sell

How To Successfully Sell Pictures at Art Festivals and Fairs

everybody warm welcome for Deborah

Gilbert thank them hello everybody

before we start um how many of you live

in New York City raise your hands and

how many live in the suburbs okay and

have any of you ever done any craft

shows before okay a few of you okay

those of you who live in the suburbs

those few of you you have an easier job

of it because you have more space to

work with but we'll deal with with

everything I always think that your

little hampered when you live in the

city just because you can't have a large

vehicle and you can only make stuff so

large unless you have like a loft or

something but that's also something I

when I have people in my booth who are

asking me do you have this larger my

line is which I can only have things so

large the largest I can print to is on

16 by 20 paper I said this is the

largest I can do because I see piton in

my bathtub and this is the largest sized

print that will fit in my bathtub and

that they understand that and that helps

me get out of that little situation but

I'm going to have a lot of information

for you today a lot of different bits of

pieces of the puzzle so so I hope you're

ready to take notes and I'm sort of the

kind of person who like obsesses over

things and thinks about things so

there's all these little details what

David mentioned in details about all

these little details but those are the

things you need to make informed

decisions about what show you're going

to do what equipment you're going to buy

how you're going to present your work so

before anyone gets started doing these

shows you have to ask yourself some

questions you have to figure out if this

is even the right thing for you before

you go out spend a couple thousand

dollars on a booth you know all this

equipment you want to decide if this is

the kind of thing you really want to do

so aside from your work you know I'm

going to give everyone you know the

benefit of the doubt that you have you

know that you're shooting pictures and

if you don't have a body of work yet

you're working your way there this is

going to deal mostly with what you need

aside from your work to exhibit and

shows so you have to ask yourself are

you a people person do you like talking

people because when you're at a show you

have to do that you can't sit in the

back of your booth and read a book you

have to be out there and you have to if

you're representing your work you do the

work that a gallery normally does you

know some people don't like that the

gallery gets fifty percent but they do a

lot of work for that for that fifty

percent and now you're going to be doing

that yourself and also there are some

people who do these cellar work in these

venues that also have their work in

galleries and if you're one of those

people you have to make sure you do not

undercut your galleries and price you

have to charge the same amount for your

work in shows at a gallery that your

galleries are charging because that's

the fastest way to ruin your

relationship with your galleries is to

undercut them on price you have to learn

how to apply to these shows too and

apply effectively and you have to learn

how to sell your work you have to learn

how to talk about your work in a way

that people relate to it and really what

sales is is real all sales is selling

yourself really because they're buying

your personality almost as much as

they're buying your work because when

they get home and if you ever heard

anyone talk about their collection

whether they collect matchbook covers or

they collect impressionist paintings or

they collect Fiestaware whatever is is

they collect we hear a collector talk

about their collection you know they're

like a big-game hunter they went out and

stocked the item in the wild they you

know with the artwork and so they they

go to these shows because they want a

different experience in a gallery they

want to meet the artist they want to

hear your story

they want to have an adventure through

you your job to sell you work is to

provide them with that story buy this

what you tell them about your work so

you go to someone who's a collector to

their home and they'll describe the work

if you ask them about it what's hanging

on their wall and they'll have a story

you know oh I was out we went to the

show and it was like raining cats and

dogs and and this happened and that

happened we got lost and I met this

artist then oh she's traveled to Africa

and she's done this and she's on that

and she did and she did this picture and

it represents such-and-such and they

have a story like that for every picture

that's on their wall and that's what

they're looking for when they come to a

craft show they're looking they want to

have your work represent good car

on their wall they don't want you know

to look at your work and think of this

miserable person that was sort of like

glum and I don't know I'm just kind of

negative and kind of dull you like you

won't say you're working if you do sell

your work like that you won't sell any

more of it to that person but odds are

you want people to have a good feeling

about the connection that they had with

you the purchase you want they want you

want them to walk away feeling like they

got a great deal they got your work

they're really happy with it and they're

happy that they met you and that's the

way to sell your work and not everybody

you know can do that and if you don't do

if you're shy you have to work on those

skills if you want to sell your work and

you also have to learn to be prepared

for everything that a show might throw

at you because most of these shows are

outdoors they can be sunny they can be

rainy they can be windy you have to be

prepared to protect yourself your work

from anything and these are all most

every show is rain or shine and so you

have to be prepared if it's raining you

still have to be there with your work

and so you have to be prepared to keep

your work say if you don't want to leave

with a bunch of soggy you don't leave go

with photographs and leave with paper

mache basically so you also want to be a

responsible member of the photographic

community and the crafts community by

representing everything in a in an

honest way whenever you're selling your

work in a way that's not a brick or

mortar type business you have a hurdle

to overcome because people that you know

they think you're a gypsy you're like

fly-by-night that you know you're like a

carnival person and and they may be less

inclined to believe you when you saying

certain things or or there's a little

thing a little doubt in the back of your

mind of their mind and they you have to

overcome that and maybe they had a bad

experience with someone else at a craft

fair who maybe ripped them off in the

past and whenever you do anything you

know that you're you are reflecting on

everyone else in the photographic and

craft community so you always want to my

gran

my grandfather always used to say

there's only one way to do business and

that's the right way and that applies to

every kind of business and it especially

applies to this kind of business when

you're not a brick and mortar you just

have more hurdles to overcome and you

just have to be more on point and more

on your game and I'm also gonna give you

some resources for all different aspects

of photography selling your work at

these venues now there are different

kinds of shows I would not recommend

that you start out right from the top

doing big shows you want to start small

think of yourself as like a Broadway

show that opens out of town to work the

bugs out you don't want to first of all

you don't want it to you see these these

are booths it's really those kind of

things each one is a booth a 10 foot by

10 foot booth it's really sort of

misnomer to say to refer to them as a

booth fee because but really when you go

to a show and you pay a booth fee you're

really not getting the booth the booth

is yours you're getting a space fee

you're paying a space fee you're what

you when you pay a show for to be in the

show you're actually paying for a 10

foot by 10 foot spot on the ground what

goes on that spot is up to you so even

though they call it a booth fee it's

really a space fee but to create one of

those booths to display your work

between the walls and the canopy and

everything you need is going to cost you

upwards of $2,000 so before you go spend

that money I would suggest that you

start by maybe doing a few shows that

are local in your community maybe put on

by the PTA or some something in the

church basement or the school gym just

so you can gauge for yourself do you

even like doing this you know do you

like you know some people are too

sensitive actually to show their work to

people because some people can be

you know rude about your work and it's

different if you're selling something

like if you're selling girl-scout

cookies or you're selling clothes you're

working in the store and people say rude

things are say that the stuff is

overpriced whatever it is it's different

than when they're saying that about your

work it you take it more personally and

some people can't you know can't deal

with that I have a friend who was

reduced to tears

she does raku pottery she does beautiful

work and she had this rude woman who

wanted to get her to lower her price and

was berating her and berating her work

and she just burst into tears and she

just lowered the price for this

womanhood she was just she was just so

intimidated by this and we all went

rushing over to her and her sister who

was helping her in a booth came over and

the woman was going to come back and get

the stuff and so we when the woman came

back we put her in the back of the booth

but our friend my friend the back booth

and her sister and I dealt with a woman

and and and said sorry we broke the

peace when we were packing it up for you

and and you just didn't want her to have

the pieces because she just felt so

intimidated but that's why some people

you know are you just you had to learn

to not take it personally and and some

people just can't put up that veneer and

then it just it takes so much out of

them to do these shows but and actually

I have a tip when people you don't often

get people who will come in and they'll

say oh why is this so expensive or or

you know just too overpriced whatever it

is like that and I just you know you

can't argue with something like that

because it depends on how they ask the

question you could you could say well

because I make a black point photograph

and I print it in a dark room and then I

paint with oil paint you can explain all

that stuff and they don't care that

they're just asking that because they go

into Macy's they can't talk to mr. Macy

and say that about something they want

to buy but when they go to a craft show

they can talk directly to the person and

they just want to let you know that they

think that you're overcharged or

whatever it is and depending on what

kind of a mood I'm in you know you can't

you can't be if someone's rude to you

you can't be rude back at them because

if you have other customers in the booth

that will turn them off so you just have

to find a way to like get them out of

your those people out of your booth and

and deal with the people who might

potentially buy something but if someone

says hey why is this so expensive I was

like I just smile say well it's not

price for everyone and just smile them

and they'll usually like tilt their head

like you know when

you know like when you talk to your dog

and the dog just tells her head and

because they can't tell they think maybe

I've been insulted but I'm not sure so

there's really no comeback for that and

they usually just tell their head and

then they just kind of just wander away

so I found that that's the best that's

the best one I used to say you know if I

was in a bad mood I would say well I'm

sure you're overpaid at your job but I

just don't do that anymore I just say I

just say I just say well they're not

price for everyone just say very sweetly

with a smile and that usually does the

trick

but these are the different levels of

shows the lower shows low level shows

are like the ones local community like

put on in the school gym or you know put

on by the PTA the you know Kiwanis Club

whoever it is and they're usually like

one-day shows and they usually cost like

twenty-five or fifty dollars to get into

that's a really great way to get started

a lot of people overlook those shows and

I still sometimes do those shows because

those some of those shows you can

actually make a lot of money and they're

low risk so you know if you do that kind

of a show and there's like a hurricane

or something you know and it's canceled

something you haven't lost much but

there a good way to start because you

know to work out the kinks you see how

and also before you buy a lot of display

equipment how do you like working within

that space that 10 foot by 10 foot space

usually those kind of shows if you have

