Lessons learned
I've been trying to pay attention to what this past week has been telling me.
- Most things aren't worth getting all worked up over. Leave it alone. Let it all happen. Everything will work out.
- Not everything will work out in my favour, but that doesn't mean that there aren't positive things to take away from the experience.
- Making any sort of attempt at something new will help build confidence in what I do.
- When something doesn't work out the way I want it to, I need to look at the situation rationally and objectively - there's a pretty good chance that I am skewing the results in a subjective and negative way.
I was really bummed out for most of the week over the Tuesday night show. It did not work out the way I'd hoped. Not even remotely. The event was great and the cause worthwhile - but I was there the second night and the most traffic happened the first night. Plus, I wasn't really in the best location at the venue. I made one sale and spent the rest of the evening watching the bands, writing a journal entry and jotting down some of the music the DJ played between acts:
Aztec Camera, Charlatans UK, The Cure, Iggy Pop... and so many others I can't remember right now. The funny thing was, I bet I was one of the only people there who remembered when most of those songs were released! Most of the exhibitors and attendants must have been born in the 80s.
So, I left that night feeling pretty down. Lots of you have asked how the event went, and I just haven't had it in me to write about it. At the same time, I've been telling myself to remember all the good stuff that came out of the experience:
- My display idea finally got worked out
- I printed up business cards (only on a laser printer, but they still look good)
- Some new necklace designs were tested out
- My jewellery stock was increased
- I took a chance at something that scared the heck out of me - trying to sell my work by myself in a group of strangers
- There were possible future contacts made
That last one is pretty key if I want to continue selling at shows - making contacts. And this panned out. Just when I thought that I failed at doing shows, I bumped into the organizer of Fashion Fair on our way to the Vegetarian Food Fair this past Sunday, and she invited me to sell stuff through her group at The Clothing Show this weekend. Wheee! If any of you will be at the show, be sure to stop by the Cruelty Free Collective booth!
Oh, and I broke my camera on Sunday. Lesson learned: don't drop camera.
posted by mishka at 9:17 PM
15 Comments:
Kudos to you for having such an optimistic outlook. And Bravo! for getting asked to partake in the Clothing Show. I too make jewellery and have experienced similar 'frustrations' over the past 3 months, when shows I was a vendor at didn't work out so well.
I was at the Cabbagetown outdoor craft show this past weekend, not as a vendor but as an observer. There must have been around 15 jewellery vendors there, maybe more. I couldn't believe it! It seems like jewellery artisans are cropping up everywhere and the competition is becoming stiff. Mind you, there are a lot of talented people out there. The question I ask myself is, "Just how many jewellery artisans can the market bear?"
Anyway, I've decided not to do craft shows anymore. I think selling online might turn out better results, especially around X-mas. Good luck at the Clothing Show!
11:03 AM, September 13, 2006
I went through a similar build-up + let down when I did my first solo show, made a $4.00 card sale to the vendor next to me + thought that I was done for. But you're right, you took a chance + something good came of it. In retrospect there is always something good that comes out of things that seem to be disasters.
I have just found you through Double Happiness.
Take care, Shona
11:13 AM, September 13, 2006
hey there! i'm glad you learned positive things from it and are figuring out how not to bog yourself down with the negative. you _did_ get a lot done that you need to do for your business so even though you might not have sold much, you've made possibilities for future sales! and i want to say something really smart here but i can't think of the right thing, so basically i'll say to hang in there and please never lose faith in your lovely work!
11:43 AM, September 13, 2006
Sad about your camera. I dropped and broke my first fancy camera and it broke my heart.
Don’t ya just hate that we have to learn things the hard way!?
Cute hat, you knit it?
12:21 PM, September 13, 2006
I certainly needed your advice! thank you for this pleasant post of lessons learned. ;)
1:36 PM, September 13, 2006
ohhh stuff like that is such a bummer! but it may have been poor promtion / attendance. nothing to do with you!
i like your list though- i need to keep alot of that in mind.
