Moving to the next level

I’ve done 5 craft shows and none of them have been any good. All of them have been very, very low traffic and weren’t publicized very well. I am very shy and extremely embarrassed when talking to new people, especially face to face about any of my work; craft or art. This dilemma was a huge factor in why I did not pursue a full Fine Arts degree, but rather a Bachelors degree in Art. For Fine Arts degrees you have to have a student show, which means that everyone there will want to talk to you about your art. So, to do these craft shows was a huge feat for myself. I had to put myself out there and talk to customers who approached my work. As I said before there weren’t many people at any of these shows but it was very helpful that the occasional customers were so kind.

For the obvious reasons, I really love the online communities that I participate in; Flickr, Etsy, Postcrossing, MySpace and so on. I can meet new people with similar interests, be absolutely inspired, and receive feedback without feeling nervous or awkward. When I was in college I couldn’t have ever imagined that I would be able to actually sell any of my artwork. I feel like I have progressed so much on my own, past what college had to offer me. I still have plenty of room to grow and develop my work, but I feel I have improved my artwork and have more sense of who I am than I ever did before. Someday, I might even be able to get so far as to have a solo show. But for now it is still baby steps and I feel very comfortable sharing work online and selling through Artomat and Etsy.

The reason I bring all of this up is that I am more and more interested in committing seriously to getting my name out there as well as selling more on Etsy. I really love hearing tips and recommendations from successful sellers. I appreciate other people taking the time to share and help others out. Some things I have been trying to do is list items more often.

Another thing that has my interest this week is finding a place to get archival art prints made. I had someone inquire if I was selling prints of that flower photo from my last post and while I would love to offer prints I’m not exactly sure how to go about doing it. Funny thing is, I’m a designer at a printing company, but we don’t specialize in small orders or art prints so it is not possible to get them done there. However, because of my experience in the field and eye for print, I am pretty picky and have high standards. I hear a lot about print places online, but I’m concerned with not being able to view samples for quality before placing an order. Anyway, I’ve been doing a bit of research and if anyone out there has a place that they really love and trust, please drop me a message or leave a comment, I’m open to suggestions.

Lastly, I was reading a blog yesterday and this artist was talking about being involved in this thing called Pecha Kucha. This is what their website says:

“Pecha Kucha was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. The key to Pecha Kucha Night is its patented system. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.”

I like the idea because it is so short, sweet and informal. Unfortunately, I think that each artist speaks while slides of their work are presented behind them. Maybe if I did it, I could have someone stand up on stage and talk for me, lol, kind of like how Aimee Mann did on tour. She hired a comedian to banter between songs so she wouldn’t have to. Anyway, I thought this Pecha Kucha sounded interesting and that it might be fun to attend one to watch how other artists presented themselves. Heck, maybe it might be something I could work up a nerve to do myself, someday. I was very excited to see that they did, indeed, have one in Chicago and it is next week. Even more exciting is that it is being held at Martyr’s in Chicago, which is where my friend Jenny works.