a bunch of matted prints you can show up

with a nice table and some boxes and it

may be some browse boxes and just show

that way you don't need a professional

booth but you can gauge how to speak to

people at whether you like doing it you

can start working on your patter because

you also have to work on a kind of a

pattern how you talk about your work you

know what kind of a little story you

tell about each piece you know about how

you created it maybe where you shot it

what does it mean to you different

things like that you want to have things

to say and also explain just the

physical about your work like with my

work everything is matted in acid-free

materials I make sure I tell everyone

that and I'm add everything to standard

size a lot of people you'll find our

framer phobic and so if you map things

to odd sizes they look your work and

they think in oh my it's going to cost

me $150 to get this framed

and you can hear you can see the wheels

turning in their heads and sometimes

they'll say it out loud and I can just

say and everything you know everything

is matted to standard-size they'll drop

right into a ready-made frame and they

said well where would you get a frame

well you can go to pearl paint or you

can go here you can go there you give

them names of three places you can get

this frame for less than $20 and they go

oh and that you know that eliminates

that kind of a worry for them but the

least expensive way to get started is to

do these lower level shows you can get

if you have small prints you can go into

wine stores and get those wooden boxes

that they normally throw away and sand

them and finish them and make them nice

and a table with a nice tablecloth we

never use a bare table even at a low

level show you always drape your table

down to the ground but get clamps

because you don't want there be any

extra fabric for someone to trip over

you want to you know roll the fabric

under and clip the legs so there's no

extraneous fabric and you can start that

way just to get that's the least

expensive way to get started just to try

to figure out if you'll even like doing

that then into the medium level shows

those shows are usually 2 or more days

and they're bigger these like these

shows you see pictured here those shows

are more expensive to do it shows the

booth fees have risen dramatically like

in the last five or six years a lot of

them have been almost doubled but you

can do shows from you know like two

hundred dollars up depending on whether

it shows two days or three days or

whatnot and they have a higher level of

quality of work being shown then in the

lower level PTA type shows and some of

them still have will have by cell book

by cell is is stuff that people bring

they claim they make it themselves but

unless their parents you know unless I

had hippie parents who named them made

in China they really didn't make it

themselves they're just it's what's

called buy sell they're buying stuff to

sell and used to be just craft items you

would see like that and now there's some

people who are bringing paintings

because they're Chinese import paintings

that they're buying and if you actually

go to art expo you'll see some of these

people selling those paintings they're

like stacked up on the ground like like

carpets and people buy them and then

they go

two are chosen sell them at a lower

median level show where the promoter

maybe it's not doesn't see that that's

what it is but if you see those kind of

paintings you start it's pretty easy to

spot them but at any level show you can

still make money it all depends on

whether that show is bringing the kind

of customer who wants your work so some

people want to go do only the upper

level shows because they think it's

prestigious but I always think of these

venues as being sort of like you know

horton hears a who no one outside this

little this little universe of shows

really cares about the prestige whether

a show is prestigious or not I'm you

know I'm just there to make a living so

I don't care that it was rated a highly

I just care about what my bottom line is

at the at the end of the show that's me

so and then the upper level shows that I

was talking about those are a lot more

expensive to do you very often have to

travel farther because there really

aren't any nearby some people travel all

over the country to do this shows I've

gone as far as Chicago as far west to

Chicago as far south as Florida I don't

like going to Florida some people do

this they go to Florida they're you know

snowbirds they go in the winter and they

do all the shows in Florida and then

they come back you know because they

live up here and they take their RV full

of their you know their work and they go

to these shows down in Florida and they

work Florida during the winter and then

they come back north it's I would I

personally I just I wouldn't do that but

but if that's what you're into a lot of

you know more power to you and then

there's these new hipster type shows

like Etsy like shows everyone familiar

with Etsy Etsy is an online portal that

allows craft people an artist to sell

their work it's ETS why calm and they

tend to be it's part of that like

do-it-yourself movement so it's not

slick and a lot of these Etsy type shows

the people who are displaying their work

don't have that the slick displays that

that people have it that the the old

what I would call the old-style type of

craft shows and they have different

kinds of work and they tend to if you go

to one there's one actually in Brooklyn

it's called the renegade crap show has

anyone ever been there it's in June it

used to be in McCarren Park actually

they're moving it this year I just saw

the email about it yesterday they're

moving it to the Williamsburg waterfront

I didn't even know Williamsburg had a

waterfront but so I don't know what it

will be like but if you go to that show

I would recommend you go just to see it

it's an interesting show and maybe your

walk over there will fit there it all is

the matter of where your work fits I was

just talking to this lady I don't know

your name before before the show started

she was talking about a friend of hers

who is a photographer down in Florida

and was not a photographer for a living

was a glass artist and then someone saw

her work she was shooting all these

pictures of was it a Game Preserve Game

Preserve and all these Scenic's and

someone's happened to see them and now

she's doing shows in and doing really

well those kind of that's those kind of

subjects Phoenix what I would call

travel pictures tourist pictures do

really well in these venues especially

if you are in a show this in a touristy

area like if in the summertime they're

all these shows down the Jersey Shore

and if you have pictures of the Jersey

Shore of the scenic parts that look

really beautiful and people are there

vacationing they like a nice souvenir of

one of your great photographs so if

you're doing those shows they're

actually there's a couple that used to

do that and they've you know what in the

past ways they're not doing it anymore

they invested a lot of time and effort

into photographing all these different

shore towns where they do shows and so

they do these shows and whatever they

were they would have the pictures they

would have some pictures from other

places but they'd have mostly pictures

from the area where the show was whether

it's Ocean City or Stone Harbor or

wherever

and they were like selling pictures like

hotcakes for all these people who are

there it is the tourists who do the

shopping at those kind of in those kinds

of venues when you do things more inland

it you're not getting tourists you're

getting people who actually live there

and so that doesn't work as well like if

you do a show in Morristown New Jersey

pictures of Morristown aren't really

going to sell yeah because you know

there aren't tourists visiting there but

but but in attersee area that would that

would that would make a difference now

where do you find the shows and these

are great resources our business news

doesn't have listings of shows but they

have a lot of great information about

marketing your artwork whether it's

you're doing it yourself or you're doing

it through galleries and also they're

connected to art Expo and if you've

never been to art Expo I would recommend

you go it is in March it yeah and you

can instil it's like photo Expo only

it's for artwork and because there's

resources resources there that you'll

want to find out about where to get

frames framing matting supplies because

you're going to want to start yourself

off with wholesale accounts because

you're a business and you want to get

that stuff wholesale so you can cut your

own math I mean you don't have to cut

your own mats I cut my own mat so I

should say I recommend that you do that

you'll save yourself a lot of money and

you'll make things easier on yourself to

get a good mat cutter and to do your own

mats or you exposed it you know that's

no it's not a job it's oh you actually

moved it it's at the pier but if you go

to their website actually if you go to

art business news comm they will have

information about and also you've got a

copy the magazine this information in

the magazine about art Expo and it's

like butter Expo if you register soon

enough you can get in for free but

you'll be able to go and see all the

people who sell matte board and glass

and everything like that and you can

actually get Mac cutters

Logan Mac cutters here at the nh-2 great

I have a Logan Mac cutter I've had for

25 years and it is still working

like it was in the first day and I it

paid for itself the first weekend I used

it because you can buy matboard

and you cut them at yourself it's very

easy to learn and when I say Matt cutter

I don't mean the little handheld things

it's the kind of large Matt cutter with

a rail you push the thing along because

those handheld ones can't get everything

straight but a good a good Matt cutter

with a rail which you can get for under

$250 and it's worth it it is worth it

you'll save yourself a lot of money but

Sunshine artists has the best listings

if you look in the back it you'll see

you'll see it's just listings and

listings of shows listed by date and by

place and so you find out where the

shows are there are more expensive ways

of finding out where the shows are and

there are the ways but they give you

some more information than they will

give you in this listings but this is

the most economical way and the best way

to get information about most shows if

you subscribe for a year because every

month are different shows listed you'll

basically have the list of basically

just about every show in the country and

actually right now they're running a

deal if you go to their website you can

get two free issues off of their website

so and also there's crafts report they

have some listings they don't have as

many listings as Sun Shine artists they

have a lot of some interesting articles

they're geared more to three-dimensional

crafts but a lot of the things that are

geared to three-dimensional crafts also

apply to photography when you're talking

in terms of selling your work and you

can see a sample issue online to see

what their that and that you can pick up

at Barnes & Noble these other two

magazines you really have to subscribe

to but this one you can pick up at a

good Barnes & Noble so you can see what

it's like and it's good to learn the

different business aspects of doing

these shows so there'll be some good

tips in there but they just don't have

as many show listing sunshine artists is

the one for show listings and then down

at the bottom this this called

application org

this is an online show application

service it's a lot of shows use this

now you sign up for an account doesn't

cost you anything to start an account

for yourself

you load your pictures in there and then

you apply through them to shows it's

like just you know a few clicks and you

send most shows will ask for four

pictures of your work and one of your

booth and if you load all your pictures

into your account that's application org

when you find the show that you want to

application you just click I'm going to

show them this picture this picture this

picture you arrange the order you want

them to be came in and you you pay the

during feet a lot of these shows have

during fees well if they're using this

application they all have during fees

during fees can be as much as fifty

dollars which i think is a ripoff

personally most shows are in the twenty

to twenty five dollar range some less

there are some shows that make quite a

lot of money off of their jurying fees

because if it's a if it's a top show

they may get a couple thousand people

applying and times times that times

twenty five or fifty dollars so they're

making a nice bit of money off those

application fees and but they're only

letting in like maybe two hundred or or

whatever artists so so the application

you start an account then what you have

