Well, 'tis the season for applying to shows in 2014. Waiting and wondering if I will get in. I still create images every week and some of them are popular in the waiting months. But I don't see any art fairs for me until late April. That is a four (or more) months stretch with no income from my art. Maybe an occasional sale from my Etsy shop but from the past few years, no sales have been made from January through May.
So, this is the hibernation part of the year. Yes, I will create more pieces for 2014 but none of them will sell until late April or possibly May or June. I am not at a point in my art career to do Florida or Arizona shows. So, unless something changes, I will be lurking on these posts but I probably don't have much to offer.
For us northerners, do you just sit tight until spring or do you go travelling?
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I look forward to hibernating in Michigan in...it affords me the chance to stay in and knit without feeling guilty. In warmer months, I feel like I should be outside walking or doing yard work, in the winter I have the excuse of cold weather and snow to stay inside and create new handbags and hats. Plus, this is a busy season for me as wool is my medium and I'm having difficulty keeping up with the demand, unquestionably a good problem to have. In short, I embrace the opportunity to work this time of year without the distractions summer sometimes brings...
Jacki...good to know you are making room for "new" art pieces!! ;]
Scott, yes, this is the hibernation period for me, too. As much as I sort of dread the cold I do look forward to hibernating. Enjoy the Florida warmth, Ruth. Scott, creating Scott. Me, I am planning to pitch and throw stuff.
Good to hear that Florida is good for you, Ruth. Interestingly, I traded some emails with an artist who lives and exhibits in Naples and she said the "buyers are back" and she is mighty busy.
Well Connie, the Lego minifigures will take a much darker turn in January and February... And I hope to shoot more vintage Fisher Price Little People...
We are packing up and heading to Florida. Plan to get there in time to spend Christmas with family and then a full schedule of shows for 3 months. It seems to be "in" lately to knock Florida, but for us it's our best market.
We always went South too and as Joan said sometimes it would be a wash financially, but how much fun to head out of Michigan to warm places! Sometimes it was well worth the trip and if it didn't seem to be so crossed that show off the list for the next year.
Lots of artists don't make that trek any more but they plan all year for that hiatus and use the in between time to work on new ideas, their websites, new marketing ideas and ways to sell their work.
What are you thinking about working on for next year, Scott?
I head for Florida in mid February, I'll be doing the Key West fine art show and hopefully 2 more (results not in yet). I never make a lot of $$ there, if I make my expenses with a little left over I figure it was better than staying here and shoveling snow. By now I have friends and family located all along my route south and back so I do a lot of visiting and not much stopping in motels. Other than that, though, I have nothing from the end of September until May, only the occasional sale at the local art center or at home. But I look on the hibernation as a time for creating new pieces and doing a lot of matting and framing in the expectation of a busy summer season.