Friday, March 2, 2012

Frustrations and Realizations part 2 - The Beginning of the Journey

Back in December, I posted about the frustration that happens when I go to craft shows and my items don't sell well.  It's not just about money, it's about validation.  In fact, I didn't start making art because I thought "there's money in that!"  I started making art because I love making things.  I started selling it because I had so many things I was making that they couldn't possibly all live in my house or all be given to family.  Sure, making a steady income would be nice, but it's not why I create.  It's just that not selling feels like such a rejection.  I want people out there to connect with my art enough that they want to take it home.  And sitting all day at a show (or many shows), where that doesn't happen is frustrating.  When I talk about wanting to give up because I can't sell anything it's because I would have a house full of items with nowhere to go, even if I just created with no shows/sales in mind.  Like I mentioned before, clearly the answer isn't to give up and stop creating because clearly I love it and it comforts me and it's good for me.  Also clearly, people do connect with my work because for all the shows where I don't make back the fee, I have some where I do.  And even at the shows where I don't make any money, people smile, compliment my work, take my card, etc.
I think I stumbled upon a little bit of what I need to make this all work.  I went to a show with my other business and did quite well.  It was a very "niche" kind of thing.  I need to find whatever the "niche" is for this business.  You would think 10 years in that I would have but A. it's not always easy to find and B. It seemed like I had for a while, but people change, times change, the economy changes, etc.  This business needs to find it's own corner of the earth to blossom in.  Also, maybe it's time for me to grow as an artist and work more on pieces that are out of the ordinary for me.  Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me it's time to slow down and focus on fine tuning everything.

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