to start an account with them before you

can see the shows that are listed

through them and so a lot of people that

was a change you know digital during

that's been a big change that's happened

in the last several years and some

people like it and some people don't

like it it's made it easier to apply

because it's become easier to apply some

people over apply like they apply to a

show they're not sure they're going to

do and so when a show comes out with

who's in it maybe some of the people in

that show really have no interest in

doing it they were just applying because

it was there and they could do a few

clicks and apply to the show and so it's

sort of made things a little more

complicated for people in there

cancellations and so you may get into a

show but you may not get into a show

chill like a month or two after the

during results come out because the

people who applied and got in and

decided they didn't want to do it have

to reject it and so it's

made that a little bit more complicated

for some people but that's you knows

modern technology now when you're

applying to show this is a this page

there on the Left that's from something

called art fair source book that's a

source book it cost about five hundred

dollars that that some people use it has

a lot more information than you'll get

anywhere else now the information that's

on here a lot of it you can get yourself

just by calling a show and asking

questions but if you want it all in one

place that you know that's a source book

I know some people will share it like if

you live near other people who want to

do shows instead of buying spending $500

on it go in on it with each other or

something but because it is a pretty big

expense but also sometimes you'll be at

a show and the person who does art for a

sourcebook maybe at the show he's also a

photographer actually and sometimes he

will be selling like last year's copy

for a deeply discounted price and you

could get it that way last years it's

last year's information the shows are

basically all in the same place it's a

way of getting it you know I was at a

show and I got one for $50 from him

because it was two years old so now when

you contact a show say you're going

through sunshine artists you see show

it's in your area it looks good you want

you just you have to decide do I want to

apply to this I never apply to a show

without calling them first or emailing

them to ask them a few questions and and

no matter what you do your research you

don't just call them and ask them a dumb

question but even though sometimes I do

call an ask a dumb question maybe maybe

they think I'm asking a dumb question

but I want to gauge I want to get a feel

for them because to me the answer is not

really as important as how do they

answer me do they sound like they're

artists friendly I don't want to do a

show if the people running the show

don't respect artists so or don't

respect photographers you will find and

I know is everyone here photographers

some people want to show other things

besides photography yes your

a painter okay so you're the lonely

painter here in the room of

photographers okay I'll protect you

don't worry oh no but you'll find that a

lot of people in other mediums hate

photographers they think we're getting

away with something because it's because

it's the medium of multiples I think

well all you have to do is snap the

picture and then you make a thousand

copies so sometimes there are other

people in other mediums to feel that way

and sometimes they're people running

shows that feel that way and there's a

show I won't name it but I asked them

about about I had to ask them something

and and the person who was one of the

people on the committee said well you

photographers all you do is snap picture

and send it out to a lab and they do

everything you really don't do anything

yourself and I'm like I was like you

know I never applied to that show again

because it said to me I said you know at

first I was like really mad she was just

being very disrespectful and then I

thought well wait a minute she's doing

me a favor she's letting me know that I

don't need to I don't need to spend my

money travel all the way to Virginia to

do this show and put money in the

pockets of these people who have no

respect for my medium and and it wasn't

that great show anyway it's like it's a

lot of people do this show but it's a

show that has a lot of a lot of issues

but in any event you read the prospectus

before calling but you want to get a

feel for you want to ask things like

first of all how many people are in this

how many artists are you are in the show

and you want to hear a definitive answer

you don't want someone who's going to

say well we're not sure you know depends

on how many people apply you want a

definitive number of people like 200 or

250 whatever it is you don't people

because if they're wishy-washy about

that that means they're just going to

take as many people as apply which means

they may be taking too many people to

support the show so I wouldn't hear a

definite definitive answer and you want

to ask things that are making it easy

for you to know how you have to prepare

yourself like is there space behind the

booths like like you get

like I said the 10-foot by 10-foot space

but some shows will give you a little

bit of space behind your booth for

storage or whatever to put your chair

back there you want to ask that kind of

a thing that's the kind of thing you ask

to kind of gauge whether they're artist

friendly or not

do they have booth sitters that's an

issue for people who work by themselves

a lot of people who do these venues

don't work by themselves I do work by

myself and so a booth sitter is an

important issue if you have to go if you

ever have to go the bathroom because

you're there you know from 8:00 in the

morning to maybe 8:00 at night maybe 6 7

8 at night you have to you have to leave

to go the bathroom too they have a booth

sitter some shows will allow you to sign

up for a boo sitter so someone can come

by at one o'clock and you tell them in

advance they'll come by and I'll watch

your booth for 15 minutes while you run

to the bathroom and run to get something

to eat or whatever and if a show doesn't

have booth sitters make friends with

your neighbors so they can help you with

that but also ask them about parking you

know with where is parking some shows

not a lot of shows but there are some

shows that parking is like so far away

they have a shuttle bus that you have to

shuttle your way back for and if someone

works is is working with a partner

that's ok for me working by myself I

don't want to show where I have to leave

everything I all of my works sitting on

the sidewalk by itself while I Drive 2

miles away and have to wait for a

shuttle bus to come back so and you want

to know about that you want to know

about electricity if you need

electricity I know use electricity when

I've done indoor shows I use electricity

for lights but out there some people use

lights outdoors but I don't and you want

to ask them about generators do they

allow generators why because you don't

want to be next to someone with a

generator because you have to be talking

like this all day over this over the

sound of the generator also red flags

the big one if if the promoter refers to

artists as vendors or crafters run

warning warning mr. Will Robinson

warning run in the other direction

because that's a bad sign

if they think of you as a vendor or they

think of you as a crafter crafter is

like a derogatory term people who are

craft artisans they like be called

artisans

not crafters that's like someone who

crochets toilet paper covers you know

you know while watching soap operas as a

crafter so you kind of you know if

that's the way they refer to your then

then there's it's you know you may give

the show a shot but just know what

you're getting and like if you have

nothing else that weekend and it's

really close to where you live and it's

not going to cost you much then I take a

chance but if you're going to have to

like drive all the way three states away

I'm not going to drive three states away

and stay at a hotel and pay $500 to do a

show who's referring to me as a vendor

or a crafter and also booth creep that's

my big thing it should be your big thing

- this is what booth creep is see this

person has their stuff slung between

trees as opposed to in their booth

there's a booth creep is when people

push their stuff outside they're 10 foot

by 10 foot perimeter and that affects

you because if your next-door neighbor

has stuff pushes out into the aisle that

blocks foot traffic for you people have

seconds to see your work and you'll

notice when people are walking along

traffic flow moves in certain directions

people tend to look to the right when

they're walking so if they're walking

down the row and they're looking they're

looking and the boosts are going by you

have seconds to get them depending on

how fast they're walking now if the

person right before you has a chair

sticking out into the aisle or a table

the person who's walking along these

line of booths has to go around like

that and they're not going to they're

not going to go around the chair like

this and go back they're going to go you

know they're going to go around farther

out into the aisle and like that and

they're going to miss your booth

entirely and so you don't want someone

next to you who puts stuff out in the

aisle and people most of the people who

do that know what they're doing that's

why you see it they're doing it -

they're doing it to the right side of

their booth instead of the left side of

the booth because they don't want to

block their own foot traffic so you want

to know in advance that the show doesn't

allow booth creep doesn't allow people

to display things outside of the

foot by 10 foot perimeter and an SM in

advance if that is a problem because

because you want to know that you just

don't necessarily want to say something

to your neighbor about it if they're

doing that you want to go to the showed

you want to be able to go to a show

director that's why you want to be able

to judge what they're like and say could

you ask my neighbor to privilege hair

back into their booth please and you

want to show director who's going to be

responsive to that because you're going

to lose a ton of money I did a show that

I used to do it was a one-day show in

Philadelphia and it was a fabulous show

it was put on by community group and it

was like I would don't say guarantee

goes nothing to guarantee but it was

always good and it was inexpensive and I

always did a nice amount of money than

one year I had people next to me who are

on my on my left side stage left who had

chairs out in that not even one chair

they had two chairs side-by-side I made

about eighty percent less at that that

from that show then I normally did and I

had done that show for years and I did

pretty much always the same amount

eighty percent less they wouldn't move

their chairs the the show director

wouldn't make them move their chairs so

people had to just just they just miss

my booth completely and so that's the

difference that it makes so you just

want to know you want to get the feeling

you want to get the feel for whether you

can discuss these kind of things with

the with the show committee and the show

promoter before you apply so because it

means money especially if you're doing a

show where you're traveling because say

you're doing a show and it sho only cost

$200 but you're traveling far away you

have gas you have tolls you have a hotel

you have food you have all that stuff

plus time out of your studio that you

have to figure into the cost of doing a

show a $200 show may cost you $1,200

when all is said and done to do with

everything that you have to put into it

so what do you need to do to do besides

your work you have your body of work

your photographs you need a canopy

which I'm going to be showing you the

next slide you need to splay walls to

hang up your work a lot of shows will

have a rule that says everything hanging

up must be framed or must be originals

reproductions are only allowed in browse

boxes now photography is a multiple as a

medium of multiple so basically

everything is a reproduction so but you

want to have the framed on on the walls

now with my work because I do hand

colored black and white photography I

consider the hint the pieces that I hand

color by hint that I color by hand I

consider those to be my originals and

the prints of those I consider to be my

reproductions I also do Polaroid

transfers I still have some Polaroid

left mice in my stash and I'm still

doing those and but with those you

really can't sell the originals because

they fade so I make prints of those and

I sell the prints of those which are

technically reproductions so but in any

event you need to splay walls you need a

table or browse boxes you can have boxes

on the table and they make these kind of

folding you've seen those folding browse

