Tiny Gallery Again!

the front of the invitation

Margaret Cogswell and Mark Boyd are at it again with another soon-to-be-installed Tiny Gallery show. This time they asked a bunch of artists to make something small and mail it back to them. These pieces will be hung in the Tiny Gallery during the Asheville River Arts District Studio Stroll, June 11 - 12 from 10am - 6pm. My contribution is a stitched silhouette painting. 

Thanks for reading.

buyers market, booth pictures and then that's it on that subject

here's my booth, a simplified version of the august show. it took me no time to set up or take down. thanks to joanna gollberg for loaning me her carpet, tables, and lights...she saved me so much money!

thanks for reading.

buyers market, the brighter side

now, on to the brighter side of the buyers market (because there is only so long i can dwell on the negative)...yes, the show was terrible, but it is what it is. i learned some things and got some great experience. and, it just means i will work harder and be more creative over the coming months and years. these kinds of tough experiences can be good for that. what really made the show was my time with the other artists. i met some great people and got to talk with others whom i've met before. it was fun to see everyone, catch-up, commiserate, talk shop, get dinner, and so on. here's a list and a little shout-out to many of the great people i'm talking about:
jane d'arensbourg
erica stankwytch bailey
amber mahler/mani designs
grant searcey/searcey designs
sarah graham
todd reed
devienna anggraini/DAmetals
amy bruml/bruml designs
kathy frey
rhonda & elijah wyman/figs and ginger
deborah bushinski/tessoro
liz mathews
alisa miller
ali dryer/pistol designs
nora dougherty
frances smersh/smersh design jewelry
danielle miller
krista gorrell/slim pik'en design

they all provided excellent conversation, sparkling humor, great advice, pep talks...and they all design and make some fantastic work. i hope you will take some time to visit their websites.

thanks for reading.

buyers market report, in all honesty

the buyers market of american craft was terrible for me. i did not get any orders. none. i was shocked. i went there with reasonable and low expectations. i just wanted to make my expenses back which would have meant 1 or 2 orders a day at my minimum. after day 2 passed with nothing, i knew something was very wrong. i knew the show could be bad, but i did not expect this. there weren't very many buyers present, (20-30 minutes would pass without anyone in the aisles), many artists canceled or went on sabbatical (as i heard it, the most ever in the history of the show), and many artists i spoke with got little to no orders, like myself. several of the people around me got orders, some even seemed to do ok, but many of the orders they got were reorders from regular galleries for the same pieces ordered last year, just in smaller quantities. the buyers weren't buying anything new, they weren't taking any risks, and they were being very conservative. (and why wouldn't they?!)

i had several people look at my work and comment on how "beautiful" certain pieces were, how some were "such great designs"...then they would say "i hope you have a good show" and walk away. it was discouraging and defeating. i found myself more angry at the end of the day than anything else. then the next morning i would head to the show with a renewed attitude and a smile on my face. but, by 3pm the anger would set in. it's hard to sit there for 5 days, doing nothing, selling nothing, barely speaking to any buyers...it's grueling.

so...i will not apply to this show next year or the year after that for two reasons - 1.) i want to wait for the economy to improve before i take another risk like this. i just can't afford the lost money, time, and psychological/emotional toll. 2.) i also question whether or not the buyers market is the appropriate venue for my style of jewelry. perhaps i need to explore other shows, like pool or thread. but, with that said and with number 1 in mind, i will not apply to any other shows until the economy improves.

(please keep in mind that this is my perspective and my thoughts on what happened to me and what i observed happening to others. i'm guessing there were people who had better experiences than i did and may disagree with me on certain points.)

i will comment on the brighter side later.

thanks for reading.

p.s. the above picture is of the divine lorraine hotel which i drove by every morning on my way to the show. it's a gorgeous building, too bad it's abandoned.

heading home

i am just about to leave philly after the buyers market show. i'm glad i have 10 hours to think about what happened over the last week. there is a lot to process. i'll be posting this week...

thanks for reading.

the set up

i set up my booth yesterday at the buyers market of american craft. i unloaded my car at 1 and got started with my booth about 40 minutes later. i think i finished around 4:30 and left feeling good but also feeling like i did something wrong. it seemed a little too easy this time around. i hope i find everything still standing when i get there later today! the jewelry preview is today from 4-7 and i'll be in booth #623.
thanks for reading.

