We are disciplined time managers, planning production studio time carefully, and determining how much stock of our work to have on hand at any given time. And we ramp up on stock starting in early fall, knowing the volume of business will spike near Christmas. In spite of proactive planning i am sad to say the day before a show, or the week leading up to it we find ourselves sleep deprived, working day and night to just get ready, have enough on hand, and be able to well represent our work. And there goes the balanced life.... simple things like the laundry or tidying the house are put on hold for the urgent.... And all the hard work to keep the stock of our work high pays off with brisk sales, increased demand from the galleries we are in, and overall favorable outcome.
But it feels like we are not working smarter, just harder. I would value the thoughts of veteran artists on how you find balance on the your life, while maintaining a solid production schedule to fulfill demand. I am growing concerned that the pace leading to Christmas is challenging, and the toll of sleep deprivation will come if i don't start getting some better sleep hours.
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I've had the winter months to paint since my architectural busines slows down. But this year I'm designing 5 houses at the same time and my easel is getting dusty. I just won a 1st prize in a local art show and now have a gallery to provide fresh new work to. When the time/schedule demand gets me down, I just remember how much the lean years sucked and keep on working and working to enjoy it.
I did 20 shows last year and also taught a few classes and to tell you the truth....I'm slowing down this coming year. I, as some you also said,....got sick in August after Central Penn and Ann Arbor and realized my limitations. For me personally, it makes me madder than hell. I just have to accept that even though the mind is willing and able -the body is sometimes not. All of us in this profession go balls to the wall all the time it's part of what makes it exciting....but this coming year I am doing less but choosing more wisely (of course that is dependent on where I jury into....) but I am going to make an effort...The first step was to cut out shows in January and February and just work in my studio. I have a one weekend teaching gig in January but other than that I intend to focus, research, dive in and not come up for air for at least a month...yea for studio time.....
A friend of mine once told me that if I am selling art quicker than I can make it, it might mean it is time to raise my prices slightly. I may lose a few sales but make up for it when I do sell something at a slightly higher price. It does seem to help slow things down a little bit and gives me more time to create.
I started reading the post hoping for some suggestions myself. This is the 1st year of a long line of many that I can honestly say my website took off like hotcakes 2 weeks before Christmas. All the planning, all the social media, all the everything finally came back....at a furious unplanned pace. I had "planned" and was able to fulfill every single order except two that were not holiday driven, and explained to the two long time customers. They were fine with it, and I was relieved. And even with the best laid plans, things will still happen anyway. Like my mother seriously injuring herself dead center in the mist of this. (she is 86 yo) So, I told myself, every single day I am going to get up and be kind and do something to help what is going on with my parents, they are going through enough changes at the moment that is tearing my whole family apart. And, I explained the situation to my customers in an email that went out about a month ago what was going on in the background and because it was so unique, I was "not" ignoring them, to please allow me 72 hours to respond rather than my normal 1-2 hours. I was amazed at their kindness. I am saying this because things happen. When we least expect them to, and honesty works wonders in this business. I had so many touching things occur because of me just being honest with those who have been loyal to me for years. I hope this gives you a somewhat different perspective or idea or how to deal with things.
Hi Art Show Family-- what a great thread. I actually contemplate this a ton as I criss cross the the US driving between shows. I think Pace (capital letter, since it's important) is tied in with Pricing and on the flip side connected to Commitment.
As a contemporary art jeweler, I have a several lines to keep up in different price points plus one of a kind work. Mix in needed creative time to keep edging up in skill and style for jury shots and it's a full plate. I find that if particular styles of work are flying off the shelves, they are most likely not priced correctly (meaning raise the price). Compensate yourself better and that certainly adds to the work/life/satisfaction mix. I'm not sure I would voluntarily loose sleep for last minute orders at this point in my life; but if I did, I would choose to add a rush fee to make up for it. Doing more work for the same price in a compacted amount of time seems like a poor business choice to me in the long run. Again, FedEx, UPS, and even Vista Print upcharge if you absolutely need it NOW.
Things can go off the rails, but when they do, check your Commitment level to the activity. In order to make money, in the past I found myself over committing to orders and underestimating exactly how much time it takes to wrap, ship, package, print, invoice, etc... leading to the situation you're talking about. Eventually, it gets old and you learn to say no or charge more.
You pose an interesting question, Barbara...I don't do shows on a regular basis, in fact, I just had my very first one last month but I do have several shops and marketplace venues that carry my work and this is my busiest season as I make wool felt hats and handbags. So, for me, it's kind of a supply and demand situation right now, in fact, I just received an email from a retailer who needs more hats of a certain color so I'll have to see what I have available or else get busy knitting! So far, though, I've been able to keep my head above water and enjoy the season and try to maintain a balance as this is clearly important to one's sanity and overall good health. Best to you and Happy Holidays!
I have for the last 6 or 7 years been in that position and usually end up sick. I have worked out a plan for 2016 so I don't end up the same way at the end of next year. I'll let you know.
My balance is easy since we only did about 20 shows this year. The rest of the time I enjoy spending as much time as possible in my workshop having entirely too much fun creating more pieces for upcoming shows. For me it is as much of a passion as it is a business..
We also balance what we do with some non-show trips.
As far as sleep goes...I have never slept more than 6-7 hours during my laziest moments.
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