Showing posts with label art vending. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art vending. Show all posts
Dickens on the Strand this weekend!
Attention Houston and Galveston friends! My jewelry will be at Dickens on the Strand this weekend! (I will still be in Corpus Christi.) Please visit my friends, Tj and Lally. Here is the info:
Booths 918 and 919 on Mechanic St between 21st and 22nd Streets.
Friday 5-10PM
Saturday 9AM-9PM
Sunday 11AM-6PM
Corpus Christi Dia de los Muertos Street Festival
The Corpus Christi Dia de los Muertos Street Festival is one of the biggest Dia de los Muertos Festivals in the Country! This year we are hearing that a film crew from MTV will be at the festival. LAST year, a film crew covered the festival for a documentary on PBS. In 2012, MSN named the Corpus Christi Dia de los Muertos Street Festival one of the top 10 in the country. Don't miss this fantastic event! It is FAMILY friendly!
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Dia de los Muertos LINE in progress!!!
I won't reveal the designs yet, but I have to say I am super excited about my 2014 line of Dia de los Muertos jewelry!
4th of July in Corpus Christi - Artwalk
I will be at Artwalk on July 4th this year. It is a little different because the city is also holding the Big Bang Celebration. Artwalk in La Retama Park will have altered times---4-8. You can visit Artwalk and stay for the fireworks! As always I will be on Mesquite and Peoples selling my art jewelry. I will also be making jewelry in the park for anyone who wants to choose their own gemstones and copper piece for a necklace!
Laurelynn at 66th Annual Shrimporee in Aransas Pass, Texas
Can't wait! I have a bunch of new designs! Here's the info:
FESTIVAL HOURS:
Friday, June 13:
6pm - Midnight
Saturday, June 14:
11am - Midnight
Sunday, June 15:
12pm - 6pm
FESTIVAL HOURS:
Friday, June 13:
6pm - Midnight
Saturday, June 14:
11am - Midnight
Sunday, June 15:
12pm - 6pm
2 shows this weekend!
4/4/14 FRIDAY 5:30-9 ARTWALK downtown Corpus Christi in La Retama Park. (My booth is on the corner of Mesquite and Peoples. Look for my banner that says "Laurelynn."
4/5/15 SATURDAY 9-5 BIG BLOOM at the Botanical Gardens in Corpus Christi. Watch my blog and facebook page for posts on where to find my booth. It is DOLLAR DAY at the Gardens which makes it a perfect day to bring out the family. BIG BLOOM is an awesome plant sale. Year 2 for me!
Booth Update - Corpus Christi Festival of the Arts
I just checked in at the Festival of the Arts! Heritage Park is transforming! The performing area is in the middle of the park in front of the Galvan House. The vending area is split between the two parking lots. My booth is located in the parking lot on the corner of Fitzgerald and Mesquite. It is going to be beautiful this weekend!
Corpus Christi Festival of the Arts 2014 THIS WEEKEND!!!
Corpus Christi's BIGGEST ART FESTIVAL of the YEAR! THIS WEEKEND! Come out and see me at the Corpus Christi Festival of the Arts 2014 in Heritage Park. It is all day Saturday and Sunday. This is my 4th year in the festival. Love it! Several of my friends will be there - visit Jennifer Racette of Alison Julien Collection and Alonzo Franco of South Texas Pens. I love their work!!! (I also heard Callie's Cajun will be there, too!)
Shrimporee 2014!
Just got the news that we will be showing my Laurelynn line of art jewelry at the Aransas Pass Shrimporee in June! More details to come! :)
Advice for Artists Thinking about Becoming Art Vendors
In addition to my art jewelry, I work as an English teacher and a freelance technical writer. This article is part of a series discussing the business side of making art for the part time artist.
As an artisan vendor, I am asked HOW to start arts and craft vending quite frequently. My advice today is for someone who is looking to become a part-time festival and art show vendor to show his or her wares. First things first—My advice is for smaller, locally produced shows and festivals, not LARGE national shows in which most artists are professionals who travel for a living.
1. RECON! Think about your art or craft and do A LOT of recon. Attend several shows with a different “eye.” Look at what all the people (vendors, show organizers, festival goers/customers) are doing. Look at set ups and really look at what people who are making sales are doing. Look at what people who are NOT making sales are doing and try to figure out why. Look at the work of others in your field.
2. EVALUATE! You need to seriously decide if your wares are UNIQUE amongst a sea of other artists, if they are QUALITY in comparison to others in your field, and if you have a real and sustaining possibility for building a customer base. Being strategic with your art may seem difficult, but it will help you build a business around what you love. If you don’t feel your work is unique enough or to the quality of others, spend a bit of time perfecting your craft before diving in.
3. REALITY CHECK! Seriously ask yourself if you enjoy the great outdoors. If not, stop reading here. If you don’t enjoy being outside you will feel miserable as a vendor. While there are many shows indoors, I find that they are either very costly to show in or are too small (such as church bazaars and school functions). You usually need to work up to indoor shows since you need to invest a lot in your displays and lighting. The real opportunity for someone starting out is at outdoor festivals. The general setup for an outdoor show is easier and cheaper and outdoor festivals are usually well attended. I love the outdoor festival setting. The energy, music, and food are always something I look forward to.
