This last Friday and Saturday I was a vendor at the MARC Holiday Craft Fair. I was selling originals, prints, stickers, and cards, and honestly really did well. I met a ton of people in the art community, other vendors, and people who enjoy my art. It was a really, really fun. This last craft fair was the last one in a whole year of farmers markets and art fairs.
I never thought I would do fairs, but I’m so glad I got into doing them this year. It is fun actually talking to and getting to know the people buying my art as well as make meaningful connections within the local art community. Because I started doing craft fairs, I’m now selling my art in the local shop Moab Made, I’m in Gallery Moab, and I have had multiple offers to sell my work in local businesses. I’m super flattered and amazed at how quickly things have progressed once I really started to put myself out there.
Success is the meeting of preparedness and opportunity
Everyone in the art community here is so nice and helpful, I almost find it hard to believe I was so intimidated by it all before. It doesn’t help that I’m a shy introvert, but I’m doing my best to overcome that. I heard an apt quote recently; “If you want something you’ve never had before, you have to do something you’ve never done before.” It’s so obvious, but at the same time not. I want this thing, but in order to get it, I have to change what I’m doing. And that for me was putting myself out there. I was disappointed before that my art wasn’t really going anywhere despite putting it on this blog and social media. But the internet is so vast, that it’s basically like whispering in a crowd. So my efforts weren’t really getting me anywhere. I started to finally gain some traction when I did something I’d never done before and started vending at markets and fairs.
Next year will be a whole new ball game of gallery work. I’m excited to see how it all turns out.