boxes that fold up like a like a folding

chair have you seen those because I'll

show them to you and they're either wood

or aluminum and fabric you need a

vehicle to transport everything in this

is where people in the suburbs also have

an advantage they can have a big a big

vehicle where I live will have anything

bigger than a minivan so I had to become

one of those people who drive a minivan

so even though it's candy apple red so

it's a little sporty if sporty she could

be in a minivan and you need a system

for packing your work to keep it from

getting damaged in transport and don't

forget a chair you have a miserable

couple days with no chair so ok these

are but now these are shows with three

different basic types of boots that's

what's called a pop-up canopy that means

that the top is attached to the frame

when you fold it up or when you open it

up a lot of people put these in their

backyards you can get these for like

less than $200 though they make better

ones that cost more than that

they take like five minutes to set up

they are not the best for four

photographs I had one when I got started

they some of them will like leak at the

seams so when it would rain I would make

sure I wouldn't hang things underneath a

seam but you can also fix these by

getting a white candle or white wax and

you put the top on the ground and you

like color it like you're coloring with

a crayon over the the seams where the

thread whether it's sewn and that helps

keep water from leaking through the

seams but you also with these canopies

have to use hula hoops or those foam

noodles this pool toys they're like

they're called noodles system if it

rains they pull water the tops will pool

water and if you're there during the day

that's okay because you can keep

reaching up and pushing the water off

but if it's raining overnight it can go

I'll show you the slide coming up what

can happen they'll start to pull water

and they'll get bigger and bigger and

bigger and then it will crash and so

what you have to do is get like a little

hula hoop or noodles and you want it to

go over the frame but under the nylon

these are made of ripstop nylon so that

it's sort of like makes it a little bit

more dome shaped so that the water will

run off so if you're using that kind of

a canopy that's something you need to

think of and like I said I use one of

these for the first three years I was

doing shows and I took really good care

of it whichever kind of pay you get take

really good care of it make sure you

keep it dry never put it away wet or

damp when you get home if the show was

humid or or it was rainy make sure you

open it up and let it dry fully before

you fold it up to wait for the next show

because you don't want mildew because

first of all it doesn't look good second

of all it smells bad and you'll be at

your next show and so I'm going to walk

into your booth ago what is that and

they'll walk out you don't want to do

anything that makes people want to walk

out of your booth okay and so that's the

the most economical way to get started

now the one right next to that this is

what's called a craft Hut that's

starting with the

top canopies that is a barrel-shaped top

that is you know sort of people call it

the rolls-royce of canopies it's the

heaviest canopy that weighs a ton which

makes it more stable it but if you can

see it see how dark it is in there it

doesn't let as much light through but

you can get them that person obviously

didn't get a skylight you can get them

with a skylight if you get that kind of

canopy it's not like glass obviously but

it's a more translucent strips on the

top that lets more light through and I

would recommend that if you get that

kind of canopy you do that because you

need light to for people to see your

work and the one next to that is called

a light dome that's a barrel type sort

of like a craft Hut but it's lighter

it's made of anodized aluminum so it's

more lightweight and the pieces

telescope in and out a craft Hut is sort

of like putting together tinker to a

tinker toy set with little it has a lot

of pieces so you're putting everything

together with connector pieces and it's

a great canopy but just know that it

takes more time to put it up and so it

has some more complications with it the

light dome telescopes in and out which

is great everything's all together but

you also have to be careful more careful

with it

you can't just toss the pieces around

because if they Bend you know if they

collapse a little leave they get dented

they don't telescope in and out so

easily but it's a great kind of I've had

all three of these I've started out with

it with a pop-up I had it for three

years I bought it for $200 and I sold it

for $100 after using it for three years

then I moved on to a light dome which I

had probably like seven or eight years

and I got this crazy idea in my head

that I wanted I wanted an extended

heighth canopy these are not extended

heighth these are all you can see where

they are at the at the eaves

it's like six-and-a-half feet an

extended heighth canopy will be eight

feet high at the eaves so I've got it in

my head that I wanted a taller canopy

because it was going to get me more

attention and it was going to show my

work better so I got the taller canopy I

got a so I sold my light dome like $750

I bought it for like $1,200 and I sold

for

like $750 after using it for like seven

or eight years I bought the extended I'd

craft type but then I had to get

extended heighth walls so I got

extenders for my walls it looked

fabulous people would be walking down an

awesome they'd go whoa like cuz cuz they

see this canopy that was like really

tall but I had to keep climbing up and

down off the ladder and to put it up it

was like a nightmare to put together I

started to not want to go to shows

because I didn't I couldn't face putting

up the canopy it was you know so I ended

up selling it and bought another light

dome so I should have stuck with some

again I wanted to simplify and it's just

it's just easier it's just easier to use

now there's also a difference in these

canopies and how they handle weather now

you're going to be out in the rain

sometimes we have the shows that are

that are rain or shine if it shows rain

or shine they expect you to be there you

so you can't just say it's raining I

can't come today I'll come tomorrow if

you said that's the best way to get a

bad reputation and pressure you won't

get into that show again and if the

promoter talks you won't get into

something else because they want people

they've advertised the show and they

want you to be there if you see with the

barrel type canopy the craft Hut the

water will run down each each side with

the light dome which which goes down

four sides so the water will run down

all four sides and so you may have some

water running down off your cap off your

awning but so if that if that is the

case if it's raining you just pull

things in a bit a little bit so if you

normally have your table up to the edge

you pull it in a little because you know

the water is going to run down off the

front of your awning and maybe splash on

the ground and the awnings don't come

with the canopies you have to it's an

accessory what I would recommend your

basic canopy is the top with the frame

and usually with the sides you can see

in that picture on the left you can see

the sides that's what they boost look

like closed up at night you have to have

sides because you have to be able to

close up a night and you also have to

have sides if it rains I have the three

sides closed up to put the awnings on

you need awning zippers even if you

don't have enough money to get awnings

right away I would recommend that when

you buy your if you go for one of the

one of the vinyl top canopies which is a

light dome a trim line or a craft cut

you get the awning zippers put on when

you buy it even if you're not getting

awnings because you can get the awnings

later but if you want awnings later you

have to send your top back for them to

put the zippers on whereas if you get

the zippers when you buy it you can get

the awnings later and not have to worry

about that it's it's just more

economical and you're going to want

awnings eventually if they're good for

Sun they're good for rain they're good

to have and I have zippers on all four

sides so I have the option of putting

awnings on ever on any side because you

don't know I make it to a show and and

I'll show you my point move forward and

show you my booth wait well my booth

where's well where is my booth

there's my booth this looking a little

worse for the wear it's a little sloppy

though because I was there was like

after a day and a half of rain and so

it's like drying out now but you can see

I have awnings different size in this

particular place I have the option

because I have X more space so I have

the option of opening stuff on the

outsides of my booth too so if I didn't

have awnings I couldn't really do that

because you don't want your stuff to be

exposed to direct sunlight so because I

have awning zippers on all four sides

and I have awnings I can put the awnings

anywhere and I can display work on the

outside of my booth and that's a great

thing if you have that option because it

helps you get attention you want you

have to help you grab someone's eye as

they're walking by so so there's a one

is all four side you can probably not

really if you look on the left you can

see in the back you can see something

looks like a piece of vinyl that goes

only halfway down that's I call it my

back porch that's a really big awning

that you can get for if you're in a show

that has space behind your booth so you

can have space behind your booth if it

rains to protect everything like I was

huddled back there for like a day and a

half with all my stuff piled up all my

back stock piled up keeping it keeping

it dry because it was because it was

raining and you can see my tablecloth

looks a little sloppy right now it's

like up off the ground and it's drawing

still drying out because it just

recently stepped head stop training and

I should have had an extra tablecloth

than I didn't but these are the Browse

boxes that I was talking about on the on

the left you can see they're aluminum

and canvas and they fold up flat you can

also get them would it wouldn't and

they're great they come in different

sizes and those you can see you can see

see that that's a weight you have to

with no matter what kind of canopy you

have I have them on all four sides you

have to weigh your canopy down and don't

use a gallon of water you go to show

sometimes you'll see someone who is like

obviously just starting out and I have

like a gallon of water on each on each

canopy like that's not going to do

anything for you and also don't use

bungee cords if you've ever watched Road

Runner and wile eco do you understand

why not to use bungee cords with your

weights to weigh things down you get

nylon straps ratchet straps you can get

them at like Pep Boys or any place that

has you know car accessories you can get

them and those weights you can buy them

but you can make them I made them it

cost me like fifteen dollars to make all

for what the are our PVC pipe and if you

go to Home Depot and you're nice and say

could you cut the pipe for me please and

they cut a 10 foot of pipe and then cut

it in equal for equal parts then I got

the cap use the PVC glue to put the cap

on the bottom and then fill them with

concrete and there's a big just one out

of my head what to call it what the call

just I screw you know with i hook

sticking in the top you put the I hook

in before the concrete dries and and so

they weigh about thirty pounds apiece

and they take up not very much space and

it's very economical way of making

weights now if I'm in a place where

there are there's ground I also stake

down I have I come prepared for anything

I'm a Girl Scout

recovering Girl Scout so I'm prepared

for anything I also bring camping stakes

and auger stakes which are also called

dog stakes so spiral stakes so this

particular show is an odd show because

it's half on asphalt in half on on dirt

most shows are not like this most are

either dirt or asphalt one

other if they're on asphalt you can't

use your camping Stakes there are some

people who will come with asphalt screws

shows don't like that and so they don't

want you putting screws in their asphalt

but if they're on dirt or on grass

I also combined the weights with camping

stakes or auger stakes to give yourself

extra extra steadiness because these

things will blow if you've ever been

someplace and you seen these canopies

it's a scary thing to see these canopies

fly and they can hurt someone because

this canopies weight it's like 50 pounds

and so if it goes flying through the air

it can hurt somebody if it lands on them

so you just want to be very careful and

also to add extra weight I attach my

weight my walls to the to the crossbars

inside I have the system of racks which

I have to go back to tell you about the

