I loved this post - and now I want crisps, and a LOT of them!
This perfect line of yours has really taken me back to selling my own work: "The thing is, it’s not all about sales, the main thing is the creation of my art." Although I sadly had to give up my hot-glass workshop due to Covid, I had felt exactly the same about my own art. What I loved best about my open studio events was when I got to demonstrate my art while others (family members, generally) would be in charge of actually selling.
I didn't want to sell. I wanted to MAKE.
Relationship-building, crisps and lager go a very long way - at events that weren't well attended, or when sales were slow, I'd enjoy getting to know the folks who'd turned up for a browse and a chat (and crisps!), and next time I'd find they'd brought friends. Or signed up for a course. Or given me the contact details for someone 'you really need to meet'.
Thank you for reading and for highlighing my words, I need to remember this. I know the selling of art is also an art, but it's so easy to get lost in that and not create the art.
I'd love to hear more about your glass art! I'm sorry you had to give that up, how could you re-start it? I can online imagine that there's a lot of equipment that you need for something liek this.
You're right. I get so down on myself about the numbers, that I forgot about the lovely conversations I had. One guy came along, who's another local artist, we chatted for ages and he stayed right to the end. I think my expectations set me up to feel bad because it goes back to the conditional thinking of "If 0 sales = failure" and that's really not true.
I loved this post - and now I want crisps, and a LOT of them!
This perfect line of yours has really taken me back to selling my own work: "The thing is, it’s not all about sales, the main thing is the creation of my art." Although I sadly had to give up my hot-glass workshop due to Covid, I had felt exactly the same about my own art. What I loved best about my open studio events was when I got to demonstrate my art while others (family members, generally) would be in charge of actually selling.
I didn't want to sell. I wanted to MAKE.
Relationship-building, crisps and lager go a very long way - at events that weren't well attended, or when sales were slow, I'd enjoy getting to know the folks who'd turned up for a browse and a chat (and crisps!), and next time I'd find they'd brought friends. Or signed up for a course. Or given me the contact details for someone 'you really need to meet'.
Haha, another crisp fiend!
Thank you for reading and for highlighing my words, I need to remember this. I know the selling of art is also an art, but it's so easy to get lost in that and not create the art.
I'd love to hear more about your glass art! I'm sorry you had to give that up, how could you re-start it? I can online imagine that there's a lot of equipment that you need for something liek this.
You're right. I get so down on myself about the numbers, that I forgot about the lovely conversations I had. One guy came along, who's another local artist, we chatted for ages and he stayed right to the end. I think my expectations set me up to feel bad because it goes back to the conditional thinking of "If 0 sales = failure" and that's really not true.
I've still got some of my kit - my husband keeps threatening to build me a shed so I can get it all set up again - we'll see! 🤣
I wrote about giving up my workshop here, at a point where I was longing to light up my flame again - https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/p/21-reigniting-the-flame
0 sales doesn't = failure! 0 sales = future sales. 😍