The Long Game

I rented a car, went through the whirlwind of preparing my works, packing properly, driving 10 hours, put up a lovely booth display (with help from M.), and....sold three magnets. At 3:50 pm, mind you. There is still one more day, but how do artists continue to do this after they have a lousy show? SO much mental and physical effort goes into this activity. I got some great encouragement from S. who has been doing this for a long time. She said sometimes she still has shows in which she sells nothing and sometimes that is followed by a weekend where she has a lot of success.

When you think about it, a lot has to happen to sell a piece of original art. The artist must select the kind of event that will work for their art--a fancy fine art fair, a music festival, a farmer's market? Then the weather must cooperate. Very few people will attend an outdoor art fair in a cold rain. And, sure, the people who are there will be the motivated ones, but that is cold comfort. Finally, the right person who not only appreciates your style but has the money to spare (not easy in the current atmosphere) must walk by your booth and catch sight of something that moves them.

Really, it is amazing that any art ever gets sold at an art fair.