racks they sell this thing that sticks

in the top of the rack and it has

something that that will grab on to the

cross bars of your canopy so it adds all

that extra weight to the canopy as well

so that's just really important let me

go back where we we were okay now this

particular canopy if you're vertically

challenged as I am this is a there's one

canopy that lets you put the top on when

it's on the ground like that I probably

should have got that canopy but I didn't

but if you're short or if you have you

know health issues that make it hard for

you to keep doing reaching up and

putting the canopy on because these

vinyl canopies you have to set up the

frame and then you have to put the top

on the frame

they will kneel down but they won't

kneel all the way down like that when

they're kneeled down like the crossbars

are like about here and so you do a lot

of a lot of jumping to get the to get

the top on them but if you you know

can't do that you can get this canopy

which is by flourish and you can put the

top on while it's on the ground and so

that's an advantage for some people what

I would recommend before you buy

canapé go to a show that's setting up

and don't you know bother anyone you

know you know if it's a kind of show if

it's a kind of show that's like in a

park or some place where you can be you

know unobtrusive and just watch people

setting up their canopies and don't

bother them when they're while they're

doing it but just watch how many parts

these canopies have whatever and see

what they're going through and put up

the canopies so that you can judge for

yourself whether you think you know

which canopy will be will be good for

you because it is an investment and you

want to try you know make a good a good

investment but as I heard from my

history I if you take care of them you

can also always sell them forward that's

another reason to keep your canopy clean

aside from it looks good it looks better

it smells better it's better for your

customers if you make a mistake and you

have kept it up well and keep it looking

like new you can always sell it forward

and get something else so and some shows

like this show is a show in Pennsylvania

in Lancaster Pennsylvania is called

Long's Park you can see these kind of

counties that have like the the edge

that make them look like Renaissance

things those are rental canopies some

shows will offer rental canopies and

some people go that route because they

don't want to set up a canopy or maybe

they can't and so if a show offers that

and you have some kind of limitation you

that you can't set up a canopy there are

some shows that will offer that option

you have to pay for it but the the

canopy is set up for you and you get to

your space so that's a way of for some

people to go now whether you can see

this is what happened to a pop-up canopy

that didn't have the noodles and you can

see that it pulled water and then it and

then it collapsed I was at a show in

Virginia once and it rained overnight

and myself and another artist got there

early and we were it you could see all

these canopies are like you could hear

them like

like swaying back before then and I'll

Adam had all this water pulled in which

we're going under trying to push the

water out from different peoples kind of

because you just kept hear them you kept

hearing them crash we're just sitting

there we kept hearing crash crash and we

thought let's help some of these people

and and like go into their canopies and

like push the water off we were we were

drenched but we were able to save some

kind of peace but that's what can happen

if it rains overnight and you don't have

the whole hoops or noodles underneath on

top of the frame but underneath the

nylon and here you see people using

extra things too like this person

obviously use plastic drop cloths to

give extra protection for their pop-up

canopy in the rain which is something

you could do you know plastic drop

cloths are one of the things that you

should always carry with you in your van

when you're doing these shows always

have a few you never know when you might

need them you might need them for rain

you might need them for if even if it

doesn't rain if you're at a show where

it is it may be it rained a few days ago

and you're on grass the dew will come up

overnight so you can leave your if you

come back and you're the inside of your

booth will be like a terrarium it will

be dripping with water and that all that

moistness has gotten on your work so if

you have a show like that where the

ground is damp before you leave for the

night I usually pack down my work

sometimes I don't sometimes I do but

even if you do pack down your work take

everything out of your booth put the

plastic drop cloth on the ground

sticking out you know the edges and then

put everything back on top of that and

that will prevent the dew from coming up

and getting onto the inside of your of

your tent because even if you have

packed down your stuff when you get

there in the morning it'll still be all

wet and your racks will be wet and

you're going to have to hang your stuff

on wet racks so you want to put the

plastic drop cloth down and the dew

comes up and I'll hit the drop cloth it

won't come up into your booth so that's

another reason to carry plastic drop

cloth also things that you need to carry

extra clips you can see those clamps

holding you can get those all over the

place you can get them at Home Depot you

can get them down on Canal Street all

over the place always good to have extra

the extra those candles if you have the

pop-up

these loops and wd-40 if you are using a

pop-up canopy sometimes if they get wet

they stop sliding some kind of something

about the metal and so always have wd-40

to help with that

now with racks or different kinds of

racks the ones I use this is the kind

that I use they're called graphic

display system racks there are plain

metal wrecks you'll see people selling

stuff all over the streets in Manhattan

with these but they don't cover them

what you should do if you're if you're

selling your work it shows is you need

to put fabric covers on them the reason

for that is two reasons first of all

they look better

second of all you want your work to be

your booth to be as much like a gallery

as possible and you don't want

distractions like say you have your work

hanging on a rack like they have a

picture here and people are walking by

and people are looking at your work and

they're seeing people walking by they're

seeing different things taking their

attention away from your work when

they're in your booth you want their

attention to be on your work and also

having the covers makes it look more

like it would look if it's in their home

so when I you know when I first was

getting started I didn't have any money

for this and I still didn't know all

this stuff when I was getting started

all this stuff I'm telling you guys I

didn't know all this I had to learn it

as I was going along so I first got

started I had the pop-up canopy and I

had these racks I didn't have covers on

them when I finally got the fabric

covers my sales jumped just from getting

the fabric covers so it does make a

difference

and with these they automatically come

with what I call the big feet you can

see that we call the regular to hold

base which is this thing here they come

with that automatically but I personally

prefer the flat feet because they take

up less space so if you are at a show

and you're right up against someone

else's booth this will stick into the

next person's booth you see

so you're better off to not get those

and get the flat feet that are over on

the left eye that's my opinion you'll

have more options and you won't and you

won't take off your neighbors if you

have you and you don't do that now these

are a brand of racks called Pro panels

and you'll see with all of these racks

they either come in three foot lengths

that you can put together or six foot

that's the that depends which one you

get depends on what you like and what

you can fit in your vehicle I have the

racks that I have break in to break in

like this but then I put them together

and put the covers on them and these

come in different colors there's a lot I

would say most photographers use these

particular these particular racks I

don't but I like the wrecks that I have

because I can just take the covers off

and throw them in the washer they're

like polyester double knit fabric I

would never wear clothes made out of

that fabric but they're great for rack

covers because you pull them off you

throw them in the washer and you hang

them up and they're clean so I can keep

washing them you know over and over

again like if you're at a show that's

windy it's blue sometimes you'll take

your pictures down off your racks at the

end of a show and you'll see lines

around your work where the dirt has been

flying and hitting your racks and glit

and you have clean marks behind your

pictures you want to keep washing your

stuff because you won't always want to

show up at a show clean now this is a

fabric racks i used to use these

actually when i had a smaller vehicle

but before I had my Dodge Caravan I had

a Saturn a little Saturn not even a

station wagon a little SL one and I put

my entire booth into that car and I

didn't have room for racks but I used

these nylon racks which roll up you can

see the what the texture of that fabric

by a company called flourish and these

are great too if you don't have a lot of

if you don't have a vehicle that you can

fit you know racks in these are great

you can see they sell the the pot the

polls that go between the legs and

everything and then and then the sides

and they have them in different

configurations these are really nice and

it's a nice clean look and you can also

wash these two you watch them while

they're while they're up on on the polls

again there's a my booth looking that to

the state that tablecloth bothers me

whenever I see that picture because it

just looks so sad this looks this head

now this is not even though this is my

booth this is not the booth slide that I

would show when I'm jurying because it

looks a little bit sloppy now you want

everything that when you're applying you

want your work to look consistent with

what you're going to bring but when I

take a photograph of my booth for a

booth jurying slide what makes us also

look copy as you can see the sides

rolled up at the top that sort of gives

it kind of a kind of a sloppy kind of a

look but when I jurying slide I wouldn't

have that on there and let me see so

that's the slide I would use for jurying

see the sides are not on it looks a

little neater like I'm not going to take

my my you know linen tablecloth put it

out in the rain it would be it would be

there was it just would be destroyed so

those that's the option when it what I

use when it when it's raining and also

the thing that makes the biggest

difference is you don't see the whole

booth you see enough of it to give an

indication but you don't see the sides

that are rolled up at the top that makes

a difference now a show knows that

everyone's going to have those sides on

their boots and they're going to be

rolled up at the top so that's not doing

anything that's inconsistent with what

you're going to be showing but so yeah

so you want something to to be in a

perfect world is it's really hard to

keep things looking that perfect when

you're actually at a show and and

everything's like coming at you now

here's a an artist shows a difference a

difference in booth design so terrific

artists the difference between how how

the booth has evolved and between just

changing a fuse little things the

arrangement of the wall

the different canopy top and yeah

flowing a lot of people use flooring I

don't use flooring I it's just I don't

have room to carry it my van and I don't

want to be picking up this dirty flowing

I did for a while because there are

people who say oh you have to have

flooring in your in your in your booth

and I actually went out and got a nice

plum colored carpet and I you know and I

would put it out it shows it it looked

really nice but then at the end of a

show I have to roll up this filthy plum

colored carpet and put it in my van and

plus I have to carry a vacuum cleaner

with me it was we're using car we had

you know you have to you know whatever

you add you have to have a way of

maintaining so I so that didn't work

plus I did a show the last time I use it

carpet I was I did a show that was in a

livestock barn you know and and I

thought do I want to roll this cut this

that it's been rolled out on this

livestock barn do I it would look nice I

thought I'll leave it here for the cows

when they come back in they'll have a

nice purple carpet in their stuff but

you know so you have to be prepared for

anything when you're doing these shows

because you're going to be in your booth

you're there and there's no guarantee

you're going to get out until the end of

the day there's no guarantee once you

get to a place that they'll have

