I Came, I Saw, I Conquered ... My Very First Art Show!

What a heck of a night it was last night for me. There were some bumps in the road getting there. I packed and moved everything myself in the freezing rain while having to put the rush on so as to make sure no inventory was damaged. I found the toughest part to be actually getting through doors since my boxes required BOTH of my hands at all times due to the delicacy of my jewelry. If I dropped a box it would have quite possibly been game over lol. But I made it in and I made it to a table which was the perfect size for what I required. Nervous as first, I could feel the eyes of veteran artists watching me, the new girl, as I set myself up. I put quite the confident front on even though I was unsure as Hell. For me this was finally it, my chance to prove the validity of what I have spent so much time and money on for the past year and a half. Before I knew it, it was game on and in came the patrons. So many so fast! At first it didn't seem like many really seemed to notice my table but after the first few ladies meandered over it really took off from there. My first sale of the night was actually one of my favorite pieces, a statement necklace, something that is parting to become a trait of my personal style. This girl was positively in love with my work and could not stop telling me how beautiful everything I made was. She loved my work so much in fact that she refused to pay me $28.00 for the necklace and insisted I take $40.00 because I was way underselling myself. This girl, whom as I was spinning I forgot her name, was positively my hero of the day. She hands down set the tone for what would turn into a truly wonderful night. I made 3 more sales within the next hour after that. I have been on Etsy since August 2009 and have only made 4 sales on there since then so to make 4 sale sin one hour to me is nothing short of astounding! I met some really great other artists as well while I was there. We talked techniques, materials, ideas, and suggestions. And I am positively vibrating from the energy from the show and I cannot wait to make new pieces that I can showcase at the next one. One particular conversation about organic materials really hit home. It's funny as I was having that conversation I am thinking of all the shells and sea glass I have personally collected from the local beaches. I totally have the know how and why the heck am I not putting it to use? I suppose up until this point it has simply been because I have been trying to crank out quantity. That's not to suggest I have been skimping on the quality, I just haven't utilized the more time consuming and intricate techniques I have learned. In particular I want to start doing more wire wrapping. So overall the night was a huge success. I even picked up a little something from Kelly, a sweetheart of a vendor and one of my neighbors at the show. She makes the most ADORABLE little cartoonish skull-type creations. I had purchased one of her pins at the December show and upgraded to one of her ornaments this time. She even had a painting of one of her little guys which I may get next time if she still has it. I am and always have been about supporting the local arts. Where it was once music and DJ's, now it is my fellow artisans. I looked forward to meeting more of them and networking so we can all push eachother to success. It really is incredible how many people don't know that Hampton Roads has quite the impressive local market for handmade goods. Anyhow I digrees as that is another blog entry for sure! Virginia Beach Local Art and Photography Show at Barnone in Virginia Beach. If you have the night free, it is definitely worth checking out the next go round! And as always thank you to those who continue to support me not just by purchasing my pieces, but providing me with the confidence and support that I have truly needed to keep going. And a special shout out to miss Ivy Best for being the perfect wing woman. Without her the night simply just wouldn't have been the same!

<3

Twas the Night Before the Art Show ...

Well this is it, a year and a half later and I am finally about to participate in my very first local art show. Sure it's not at a classy establishment, its at a bar. But it is free and I am appreciative and excited to be a part of it. I went to the December show and it was very cool to see so many local artisans in one place. There really is a great boom of local artists that unless you are aware, you wouldn't know they exist. I am definitely one of those artists but this is the year I goal myself to change that. I really need to start putting my self and my work out there as I am SWIMMING in inventory!!! I just can't stop creating! Tonight I am making all of the preparations and have also rebooted my Facebook page. A Facebook page may not seem like something of all that much important but man I've seen what a difference it has made for others around the country. I hope to get my things in order and finally get that elusive business so I can vend May Moon though I fear even still I will not be prepared until NEXT year. But I will get there I promise!!! The important thing is that I do not stagnate. I am making good connections and am starting to see my networking branch out again as it did when I was promoting club nights and DJ's. As I approach my 30's I definitely want to have a steadier footing for selling jewelry. At this point now that I am embracing my whimsical, artsy self, I don't know if I can envision myself going back to being chained at a desk working for a corporation. I've always dreamed of owning my own business doing something I love. I just always assumed that it would never happen because I had nothing that I felt I was good at or passionate enough to pursue. Well now that has changed and while embark on this long, tough journey ahead, I will not stop until I finally fulfill my dream of having my own store. But that's step 1000 and I am on step 2. Nonetheless, expect big things from this gal in 2010! Bring it on!!!!