp3.com). It is easy to set up, professional looking, infinitely adjustable, practically unlimited space, SEO friendly, includes PayPal, and you can change things at any time. The cost is $240 a year with lots of ways to get discounts. Mine pays for itself many times over.
Tkx for the information Michelle..Great idea.. We did try a website once. The cost of keeping it up didn't pay at the time. We would have to have someone set one up. I maybe be able to do it but my time and health are slowing me down some! Did you do your web site yourself or have someone else do it? For us, I think that we would have to have someone else get it going. Any suggestions/help that you could lend this way would be awesome. I will talk with my friend and see what she says. Cost would be the biggest factor these days. Like you said, it could generate some more income. again thx.. Marie
Marie - good comments. Question though - did you know you can still have a website that is an informational website - for instance have a main page with have a few photos of some of your work and explaining all are one of a kind and only sold at art fairs, a second page with a calendar of events you do, and contact page to do email or phone contact in case people do have "real" questions or meet up or even make a custom piece? I find many promoters appreciate it if I mention I have a website so they can see what I do and learn a bit about me, the artist - regardless of whether I sell online or not. Just a though. :-) - Michelle
This just recently happened at a show that just blew my mind away.. we have small jars with strung beads on them for mini vases. We put small either fake or real flowers or small bamboo in them. A lady asked it the string and beads came with the jar!! I said yes unless you just want to buy the jar. She walked out of the booth. The same show, different day a lady asked if our small mini vases would hold water. Since we had fresh flowers in them, thinking are, are you kidding me, I said yes. She then asked again if I was sure. So I got a vase and explained to her that these were real flowers with water in the vase. She just looked at me and walked out of the booth. We had to make a sign stating that we do not have a website because most of the work is with recycled items and changes all the time. There are just a few items that aren't but we are on the road so much we would not be able to fill the orders (30-40 shows a year).
The two that gets me the most are: Take less, make me a better deal.. ahh do you ask at the store/gas station for a deal? 2nd That isn't hard to make, can make it myself. Ok, that would be fine if you have the means to do it like sanders, scroll saw etc. ... of course, as with others i am sure we all have so many more crazy stupid questions asked of us. I try real hard at times to not let them know they are stupid questions!
Michelle thanks for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate them. This artist group that I am working with has very limited experience working in the public arena, most of them (not all) are just starting to get serious and I think your response is a great one to a problem many of us have. Sometimes I think the tent just makes people think flea market and they are ready to haggle. I ask if their accountant gives them a discount!
Comments
Thank you Winthrope Hiers and Robert LeHay for the information. I will look into both the sites. This infomration helps a lot. It is a step in the direction I feel we need to go in..
tkx
In regards to websites – you should check out Weebly. You can find them at http://www.weebly.com/ It’s a completely free service that allows you to create and publish your own website. There are a few options that costs a little money – i.e. paying for a “custom” domain name – however these are completely optional. The program is very easy to use – if you can post messages and create a homepage on Art Fair Insiders - you can create a website using Weebly.
I’ve had my site on Weebly up and running for around a year now – if interested you can visit me at www.lehays.com
With all the options I have (I haven’t used many of them) I don’t believe I have any more then $50.00 invested in it. As far as time I “plug away” at it now and then so I don’t have a real sense of that – however you could easily have a decent site up and running within eight hours. To start selling products on your website you may have another day or so invested (options include using Google Checkout, PayPal, etc).
Good Luck.
This just recently happened at a show that just blew my mind away.. we have small jars with strung beads on them for mini vases. We put small either fake or real flowers or small bamboo in them. A lady asked it the string and beads came with the jar!! I said yes unless you just want to buy the jar. She walked out of the booth. The same show, different day a lady asked if our small mini vases would hold water. Since we had fresh flowers in them, thinking are, are you kidding me, I said yes. She then asked again if I was sure. So I got a vase and explained to her that these were real flowers with water in the vase. She just looked at me and walked out of the booth. We had to make a sign stating that we do not have a website because most of the work is with recycled items and changes all the time. There are just a few items that aren't but we are on the road so much we would not be able to fill the orders (30-40 shows a year).
The two that gets me the most are: Take less, make me a better deal.. ahh do you ask at the store/gas station for a deal? 2nd That isn't hard to make, can make it myself. Ok, that would be fine if you have the means to do it like sanders, scroll saw etc. ... of course, as with others i am sure we all have so many more crazy stupid questions asked of us. I try real hard at times to not let them know they are stupid questions!
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next