anything you need so you can't think oh

well you know there's something you need

I'll stop on the way there or I'll stop

when I get there I'm or had a really

awful show I went to the first time I

didn't have enough time to make myself

something to eat and and so I figure

well I'll get some I'll just I didn't

bring any lunch or anything and I I

think I'll just get some there because

I've done the show before and they

always have this you know ambulance

corps there and they're always selling

you know hot dogs and hamburgers and

stuff like that and I'll just get that

and and soda but this year they didn't

just decided they weren't selling that

they were just selling candy and so I

Ted and brought anything to because I

figure I'll just buy the stuff but I'm

support the Angelyn score and I'll have

my hot dog and the show and that's all I

had was candy all day and I was like

you know but the room that taught me

always bring everything you need whether

its water lunch and things that you're

going to need to maintain yourself and

your booth duct tape you duct tape

solves like 95% of the world's problems

everyone knows that always have duct

tape with you you don't know when you

might need it for something to hold

something down or you'd ever know when

you might need it

Windex and paper towels to keep the

glass on your pictures clean that's a

first aid kit for your framed pieces and

for yourself for your frame pieces

anything you might need to take your

frame apart and put it back together or

maybe you have a frame piece and someone

wants it but they want it without the

frame if you're willing to sell that's

up to you whether you want to sell

things without frames or not but if so

you need the tools you need to take the

picture out of the frame and sell them

to them that way and then you also need

plastic to put the picture in the

plastic sleeves a first aid kit for

yourself like band-aids and neosporin

and your favorite headache reliever

which you don't want to go to show

without something for headaches

pepto-bismol don't eat show food in most

places if you do make sure you have

pepped over with you just you know

sunblock even though you're under these

canopies you can still get a really bad

sunburn

some of them they claim they have like

an SPF but no no no no don't trust a

feather duster a feather duster is a

great thing especially if it's windy or

breezy little bits of dust whatever fly

on your on your pictures you want to

keep dusting them off but a feather

duster is a great tool also because you

want to look like you're busy you don't

want to be sitting in your booths like

like this if your booth is empty which

it will be at some shows you don't want

to just sit there like this you don't

want to read you want to always look

like you're doing something a feather

duster is a great tool you can walk

around you can dust your dust this

picture does that picture it looks like

you're doing something you're occupied

you're busy that's good for sales that

helps bring people into your booth the

thing that brings people into your booth

more than anything is having other

people in your booth if you have and

also sitting down and trying to eat

lunch you sit down and try to eat lunch

they will all come flocking into your

booth

but that's why you want to get people in

conversation I know I'm throwing things

in some things in out of context but if

you have people in your booth and they

only have one people in your booth even

if you know they're not going to buy

anything but that's the only person in

your booth just keep talking to them

until someone else walks into your booth

because having someone in your booth is

going to attract other people if they

see an empty booth they're not

necessarily gonna walk in but if they

see people in your boots are gonna say

oh what are these people looking at and

they're going to come in so you always

want to keep people in your booth as

long as you can without being obnoxious

and like you know dropping to the floor

and grabbing their ankles but if you

need to keep them from going out but

just keep you know engaging them in

conversation because that will help

bring other people in the plastic drop

cost I told you about memo pads in case

you have to write notes to yourself

about anything or or something zip ties

you can get those a lot of places home

depot you know what those zip ties are

this play I think police people you

please help us use them to as handcuffs

and stuff but they're great for you when

at the at night when you're locking up I

say locking up but you can't lock up

your booth you just roll down the sides

I always use zip ties at the corners to

like so people can't just unzip the

sides because it's a zip tie the bottom

so they have to so they can still get in

but it's just a little bit more effort

because where the zipper comes down at

the bottom it's like grommet holes and

so you just put a zip tie through the

grommet hole zip tie it to the leg so

they can't just pull the zipper up and

go in they have to like get down on the

ground and get underneath and it's just

more trouble for them a calculator

always remember a calculator or a seat

book is good thing to always have water

bring lots of water always bring lots of

water you're hot you're going to be

you're going to want water wet

wipes always want wet wipes because

you're going to be shaking people's

hands if you're like me you go to wet

wipes and simple snacks you don't want

something that you have to pull out and

eat it's going to stick to your teeth

whatever stuff nothing that smells you

know that's going to give you bad breath

breath mints you need breath mints

because then you know you don't want

something walking you buzz and go hi and

they you know go like that but you want

simple finger food that

can like pick you know any because you

you're not necessarily going to have

time to sit down and eat a big sandwich

whatever you just and you don't want to

look sloppy you just want to have little

like little finger food there's like

your favorite antidepressant it's like

sometimes you may sometimes you may need

that depending on depending on the show

again if you're working by yourself it's

really a totally different game than if

you're working with a partner a lot of

people do this with their spouses other

family members who are indentured

servants for the day or the weekend but

I always work these shows by myself and

if you do work them with family members

or someone else you have to make sure

that whoever you're working on them with

is as professional as you are with your

work because when someone walks into

your booth first of all you greet

everyone who walks into your booth you

say hello how you doing some simple

thing like if it's raining out great

weather we're having or whatever it is

it's some kind of icebreaker and then

it's like a dance

sales sales is like a dance you don't

want to like pounce on people and that's

why if you're sitting down some people

never sit down in their booths and some

people do I sit down I can't stand for

eight hours it's it's uncomfortable but

some people don't send out sit-down or

they use directors shows because if

you're sitting in a director's chair

you're really sitting but you're at the

eye level is people but if you're

sitting in a short chair and they walk

in and you stand up that like looks

aggressive they're go like oh you know I

did I don't it's pressure

I don't really pressured into by

anything I just want to look you know so

you don't want to pressure them so you

greet them you acknowledge that they're

there but you back you know back off you

see if they're looking at something

maybe you'll say something like they're

looking through my brows boxes I'll say

these are all matted to standard-sized

so you can drop right into a ready-made

frame where I'll mention that

everything's everything is matted and

acid-free material so it's not going to

turn yellow I mean you come up with your

own patter and make sure it's true I

actually used to sell my work in front

of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and

there was a guy who was set up next to

me a bunch of times and I had the

pattern he must have heard me say it

over and over again and suddenly one day

I hear him saying to someone in front of

his in front of his stall oh these are

all matted in acid-free materials so

they won't turn yellow I'm thinking it

doesn't look acid free to me when the

customer walked away I went over and I

said he also said they were sepia toned

when they weren't CP turn and I walked

over and I said this'll look like SP

matte board is this because oh I meant

to S key what that meant it sounds

really good so make sure you know what

you're what you're what you're promising

he also was say that his work was black

and white but he was getting it print

there see prints printed at a little

one-hour photo lab when you print black

negatives on a C print they are sepia

colored but they're not sepia toned

there's a difference in like maybe 75

years of longevity there but so you just

want to make sure that you are honest

about what it is that you're selling you

don't want to over promise over promise

something but again the dance you know

you gauge them in conversation and if

you ask them anything it's always you're

leading them to a sale in a way that you

ask them something that you think

they're going to answer in the

affirmative like you know nice weather

we're having or you know a great turnout

here this is great show or something

because they'll say yes yes you want to

get in tapos saying yes and they say and

they're holding something can I wrap it

up for you yes because they've already

said yes the weather and yes listen

yesterday and sometimes that sometimes

that works and sometimes it doesn't but

I don't do high-pressure sales I just

don't I don't like it when people do it

to me so I don't do it really what sales

is is you're giving them permission to

buy something that they already know

they want so whether if they don't want

it you can't convince them to buy it or

you could if you were like you know some

high-pressure person but basically you

can see you start to learn with the

expressions of people and how they are

with your work you can see that they

like it and you can see the wheels

turning in their head that they want it

but oh I have to pay my rent and I have

this bill do and I have that bill do and

they're doing this debate in their head

and you just have to say the things that

allow them to justify in their head that

it'd be give themselves permission to

buy this and things like that it's not

going to cost much to frame or you know

different little things like that add up

and helps them give themselves

permission to buy to buy your work and

you also I want everyone to walk out of

my booth feeling that they got the

greatest deal in the in the world I

don't want anyone to walk out and think

you know K I want them to feel like they

got something that they love it's a

great price and and they're going to be

happy with it on their wall because

really anyone who's buying your work

they're going to have to live with it

and so you want people to look at your

work on on their wall and have a good

experience behind it and feel positively

about you you don't want to feel like

they've been ripped off and you also and

that's why you don't over promise and

you don't tell them it's something that

it's that it's that it's not there

aren't you know I've heard of a few

people on the circuit who were selling

reproductions made in older generation

printers not archival inks that had to

stop doing shows because people started

coming back with faded prints because

they were selling things as archival and

they weren't they were only going to

last like eight years or whatever and

they don't do shows anymore because

people started coming in too many people

were coming with you know faded prints

and they didn't just put them out of

business but it also hurts every other

photographer every other painter who now

has to this person who got a something

that faded now when they see someone

like you who's honest they're not

necessarily going to believe you because

they had this other person

ripping ripped them off and that's why I

always feel that you're responsible for

your whole community not just for

yourself but the impression that the

whole photography and art community you

know make some people because you just

don't want that to happen people because

you wouldn't want that to happen you

know to you also I always think that

making a customer is more important than

making a sale that's why I always feel

and I learned that for years and years

ago when I first started doing

photography I took a job at a camera

store in a shopping mall

and that was one that was the thing that

I learned at that job that has always

stuck with me is making customers more

important than take than making a sale

and that is you know if they're happy

with you the experience they're going to

