Some
things
happen
overnight, but
for most artists
that is not the way
it really happens. Years
of
devotion,
scrapped
projects, money lost and
a host of other issues have
plagued artists since time
began!! So today if a project, idea
or connection didn’t work, put it
on the back burner and move on.
Learning to let go as an artist might
be the hardest part of being an artist.
We want our ideas to work, we want
our pieces to be loved as much as we
love them and some day they will be,
it’s just not today! Just because it’s not
accepted today, doesn’t mean it won’t be
accepted tomorrow, next week or ten years
from now. But it’s still your idea, and no one
can take that away from you!
We’re not all gifted with knowing the right people
at the right time. It is important to network and
commit to understanding your craft better. It
may take years to really progress in this area.
A person can let their work speak for itself,
if you’re really talented. But for most of us,
we need to take a few extra steps to win that
approval. The first step is overcoming the fear
of rejection! As artists one would hope that we
have the sensibility to appreciate the time and
effort that goes into such creations, but the
larger community of potential purchasers may
not always feel that way about our work. The
only way to know for sure is to put it out there
for all to see! We will only be holding ourselves
back, if we can’t accept some criticism along
the way! Send photos of your work to the
magazines, buy some booth space at the local
markets, tell your friends and family about
your hobby, and live your crafting life as if
you’ve already made it! What have you got to
lose, every attempt to make your craft more
visible has the potential for more opportunity.
Many of you have seen this same scenario, you
go to a market or show and see 5 vendors with
similar items for sale, you look at each booth,
you don’t see much different from the next,
but one table across the room has the same
items, but has a lot of business that day! WHY?
Because of the passion that person puts out
there, the willingness to put it all on the line!
Lights, camera, action! This person came to
the show today with the intent on going home
with nothing and contracts for more! Use your
creative skill to master the art of sales; this is
the key to promoting your work! Show people
the fine details, include pictures of the process,
and give a history of the pattern or design. As
a buyer I would love to know those details.
Jazz it up by saying this is an award winning
design, this pattern won’t be repeated, or for a
limited time only, etc.