i didnt think that nels and others questions were out of line . if its really none of our business why post at all? it would be good to have a reference points as to what sales were in round figures, what was being sold, price range of the work and anything else that might help us out .i had read aa posts about how bad it is but leslies post has me rethinking about applying to aa. is so. univ. part of something else or is it a show by itself? more info never hurts, im not the irs . im just trying to figure out a show that ive always heard great things about. recent posts had me wondering. im glad you had a really good show mary and that you knew what ques to ask. i dont...yet, but ill never figure it out if i dont ask. as a general rule i think a lot of posters are too ambiguous. give up the details, good or bad and let us figure it out for ourselves. we thank you.
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Thanks, Mary! I agree with you! The amount someone earns at a show has never been a reason for why I apply to it.
I have to step in here and speak up again. I was feeling a huge amount of frustration when I started this whole controversy because of multiple factors. I had a good show in South U. I am a full-time working professional who travels to shows all over. How much $$ myself or anyone else makes at a show that makes you 'successful' varies so extremely from one person to another that getting sales figures from all artists and trying to make sense of them for yourself is really problematic in this business.
I am so exhausted listening to people rant and rave publicly about AA. I have said this on this forum and in show reviews: this is a difficult show to do. It is four long days. Most all of us have hotel expenses. The hours are long. The weather is usually really, really hot. There are hours of mind-numbing standing around. This show had a little something for every prospective buyer. But, that means that there is some low-end stuff sneaking in. The quality of the fine artists is wonderful. The staff was great with me (especially our block captain). I had an easy set-up and take down. I did not even apply for years because I was really afraid of all these issues. Plus, I have to do shows by myself with no helper so this can be really frustrating. Do I wish the show hours were shorter? Of course....but I don't make the rules, I can only live by them. Sometimes when people have a really unhappy show they want to blame everyone except themselves.
Every artist has to decide where the best fit of shows is for them. Sometimes it is the small shows with a low but quality attendance, sometimes the large shows with lots of people. Knowing what exact number I made at AA isn't going to make a decision for someone whether or not they want to go to this particular show....or, should I say, my sales figures should not be the only reason someone participates in an art fair. There are so many other factors. Not everyone I meet on the show circuit is an artist 100% of the time. Examples: They could be doing just 4 shows a year or something as an outlet for their creativity. Maybe they are new to the business and are still working through finding the right show fits for them... Perhaps they are someone who has made a decision not to travel more then 4 hours from home. There are so many factors.
So johnnie, I will leave you with this: There is a big attendance there. If you think you can take the chance with the large expenses, work the long hours, settle for likely not getting a corner booth (and perhaps end up on a dead-end street like I was on this year & last), can work with the staff and know what your issues are with storage/parking before you get there then I would tell you to GO FOR IT...... this business is all about taking chances yes? And, if you want to ask me any other questions about the show please do so. I really am a nice person and have helped many people get a start in the business and did not mean to come off so mean but like I said, I was frustrated with the whole tone of this talk about the show. I have done it two years now and both were really, really good for me :). I continue to meet patrons there that have traveled to AA to shop and buy. Last year I had follow-up sales. Does this information help? I hope so.....
creates the problem.
Nothing you can say will me mad. Everyone is entitled to their opinion even if it's not the same as mine....
I've done shows for over thirty years and it's never made a difference how much my neighbor made.
Larry Berman
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
Good points from both Johnnie and Richard. However, when is the last time you even asked your brother-in-law how much money he made? I think that if an artist tells you what show they were in, what their media is, shows you an example of their work (say a link to their website) and maybe shares their price points (or you find this info on their site) that is sufficient. I'm not going to tell you how much money I make. Actually it is usually only among the closest of friends that you may share how much money you make, if that.
In that particular example you could have gone to the artist's site, seen the work, gotten an idea about the price, your life experience would tell you how expensive it is to do the show and figure out. Hmm... is this work like mine? how much would I have to sell to make this a success for me?