come back maybe they won't buy maybe

they'll only come into your booth and

buy this tiny little print today but if

you if they walk away with a nice

experience the next time they see you or

maybe in a few years when they have more

money or something they'll buy one of

your big pieces you know maybe today

they'll buy something for twenty-five

dollars but they have a good experience

next year maybe they'll buy something

for three hundred and fifty dollars you

also have to decide whether you want to

haggle some people are going to try to

haggle with you to get you to lower your

prices

I don't haggle and I just say right off

on a somewhat Rises tries to get me to

haggle I just say I don't haggle all of

my work is priced fairly I make

everything myself and I reiterate you

know what I do create my work you know

it's not manufactured and I'm not

selling something that someone else

manufactured I made myself and I don't

haggle some people accept that some

people don't and most people do ifs and

it also depends on how someone asks me

if someone asks me nicely if they say if

they approach it depends on how they

approach you if they say can you do any

better on this and depending on what

they're getting

I may you know you know take 10% off or

something like that of my work some

people won't do that but but I will do

that sometimes it depends but if someone

is rude I just say the prices don't go

down they only go up I you know I

actually had someone it was actually

funny this woman wanted five prints five

sixteen by twenty prints and I don't

remember what the total wasn't and she

spent all this time picking them out and

arranging them on the ground and trying

to figure out what she wanted she

decided what she wanted and her husband

and I heard her husband say to her given

to me I'll handle this you go stand

outside and so he comes walking over to

me and he says he wanted me to lower the

price and I said sorry I don't haggle

you know I know and and I do when people

do buy to something I will offer they'll

take automatically take like five two

prints same size all automatically take

like five dollars off and so I told them

what that discount was kiss now because

he is

you expect me to pay you know this for

this crapola and i said well if is crap

polo why do you want it and and and he

said well my wife wants it I said I

don't want my work in your home thank

you and I pulled the prints out of his

hand I said I said you know someone else

will buy it for full price thank you and

it turned him turn around and walk out

and he was like this and I could see his

wife out there like and he just walked

out like that and they walked down they

walked they just walked away and like an

hour or so later he comes back he comes

back and and they come back and they

pulled she pulls the same prints out and

and and I I raised the price I said I

said and that will be it was like not

much it was like I didn't give him the

the $5 just cuz I just raised the price

and I said that will be such as and with

tax that will be and and he just didn't

argue he just got them and that was the

only time that ever happened but that

was he just it was just he just worked

me he was just so rude and he called it

crapola and you know what I said about

having a thick skin which I do but still

he just you know but but that was funny

this her you know she went out in the

end did you they would pay less if she

had bought them to begin with but yeah

so some people are going to want to

haggle again you just have to decide

whether you do or not it said that's all

up to you so if you're going to really

be doing this you're going to want to

start cutting your own match yourself

because you're going to save yourself a

ton of money doing that when you're

doing shows you have to have some stuff

at a lower price point when you do shows

out on the street you have to have some

stuff that's under $50 so whether it's

small whatever you figure out what you

want you have to have something that

someone can walk away with for less than

$50 I feel there are some people who

don't those people tend to have like

trust funds or or or retirement you know

retirement account source or something

you know or spouses with jobs I don't

have any of those things when I go to a

show I you know I'm there to make money

and so I'm there to service the

customers who come

and the way I look at it you know some

people want to be also so want their

work to be exclusive and you have to

decide if you want to work to be

exclusive there's nothing wrong with

that it's just I would rather have my

work on a million walls than on ten

walls and so I have prints and I have

prints for as low as tiny little prints

for as low as $15 I actually years ago I

tried to start a greeting card company

which didn't go well but I was left with

all these cards and when I started doing

shows I was selling packs of cards

discounted like a dozen cards for like

$5 and people wouldn't buy them then

suddenly I realized wait a minute I'll

put them in matte so they wouldn't buy a

dozen for $5 but they'll buy one for $15

if it's in a little mat and so I sell a

lot of my tiny prints or this are those

greeting cards that I'm are still

selling in those little mats plus I make

other mats because now other prints

because I have absent printer and it's

so easy now with my Epson 3800 to make

great prints and you need bags to put

your prints in that are matted those are

called crystal clear bags that's what

just about everyone uses those and they

come in all different sizes if you go to

our Expo you see them there and you can

get their catalog but you can get it by

calling and they make it very easy to

offer matted pieces because you have to

have everything has to be protected from

sticky fingers you know people come in

with children people come in who eating

people come in who are eating themselves

which which you know that drives me

crazy when someone comes in with like a

soda or coffee in there and they're like

try to set it down someplace and I'd

really don't have any place for them to

set it down so but pardon i I just well

I I just you will pick it up and set it

you know something something I've had

people like say I have a bunch of prints

that are in a box like this some will

actually would like try to turns to the

I've had people do that and I that I

like don't even say anything I

immediately pick it up because I don't

want to get into an argument but you

know I'll you know set it down someplace

else I said

say oops I say oh please be careful and

if it's a little kid now with little

children a lot of these people come with

children and strollers stroller there

are some there are few shows that will

say no strollers or they'll say

strollers discouraged because the reason

they say that aside from the fact that

strollers can block the aisles is

strollers contain you know demanding

little people and sometimes I could pull

a tablecloth or they could do something

and a lot of people really don't watch

their their kids but also what they do

is you can see people you watch people

pushing strollers and the kids all quiet

and then they stop and that's when the

kids go ah you know mommy do me give me

easy whatever and and so if that happens

when you're a booth you want to be able

to stop and look through the stuff in

your booth so what I do is I engage the

child in conversation now I have maybe

have an easier time first of all cuz I'm

a female

so I'm not there's not that creepy

factor of a guy talking today to the

child but I also yes yeah but I not that

all you guys are creepy but you know pup

people are are nervous thing first of

all you never approach them don't

approach them don't touch them don't

hand them anything but just I'm sitting

down and I'm at their level in this

stroller

and I will just engage them in

conversation you know I always hang

things on the wall at stroller level

that will get their attention that I can

refer to like oh do you see that red

apple odd you see that cow what does the

cow say you know I also will go and I

will get confetti

I bring confetti with me glitter

confetti that comes in different colors

and shapes and I'll sprinkle it on the

ground in my booth and so I can point to

it and say you know oh did you see this

you know Tinkerbell was here can you see

how many blue moons can you see how many

red stars can you see and it engages

them for just enough time to give their

mother time to look at my stuff and

that's what I'm trying to do for that to

keep them from screaming and because if

the kids start screaming their mother

just going to and just keeps

walking so you want to find a way to

engage them

hanging things low to the ground that

might appeal to kids is a great way to

do that and just engage in conversation

you know is simple conversational

conversation about the work with the

kids you know some people ignore the

kids but you know I don't think that

they get you anywhere and I also think

you know I like talking to kids I think

there's I think they're funny so that

helps that really that really that

really helps I actually people think

don't believe this will come once

actually left a baby in my booth

people sometimes Lee sings in your booth

and someone woman left a baby in my

booth which terrified me actually

because I thought what what you know it

was in a carriage and it was asleep and

I know if it was sleeping or what it was

you know but and I'm thinking wait a

minute wait a minute and she put it she

parked it and she walked away it just

walked just walked down the aisle and

maybe there's something wrong with the

baby and she's trying to like put it on

some of those I didn't know what to do

and I walked I mean it like walked over

to my neighbor I said someone just left

the baby my booth and everyone in the in

her boots look what what they all come

look and we saw her go down the aisle

and go in another booth across the way

she just wanted apparently just wanted

to put the baby someplace so she could

go try on clothes and so I walked as I

walked down the aisle and I and I and I

walked into the booth where she was and

it was kind of a clothing booth where

they had the front kind of clothes so

she was completely out of sight you know

of the baby I could have walked away

with it and I walking it walked into the

booth I said did someone leave a baby

and everyone stopped and frozen turned

around and and she came walking out and

she came with there it's all kinds of

people in the world and you just have to

like take it in your stride and not let

it get to you not get into an

altercation with crazy people and just

keep smiling and be friendly and that

takes us into media relations because

this is really really important a show

supposed to do publicity the show

organizers supposed to do publicity but

you can help by by doing it yourself or

being able to capitalize on the

opportunity when you have the

opportunity to be interview

a lot of these show organizers really

don't understand media relations they

don't understand how to get the media

there they don't understand what the

media can do for them they don't

understand what to do once the media

gets there sometimes they'll just send

out press releases and sometimes the

media shows up and sometimes they don't

if the media shows up they just let them

wander around and don't direct them

which is bad they should always be

directed you take them to where to what

you want them to see I learned about

Media Relations because I used to work

for Ringling Brothers and Barnum &

Bailey Circus so I feel like I learned

at the knee of the master in how to deal

with the media now sometimes you'll be

at a show and you when you go to a show

you should always know the show

statistics meaning how many people are

how many artists are in the show exactly

where it is so you can say in a simple

way where it is if it's possible to know

how many like how many you know from how

many states you know 200 artists from 32

states or whatever different sound bites

you have to learn to speak sound bites

so if someone if you see someone even if

they don't ask you if you see someone

from the local TV station coming looking

walking around looking for something to

photograph say would you like to

interview me and they'll usually say yes

because they're looking for something to

do they're just looking for their story

and they don't know what - they don't if

the if the promoter is not leading them

they don't know what to ask or who to

ask and so they're just happy that

someone want to talk to them and so so

you can do your little interview but

here's what you have to know you have to

be positive and you smile you do not say

some artists will take it as an

opportunity to air grievances you don't

complain about anything it doesn't I

don't care if you were if you're up to

your knees in mud for three days and it

never stopped raining and and and you've

been bitten up by mosquitoes and

whatever happened you just smile and you

are Pollyanna and everything is perfect