5:29 PM, September 13, 2006
duh! i can't believe i missed it! i am so not on the ball-
harumph.
5:31 PM, September 13, 2006
Sorry the show didn't work out the way you'd hoped, but you have such a great positive outlook about it. All the points you brought up are so true - and just getting out there has so many positive benefits in terms of exposure and contacts made. I'm sure that it was just a case of having a bad crowd, because your work is truly lovely! Hang in there!
8:00 PM, September 13, 2006
Been there, sweetie! I have been to mulitple events with my cookbook (and free samples!) where I sold next to nothing and was bored. Not fun, but it is exposure. *hugs*
9:50 PM, September 13, 2006
i'm sorry you had a bad night, but gosh your expectations for yourself and your business seem unrealistically high to me. i would assume if i were starting a crafting business that i would have MANY days like that, especially at first. as you've figured out, being there isn't just about how many pieces you sell, it's about making contacts, trying out new designs, getting your name out there, being seen, etc. etc. especially at first i would think that kind of exposure would be at least, if not more, important than how many pieces you sell. i can't believe you even thought the word "failed", that's so harsh on yourself!!
i think you should have fun with your jewelry business and not stress out about it so much. good luck with the next show!!
10:07 AM, September 14, 2006
I agree(sort of) with Jen's comments:
IT IS important to get exposure, make business contacts, etc, etc, and it's equally important to have fun and enjoy doing these craft shows.
Making sales (and money) is also an important element of running a business, otherwise how is one going to be able to afford to run a business if their expenses exceed their sales?
Luckily, most people have a day job which supplies them with the necessary revenue to run a part-time craft business on the side.
For those self-employed artisans that are relying solely and completely on selling their crafts to survive...it's a whole different story.
Making sales is also a confidence booster, it strokes our ego. It tells us that people want to buy our goods and give us money in return for our creativity and skills.
It's also an incentive to keep at it.
The desire to make sales is not such a selfish thing to ask for, n'est pas?
1:11 PM, September 14, 2006
Thank you all - I appreciate your comments and encouragement and support!
I guess I'm making this into something bigger than I should because I want so badly to get this started. I have been to several shows in the past and none of them have gone as well as I hoped - which is why I was having the "failure" thoughts.
I know that this is supposed to be fun and not work. It isn't my full-time career, but a creative outlet, so I don't have a huge financial stake in selling jewellery. True, selling is an ego-booster, and not selling can be crushing and take the fun out of it all. I'll see how this weekend goes and decide from there if I should continue. Continue attending shows, that is.
Thanks, everyone!
2:30 PM, September 14, 2006
i'm sorry it didn't work out the way you'd hoped, but i agree with everyone else--try not to sweat it! if nothing else, you've learned some tricks for next time, and you got over the horrible hurdle of Doing It The First Time. that's very valuable all by itself!! your stuff is gorgeous, so if you hang in there it will pay off, i just know it. :)
11:06 PM, September 14, 2006
I'm also sorry it didn't work out perfectly, but am so proud of you for seeing the learnings and positives. I am going to the Clothing Show - an annual event for me since i was 14 - so i will search out that booth!
5:42 PM, September 15, 2006
oh man, i'm way out of the loop here in blogland. sorry i'm coming in on this discussion so late, but i just wanted to say how sorry i am that the show didn't work out so well for you. i agree with what a bunch of other people have said...it's awesome that you can take the experience and learn from it. whatever you do, please don't second-guess your work! you really make lovely things and just like what someone else said, it was very likely the promotion of the event (as well as other factors like cover charge at the door...$7 seems steep for a show like that, plus the chosen day of the show...tuesday night? and the first day of back-to-school?) i really think a lot of it had nothing to do with you and more to do with the situation. but i know how crushing it can be to one's ego to have a disasterous show. trust me...i've been there a few times too. it sucks but i think everyone has to do a show where they sell 1 or 2 things. hugs for you! don't give up!!
9:50 PM, September 19, 2006
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