philly bound

i am off to philadelphia this morning to attend the buyers market of american craft. i packed the car on saturday, i've got my ipod ready, and a big box of snacks. the drive is about 10 hours and i've never driven this far alone. i'm looking forward to it and having a new skill under my belt. i hope to drive the whole thing in one day so i can have tomorrow to just lay-low and do some business on the computer. my set-up is wednesday and then the show starts for all us jewelers thursday evening. i'll post more as it unfolds...

also, i wanted to mention my taboo studio opening this friday, february 13 form 6-8pm. if you live in the san diego area please check it out for me.

one and only
new jewelry by clara ines arana, megan auman, pat flynn, deanna jacobsen, christina y. smith, amy tavern and micki whelan
opening reception 2/13 from 6-8pm
show runs through 3/22

thanks for reading.

buyers market of american craft revisited

i am attending the buyers market of american craft next week. this will be my second go after my first experience there in august 2008. preparations this time around have been completely different, easier, cheaper, quicker. i had to create my booth from scratch last year but this year all i had to do was repaint my earrings stands. (they got a little beat-up during my west coast trunk show tour). i'm scaling back a little on the display, too. after my 4 show tour in the fall, i figured out a more streamlined approach. i'm using the same props for the most part, minus a few. most of my collection items are already made this time. i only spent a day or two making the missing pieces. i still have one necklace to make and two of my very thin gold rings. it's still funny to me how little room my inventory takes up. its all in these boxes!
finally, all my printed materials (wholesale line sheet, contract, postcards, photos, etc.) are done with a few needing a little update. i just need to make copies of some of those. i am really appreciating all the hard work i did nine months ago right now as well as the lists and notes i made during the show. they have made things so much easier.

oh, one more thing...the february show is longer - 4 days instead of 3 and in addition there is a jewelry preview. it seems a little grueling to me as i don't have much experience with shows like this. even though the buyers market is only open to retailers and not to the general public, here is the info:

2/12 jewelry preview 4-7
2/13 show opens 10-6
2/14 10-6
2/15 10-6
2/16 10-3

i think i'll go back a reread all my posts from last year's show now.

thanks for reading.

elevation 2757.04

i've been living at the penland school of crafts for nearly 3 weeks now and i think my mind is beginning to quiet down from all the moving, unpacking, reorganizing, cleaning...i've been working a little bit, mostly keeping up with mail orders. i also finished work for my taboo studio group exhibition which opens on february 13. then yesterday i spent most of the day making samples for the buyers market of american craft show, also in february. i only have a few things left to make for that. after i finish getting ready for that show i can focus on acc searchlight. february is such a busy month! when i return i will have nothing planned, indefinitely, and i'm pretty excited. this is the first time in a very long time that i have no plans. i'm looking forward to just being here and making work.

i took a picture yesterday of the front of the building where my studio is located. (see above and look towards the end of the building. you'll see a window in the roof - that's where my studio is.) i also took a picure of the tiles in the entryway which state the elevation and latitude-longitude. seeing this information every day makes my place in the world more concrete in my mind as i imagine penland on a globe or world map.
thanks for reading.

buyers market of american craft, part 4

the wrap up...

here's a short list of things i did for the buyers market show that i will definitely do again:

change my shoes frequently. i had three pairs of shoes hidden away under my tables and i changed them every couple of hours. my feet never hurt.

bring snacks and drink lots of water. it helps to not be hungry and water keeps headaches away.

bring my sketchbook. draw and take notes. like i mentioned before, seeing my entire collection all at once made me think differently about my jewelry. i was able to see what each separate group needs and doesn't need. i designed nearly all of my 2009 additions. i also observed what was going on around me like crazy and took notes on booths, jewelry displays, and booth behavior.

finally, i will keep my booth pretty much the same. i want to see what the second time around brings before i make any big alterations. plus, i would like to spread the amount of time and energy that went into my first display over more than one experience. thinking about how easy it will be to prepare for the next one makes me very happy.

thanks for reading.

buyers market of american craft, part 3

what would i do differently?

the first day of the show i made a list of things i need to acquire for the next time i do a show like the buyers market of american craft. number one on my list is to change my lighting. i borrowed lights for this show and they worked just fine for my first time, however, they could definitely be brighter and easier to install and take down. my lights had long cords that had to be individually wrapped around the above pole. this took a long time. then because they hung straight down some of my jewelry did not get the direct light it needed. track lights are the answer. i noted that everyone had them. they can be zip-tied in place and when the show is over the ties can be quickly clipped. i will also be able to spotlight my entire collection due to the versatility of the lights themselves.what else?

different price tags. i printed mine on sticky labels, but the labels did not stick very well. the ends curled up and looked messy. they were also white and not exactly inconspicuous.

a few more display pieces. i had enough, really, but a few more earring stands and cork rounds would be nice. i would also like small signs to denote my different collections.