4. NETWORK! Meet as many people as possible. Meet other vendors and listen to what they have to say. Learn from them by listening to them and observing them. DO NOT give other vendors a sales pitch. It is just plain rude. The other vendors around are like co-workers and they will be some of your greatest friends and supporters as you move into the world of vending. Your experience will be positive the more you involve yourself with other creative people and they just might help you catch your tent when it becomes air born! I have a wonderful group of friends who I met art vending. Creative people are wonderful!
5. STAY POSITIVE! I will admit I am a “glass is half full” type of person so this comes natural to me. But I see many art vendors make the fatal error of letting negativity into their booths. An art vendor is part of the feel of a festival. Your attitude towards it can help build it or keep it fun for the festival goers/customers. No one wants to enter a booth of someone who looks miserable. Case in point: At my very first festival, one of my very best friends came back to my booth fairly ticked off. She found some of the most beautiful glasswork on the planet and then she overheard the artist complaining to the neighboring vendor about how much he hated selling at festivals and how tired he was of making glass. Apparently he was one year from retirement. Her take was that she couldn’t own his work knowing how he felt about it. She didn’t want a daily reminder of the old sour puss in her living room. No one wants your art if it makes them feel bad.
6. UNDERSTAND THIS ONE THING! Art vending is a crap shoot. Some shows will make you lots of money. You WILL LOSE MONEY on some shows for a variety of reasons. That doesn’t mean that people don’t like your art. You have to keep those little seeds of doubt from creeping in when you have a less than stellar sales day. Keeping good track of sales at all shows and making sales charts will help you determine whether a show is right for you in long run.
As an artisan vendor, I am asked HOW to start arts and craft vending quite frequently. My advice today is for someone who is looking to become a part-time festival and art show vendor to show his or her wares. First things first—My advice is for smaller, locally produced shows and festivals, not LARGE national shows in which most artists are professionals who travel for a living.
1. RECON! Think about your art or craft and do A LOT of recon. Attend several shows with a different “eye.” Look at what all the people (vendors, show organizers, festival goers/customers) are doing. Look at set ups and really look at what people who are making sales are doing. Look at what people who are NOT making sales are doing and try to figure out why. Look at the work of others in your field.
2. EVALUATE! You need to seriously decide if your wares are UNIQUE amongst a sea of other artists, if they are QUALITY in comparison to others in your field, and if you have a real and sustaining possibility for building a customer base. Being strategic with your art may seem difficult, but it will help you build a business around what you love. If you don’t feel your work is unique enough or to the quality of others, spend a bit of time perfecting your craft before diving in.
3. REALITY CHECK! Seriously ask yourself if you enjoy the great outdoors. If not, stop reading here. If you don’t enjoy being outside you will feel miserable as a vendor. While there are many shows indoors, I find that they are either very costly to show in or are too small (such as church bazaars and school functions). You usually need to work up to indoor shows since you need to invest a lot in your displays and lighting. The real opportunity for someone starting out is at outdoor festivals. The general setup for an outdoor show is easier and cheaper and outdoor festivals are usually well attended. I love the outdoor festival setting. The energy, music, and food are always something I look forward to.
4. NETWORK! Meet as many people as possible. Meet other vendors and listen to what they have to say. Learn from them by listening to them and observing them. DO NOT give other vendors a sales pitch. It is just plain rude. The other vendors around are like co-workers and they will be some of your greatest friends and supporters as you move into the world of vending. Your experience will be positive the more you involve yourself with other creative people and they just might help you catch your tent when it becomes air born! I have a wonderful group of friends who I met art vending. Creative people are wonderful!
5. STAY POSITIVE! I will admit I am a “glass is half full” type of person so this comes natural to me. But I see many art vendors make the fatal error of letting negativity into their booths. An art vendor is part of the feel of a festival. Your attitude towards it can help build it or keep it fun for the festival goers/customers. No one wants to enter a booth of someone who looks miserable. Case in point: At my very first festival, one of my very best friends came back to my booth fairly ticked off. She found some of the most beautiful glasswork on the planet and then she overheard the artist complaining to the neighboring vendor about how much he hated selling at festivals and how tired he was of making glass. Apparently he was one year from retirement. Her take was that she couldn’t own his work knowing how he felt about it. She didn’t want a daily reminder of the old sour puss in her living room. No one wants your art if it makes them feel bad.
6. UNDERSTAND THIS ONE THING! Art vending is a crap shoot. Some shows will make you lots of money. You WILL LOSE MONEY on some shows for a variety of reasons. That doesn’t mean that people don’t like your art. You have to keep those little seeds of doubt from creeping in when you have a less than stellar sales day. Keeping good track of sales at all shows and making sales charts will help you determine whether a show is right for you in long run.
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