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I AM POSITIVE. 

I CAN DO THIS.

I CAN SMILE FOR 8-12 HOURS.

I CAN BE FRIENDLY, POSITIVE, AND UPBEAT DESPITE THE SWEAT DRIPPING OFF ME.

OK.  I'm trying to stay 'in the zone' of positive thoughts, positive vibes and auroas.  And people -love the jewelry and the glass.  Lots of compliments.  Sometimes identifying which piece should go to whom.  Thanking both of us for making the jewelry and glass.  Ooos and ahhhs. 

And then they say: 

   Do you have a card (all over the table - cards and postcards).

   Do you have a website (yes but pricing is higher) and I think that the website holds us back at shows because most people - 99.99% do not contact us after shows.

  Will you be showing anywhere else?  (If I say yes, will you promise to buy there?  And what's wrong with buying it at this show).  If I say yes - and tell them, they walk along.  If I say no this is it for this city -- or 'we'll be in  atlanta (not chicago) -- they walk away.  I sometimes think they ask the question and don't listen tot he answer.

    So, does anyone have any suggestions on closing a sale?  Sometimes I ask people - which design speaks to them.  or I see that they keep on going back to a particular design and I suggest that's the piece that is pulling at them ... it works sometimes and not others.

   I'm all ears -- and would love to hear from people before show opens tomorrow -- but even after that, suggestions would be valued.

Thanks in advance - Deborah@DorLDor.com

In eighteen days, my second son gets married to a wonderful girl. I'm all ready. I'll even post pictures of the event on AFI for fun. So, as Mother-of-the-Groom, I planned the rehersal dinner, helped the kids pay a few extra bills, and made all the wedding jewelry........no sweat!

I've needed a break. LOL

Yesterday I received a Zapp notification for Des Moines.

NO WAY....thought I......deadlines sneak up .......Oh, OH!

OCTOBER 31!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jimmeny Cricketts!!!

I looked up Lakefront Festival of the Arts in Milwaukewe, my hometown. Yikees!

The speedometer on my life went from 25 to 65 in minutes.

So, how prepared are you for the 2012 season?

1) Have all your professional photos taken and ready to upload to zapp, amdur or the moon?

2) Have that booth shot with all three walls showing?

3) Do you even have eight creations you think will "WOW" those jurors in six seconds?

4) Have you found your "market" and know which shows they flock to attend?

5) Do you have the money to pay "X" amount of jury fees?

What are you doing in 2012 that's new, innovative, researched or intuitive about the Art Fair World?

We're all Insiders, so, do share, will you?

Stories are Everywhere.

That’s the tag line for Blurb Mobile’s free app that allows you to create your own stories featuring all your personal media from a mobile device.

The catch?  That device must be an iPhone, iTouch, or iPad.  (based on Apple’s quarterly earnings, every family has at least one, right?)

So, if you have one, and you’re in the art biz, pay attention!  This easy-to-use, fun, and cool app can help you market your work.

Blurb Mobile lets you use photos and video  shot from your iPhone (or imported from another camera), sequenced ‘as you wish’ into a “My Story”, provides image editing, and you can add audio clips and/or text captions to each photo.  Director and producer of your very own short, media presentation.

So, how can it be used?

Imagination is the limit, but for example:  My wife and I travel to juried, outdoor art shows…it helps me instantly chronicle show attributes (crowd size, show venue, booth layout, quality and mix of work, etc.) More important I capture highlights of my wife’s work/tent, customer interactions, featured art, etc., then edit it right on the iPhone with the app and hand it to her for audio voice-overs of select images. This adds the personal artist touch and insight to some aspect of the event.  The Story can then be shared ‘real-time’ via email, twitter, facebook, to get the word out (like…”hey friends, I’m at a great art show right now in northeast Louisville…Saturday has been busy and I will be here all day Sunday…Come and check out booth 75!”)

Or…

• Send out a Story in your next email newsletter to keep existing customers informed and engaged on your schedule and new work
• Take a series of short video clips of a ‘painting-in-progress’, capturing the process and the inspirational elements
• Information on a new series of art classes offered

Of course, Blurb Mobile works beyond art stories, offering a way to…“instantly create and share from a social setting, travel location, a personal moment, or, an important event.”

I sent my 87 year old Mom a Story one early morning from my porch, cup of hot java in hand, birds humming, flowers blooming, sun rising…took some photos, voice recorded in some personal thoughts, then hit send and shared the moment with her instantly.  Too cool.  (…Ma, really, it’s there, just click on the little colored link!)

