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.

pewter diversions

i just got this picture of a pewter bowl, cup, and spoon that i made in a pewter holloware class in college. i made the set for my friend beckett who was a baby at the time. the instructor of the class was michael gayk who was a grad student. michael sent the picture to me today and it was a pleasant surprise. he also told me that he uses the image in his student work for his cv, also a very nice surprise. thanks, mike! i also made these salt and pepper shakers.
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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.