2 more posters of my jewelry. posters can be eye-catching. i only had two for this show. an additional two will add more detail to my rather bare walls and hopefully grab the attention of more passers by. i will choose more images with high contrast like the multi with gold necklace image on the right.
other things i will do differently… organize everything i bought better for more efficiency and ease. i would also like my own dolly and step ladder.

thanks for reading.

buyers market of american craft, part 2

here are the before and after pictures of my booth. i was happy with the final look - it was basically what i had imagined. it's very much a work-in-progress, but i think a good first effort.
as for my expectations, i went in knowing it could be slow. i heard this show is not as well-attended by buyers in the summer as it is in february. i also knew i might not get much attention because i'm new on the scene, building a presence at these shows is important. i did manage to get 4 new accounts and i'm very pleased. my goal was 3.

during my down time i worked on new designs for 2009. since i had my entire body of work in front of me, it was easy to see what each collection needs. i also made lists of what i would like to do next time, what went well, what needs to change, etc. i observed others as much as possible. it was a tremendous learning experience.

thanks for reading.

guest star friday no. 20, the buyers market edition...kathryn geoghegan

for this week's guest star i turn to one of the many jewelers i met at the buyers market of amercian craft, kathryn geoghegan. i like kathryn's use of basic concepts and techniques such as geometric shapes, hollow forms, and etched metal. by combining these simple elements with subtle details and thoughtful compositions she creates work that is clearly her own. i find her well-crafted jewelry very refreshing.
thanks for reading.

buyers market of american craft, part 1

i am back from the buyers market of american craft wholesale show in philadelphia. the experience as a whole was excellent and fascinating. i am feeling incredibly pumped - excited about what i learned, about my work, and what's in store for the next few months and for 2009. here's a break-down of what happened:

i left on thursday, july 31 with my friend, studiomate, and fellow show exhibitor, joanna gollberg. we packed her van and hit the road around 1pm, stopping for the night after driving about 7 hours. the next day we got an early start and found our way to the philly convention center. the above picture is my first view of the scene. i spent about 5 hours setting up my booth. it was hard work, but i have to say i did it in a rather relaxed manner, pausing frequently to meet neighbors and to catch-up with friends. the next three days went just as i expected. more on that tomorrow...

thanks for reading.

more BMAC

this week and last, i've been busy preparing for the BMAC show. i mentioned my schedule a few days ago... i'm doing a fairly good job at sticking to it. a friend and fellow craftsperson, krista, reminded me about unforeseen happenings and how something always seems to pop-up unexpectedly. she's completely right! so, to combat this problem i have "padded" my schedule with extra time (what, extra?!) to accommodate for various hijinks.

next week i get to make my display pieces, the fun part. i haven't committed to anything yet, but i do have a list of ideas. my studiomate, friend, and fellow BMAC vendor, joanna gollberg, gave me some of her old stuff. i see lots of potential!
what i have committed to are new postcards, posters, and a banner. the postcards and banner were designed by brandon dawley.
thanks for reading.

show preparations

over the past few weeks i've been spending a great deal of time preparing for the buyers market of american craft, a huge wholesale show in philadelphia from august 2-4. there will be hundreds of vendors and buyers there. i've never done a show on this scale before and i have to say the preparations can be overwhelming. designing and creating my booth is the main source of these feelings. it's a daunting task when you have no idea what you're doing! (at least it feels like i have no idea what i'm doing...) i developed a schedule last night outlining all the things that must be done before i leave for the show on july 31. i think as long as i review it daily and stick to the schedule i will be fine with the least number of tears shed/stress had.

i spent last week making samples. i have today and tomorrow to complete them. today i also have to order a bunch of stuff, like new postcards and my booth furniture, which i have decided to rent.

i'll try to have some good images to post tomorrow.

now i have to go. my schedule says "studio - 9am" and i haven't showered or eaten breakfast yet.

thanks for reading.