I don’t work for Apple or Blurb, and get zero for this endorsement…just passing along a tip that has worked for us.  I used the Free version for about a day to see how it worked and quickly found the $1.99 upgrade a no-brainer, adding greater media capacity…and the freedom to create better stories.  With the upgrade you get:

• Images:         Up to 15 images per story
• Audio Clips: 1 per image – 2 min per clip
• Video Clips: 3 per story – 30 sec per video
• Themes:       8 additional themes

Check out the details yourself at Blurb Mobile and iTunes App Store. Version 1.3 is now available.

There is no limit to the number of Stories you can create, but, alas…boring content is still boring content.  The app is cool…it just doesn’t promise all the Stories will be! 

40 Questions Blog Series Question #38 – How can customers find me?

   Do you find yourself saying... I apply and sell at art fairs. I have a website. I have a Facebook page, use Twitter and even have my own blog. Perhaps you're just starting to do your own podcast ... Your name is out there, but how are people able to find you? What's the secret? The answer might surprise you!

    Question #38 How can customers find me?

   The answer is so basic and so simple that people miss it all the time. The answer is you must find them, NOT wait for them to find you. Not only that, you have to make that active choice to WANT to find customers. So, how can one do this? First, start small and know your customer base. By this I mean, look at what you do and who will most likely buy what you make and target those groups of people. Find all you can about who, in your area, works in your medium, contact your friends and family members (both close and distant ones) and let them know what you've been up to. Don't sell to them (they may not want to buy right off the bat), but share a bit about yourself to open the door for communication. This can be as simple as striking up a conversation at a check out line in a grocery store or with a barista at a coffee shop (complimenting a person on their earrings say if you are a jewelry maker). Find and contact old and distant friends and relatives via facebook, for example. Don't just click the invite button, but engage them by adding a small note saying how you are happy to find them and WANT to learn more about them and catch up. You will constantly find friends from high school, college, doctor's office assistance, teachers, places where you worked, friends of the family, old neighbors, childhood friends and pen-pals... see where I am going? There is a reason why the newest norm to stay in touch with people is via social networks – I do recommend Facebook and Twitter – is because it is easy, instant and millions upon millions use both social network formats.

   Now, fast forward a few days or weeks and start looking up organizations, places of businesses, etc. and think outside the box. Think about where you buy your supplies, join t.v. shows groups that your typical customers would watch, mommy or retiree groups, chamber of commerce or SBA groups, local fiber art, photography, or other guilds, museums, boutique shops or galleries you would like to get your work in (learn about their customers and what their hot sellers helps too), art festival Facebook pages, county or even state wide organizations too... Note: don't just join or follow these people and organizations and forget about them - participate in them and often. Start with 5 and like or share people's posts, comment on a topic posted and give your expert opinion on the topics, invite new followers to be fans of other interests you have too. Don't forget to add good quality content from time to time too like a video you like on YouTube that pertains to your medium. Utilize monthly newsletters or weekly email blasts, send out daily tweets or facebook postings on anything and everything new that is related to your business.   For example, when I take a new product photo I announce it on every social network I use and ask followers to see that photo via my website. Another idea is doing a count down each day leading up to your up and coming art fair each time providing an interesting fact about that show. There are plenty of social network help sites offering more info if you are seeking other ideas.

  While social networking is big, you really can't forget the people you see face to face like with church members, co-workers, PTA members, neighbors, hair salon specialists, waiters, parties, seminars (like that in the picture of a social evening at the 2009 CODA conference in AK) ... Simply having a business card with at least 3 ways people can contact and find you is another way to reach out to people that you physically come in contact on a daily business. This can drive traffic to your website, capture info for newsletters, or even drive folks to your social network outlets. To get these ideas to work, YOU have to actually implement them. No one else can nor will do it for your, but you. The best news of all is once you start doing it – it is FUN and FREE! Connecting with just a few people will ignite a spark and introduce you to even more people to want to not just get to know, but they in turn will want to get to know you too. My challenge to you... What, right now, is working for you to attract new customers or fans to your craft business or art? Share it via this blog by using the comment button Thanks in advance to all and be sure to tune in to the last 2 questions of this blog series coming up in February! Michelle Sholund – www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com, www.bythebaybotanicals.weebly.com,

I've been given some good advice on displaying so far but don't have that kind of $$$ YET! Could anyone steer me to some pics of simple displays or just give me advise??? Please