Stephanie's Studio

For about five days, I’ve been sitting on uncomfortable feelings raised by the most recent craft fair I attended , which was last Saturday 12/10/11.   Usually the organizers will want you to become successful at their venue because that way we are happy and more willing to come back to support the fair next year, as well as recommending it to other artisans.   So, usually steps are taken to assure the success of the show, advertising, outreach, emails, and good signage and even how the artisans are placed.   This was a brand new fair in the city of Chicago’s north side at a place called Flourish Studios.   It was held in a spectacular store-like space that must have been 10,000 square foot on each floor.   The huge problems for the artisans is that customers would have to walk through a full store of other artists and artisans work on that first floor, find the stairs, walk up the stairs and then come into one of the two small rooms to see what we were offeri...

Yesterday was a very good sale at the Oak Park Conservatory, in fact, it was the best one I have had this season. Oak Park Conservatory its a beautiful and spiritually cleansing space, filled with all types of plants. I love the tropical room and it is filled with birds, including my favorite, the African Grey. The conservatory has always been a big part of my life, since moving to Oak Park, and it has influenced both my writing and art. At the sale I sold art cards that are on this blog: "Throw Snowballs" "Dark Angel Noel" and "Angel Nouveau." I always feel ambivalent about selling my art. On the one hand it is flattering and it makes art making sustainable economically. On the other, I will really miss those pieces, holding them, looking at them, having them in my studio. I wonder how other artists and crafts people feel about selling their work? Do you ever feel ambivalent? One neat thing about selling at fairs is that it is an intimate transaction. You...