Greetings from the land of post-show fatigue!

This past weekend I was attacked by a wild art festival.  Or at least, that's what it felt like.  So in lieu of an Inspired Monday post (although I hope people find this inspiring if you're in or thinking of getting into the craft selling business!), it's time for a show recap!

It's my booth!

We were a little busy this weekend.  Just a bit. ;) As mentioned, I went to set up early at the festival on Friday afternoon, then went directly to my opening reception for my show at the Watercolor Guild, and was at the festival from 9 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon both days. (Plus, last night almost immediately after the festival I went to a party.  On the opposite side of town.  I.e. about 24 miles away.  I might be kind of a masochist.)

And then there was the setup and tear-down of my booth.  So artists, if people try to make you feel lazy or like your profession isn't hard, tell them you'd like to see THEM set up an art festival booth and man it for two or three days.  Yeah, it's not a stroll in the park.

However, usually of course you have less to bring back with you than you had when you started out...but I have to admit my sales weren't all that spectacular.  Of course, any sales are good, and it's at least money you didn't have before, right?  Plus, I heard from most of the other vendors near me that they weren't doing so hot either.  I think the problem is that it's still August, i.e. still summer in Arizona, and the snowbirds aren't all back yet.  Other veterans have told me that the fall shows will be much, much better.  So that's what I'm hoping for.

Then maybe people will want these.  They make great stocking stuffers!

Weirdly enough, I only sold prints.  No cards, no stones, just prints!  A bunch of people looked at stones, and it seemed like I had a couple almost-sales (ah, isn't that always the way).  I did, however, have a lot of serious-sounding requests for information about pet portraiture, lots of info sheets and business cards were given...so I'm hoping for the best in that department too.

Here's my mom/booth helper modeling one of my tote bags from Society6.  It's pretty faithful to the original painting, isn't it?

And I know from my experiences shopping at these festivals that sometimes it takes seeing someone's art at a couple different festivals before you actually buy something.  You have to go away and think about it for a while, then come back and actually pull the trigger on the purchase.  I know there are definitely a couple of vendors that, if I see them again at the next festival, I might buy one of their items that I'd had my eye on!  Art isn't an impulse buy normally.  Art sales are a long game.

But regardless of sales figures, at least I got to work in a beautiful resort near the mountains for a weekend...the views alone made it a cool experience for me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, after all that work this past weekend I'm going to go and be completely idle for an hour or two.  I feel like I've earned it...at least today, and then it's back on the art chain gang tomorrow!