in the world and because the people you

have to talk to the people who are

watching at home they don't want to come

to some place where all these grumpy

artists are who people are complaining

they're there watching they don't think

we don't want to go there these people

they sound like they're ready to go on

strike or something you know you want to

seem like a fun place so Sarah often the

media will ask you will give you leading

questions that are negative you don't

bite

you always take a Dipel you know but you

want the information that you want to

get out no matter what that you see

politicians do this all the time some do

it better than others they do not ask

their answer the question they just say

what they want to say regardless of what

the question is that's exactly what you

want to do but you don't want to do it

in such a slimy way so so it's a cut

someone says you know if someone comes

up if so if the interviewer says the

reporter says oh I heard the weather was

really horrible here you don't say yes

you say it's a oh it's been a great two

days we've gotten really terrific

there's a really spin about all these

people have come gotten great deals

because they've been fewer people here

you just turn it around you turn

everything around and it's something you

have to practice because you know when I

was in Clown College we used to actually

practice how to deal with the media yes

I'm a graduate of Ringling Brothers

Clown College pardon so it's wrong we

didn't work with Seltzer bottles but we

learned how to be interviewed because

very often they're looking for a

negative story the press and so you

would like drill and they questions and

we practice answering negative questions

with a positive answer and so something

that that's something that you practice

and you can have actually if you want to

learn how to do any of yous have someone

who will help you think of you know

watch TV watch these stupid questions

that these reporters ask and write them

down and have someone ask you the

questions and you come up with your own

answers and practice that way because

that will help you and I think the best

the best example of that is I did a show

in Stone Harbor a number of years ago

and this is a show it's a Saturday and a

Sunday but set up was on Friday set up

didn't start - like three o'clock on

Friday and everyone and this was a show

where they don't not a minute before

three hook you have everyone's in line

ready to get their booth assignment to

set up and I see the local ABC affiliate

from Philadelphia coming up with their

camera

in their truck and they're coming to do

this show report the shore report I

should say you know and I know because

I'm from the Philadelphia area

originally that every Friday in the

summertime they do that what's going on

down the shore and the reporters there

and she walks up to the booth for most

information before all the artist is

standing around waiting to get their

booth assignments and and and she says

you know I'm here from Action News and

and you know we'd like to you know you

see there's nothing there it's an empty

field except for this one 10 and and you

know I have to you know take some

pictures and do some interviews for the

five o'clock news you know when will

there be something I can do it and and

and the show promoter behind the table

said well you know they're not going to

start til three o'clock and then I don't

know how long it's going to be that

didn't help any and all these artists

and she turns these artists waiting in

line and says you know well if you be

said any of you be set up soon when will

you be set up and all these artists go

oh my god it takes me three hours to set

up it takes me five hours to set up it

takes me 12 hours of setup and they're

all complaining about how long it takes

to set up I see her she's like oh my god

she cuz she has I know she's thinking I

have to file a report and I have nothing

here where am I going to go I can't go

to Atlantic City now there's no time to

go anyplace else but here and so she

starts to walk away and so I walk up to

her and I said I said do you just need

visuals because if you do I can put up a

couple racks and put up some pictures

and you can just do close-ups if you

like she oh thank you and so I ran to my

car and I put up a couple racks so it

didn't even put the fabric on them you

know just to get them up for her and I

hung some pictures and she went in close

they went in close the camera guy and

you had me explain all these pictures

and said I was given in my pattern that

I give for all these pictures normally

to a customer oh this cow you know this

picture of a cow this cow started

chasing me you can see are looking at me

as soon as I stand the shutter she

chased me and I had this story for each

you know this picture you know my

grandma these apples on a window so my

grandmother was sitting underneath the

window sill and she's not in the picture

but whenever I see the picture I always

think of her because I know she was

sitting there below and I also explained

what I do which is the hand-painted

black white photography which no one

ever gets I mean I get people all day

long is this photo

is this you know what is this and is

this painting I say no is it make a

black-and-white photograph and I color

it with oil paints but it looks so real

because of the photograph yeah I get

that all day long but I was explained to

her what it was so she by the time I was

finished they'd spent thing she wasn't

spent like 15 or 20 minutes with me by

that time other people was trying to set

up their booths in and then a couple of

them okay hey come over here and talk to

me but she didn't because they were the

same people who were complaining before

that package ran at five o'clock and six

o'clock and 11 o'clock and it ran the

following morning and all weekend long

I had a corner booth and I'm sitting my

booth and I would hear people come up oh

I saw her this is the cat this cow

started chasing her people are

explaining my work to the people they're

with and I had one of the best shows I

ever had

and I went back to that place that show

again a couple of the years and didn't

come anywhere close because we didn't

get the coverage but that particular

show that I could tell the power of the

media these people knew what I had and

what I was about and they were

explaining my work to the people they're

with because I was on that because I was

interviewed and that only happened

because I was positive and I was trying

to help her get the story and try and

obviously to help myself to but doing it

in a positive way and that is the power

of television and being positive and

working with them and helping them solve

their problem their problem being they

have to file a report and and so that

can tell you what that can do for you

now when you're being interviewed what's

really important is you have to repeat

things because have you ever been at

home and you're watching report you're

only you know the news is on you you

usually only like half paying attention

and suddenly it get your attention and

they're talking about so that looks

interesting but then they don't say what

it was they had said at the beginning of

the report what it was and you want to

go there but you don't know where it is

what was it what was that they were

talking about and so that's why you want

to repeat things in your answers

repeatedly let them edit it out if they

have to but you know if they say say you

know well we'll hear it at Long's Park

here in Lancaster Pennsylvania right off

route 30

and the weather's really you know great

and they ask you a question this well

here at the longs park show you know you

repeat the name of the show and where it

is in answers you know as they're asking

you questions so you've said it several

times so the people at home can hear it

and and maybe they'll edit it out maybe

they won't but you've given them the

opportunity to have it in there several

times because the people at home really

have to know it that's why I say lather

rinse repeat you speak to the person

watching at home

you're really not speaking to the person

interviewing you're speaking to the

person who's watching now have your own

press packet now have it as any has

anyone here you probably all seem to

have you all seen a press packet what a

press packet looks like it's usually

like a bio of yourself you can put it in

a folder you don't have to you might

have you know some prints now that you

can print things really cheap see

cheaply on an Epson printer or a Canon

printer you can have some examples of

your work maybe a CV anything

interesting and you have it in the event

that someone comes like a some media

person comes into your booth and you can

hit part yeah business cards but you

don't just let them sit out so it with

someone mentioned business cards yeah in

your packet but when I mentioned

business cards is you don't just put

your business cards out where people can

just take them if anyone asks you for

business card you say oh is there

something you're interested in you don't

just hand them out like candy because

you don't know why people want them

first of all they could just be wanting

to sell you

you know Amway or something and or

trying to sell you something and so you

just don't look there are people who go

along to shows and just take everyone's

business cards because they're later

you'll get contacted by these people

trying to sell you something and you

don't want to waste your business cards

that way you if someone once your

business cards say oh is there something

you're interested in and they say no say

oh sorry I don't have any cards today

but you can find me on the internet and

tell them your website or something but

don't give them your business card you

know but someone says oh yeah I was

interested in this but I'm decorating

and I'm going to

moving whatever it is then you hand them

business card and I actually have two

business cards I have one with my phone

number one does not have my phone number

on it just has an email address because

you get some creepy guys and and they

just want your business card and so they

get the one with the with the with the

gmail address not the phone number so

but I have a good pressed packet it's

good to be prepared with a press packet

you never know it's one of the things we

prepared with you don't know what media

person might walk in and you look

professional because you have that you

can hand it to them and to also miss

Mazeppa was right everyone you all know

miss miss upper right from gypsy you got

to have a gimmick if you want to get

ahead you know you can either bump it

with a trumpet or you or whatever that's

what is in this mess if it was right you

have what makes you newsworthy you put

that in your press packet and you also

have that in your head to throw in to

any interview if anyone does if any you

know the news does come to the show and

you know what's unique about your work

you should have that at the top of your

head what's unique about your work what

what makes it interesting you know you

don't want them to edit you if they're

going to do a report you don't want to

edit you out of it what's interesting

why should they not edit you out you

don't say this is why you shouldn't edit

me out but you just you know come up

with some interesting pattern for them

and so that you are newsworthy so so you

get in there and you learn to speak

sound bite meaning talking speaking in a

way that is concise it's really hard to

do you know there's there's some schools

of thought for sales at shows there's

this guy who's like he's like the Tony

Robbins of of craft show sales and he

says you should never say thank you

until someone buy something so someone

comes in and gives you a compliment you

know the natural thing is to say thank

you if you're raised right

someone says though your work is

beautiful you say thank you this guy

says that you should not say thank you

that thank you is the end is the end of

a transaction and if someone gives you a

compliment you don't say thank you just

engage them in conversation your work is

really beautiful oh well you know I do

black and white photography than a hand

color

and they'll keep giving you a compliment

so waiting for the thank you because

everyone expresses it and but you're

biting you know for a while I tried that

to do that and it's just so exhausting

it is just so exhausting because the

people just keep complimenting you and

complimenting you until you say thank

you and I just you know you find people

who compliment you a lot tend to not

really buy anything by completely yeah

I'm going yeah but but at some point it

just becomes exhausting and you just say

thank you and then the been there they

leave but these are some miscellaneous

stuff a really great book called sole

proprietor this woman she Jane

she started actually selling her work at

craft shows doing the Ukrainian egg

decorating and she just has these really

great insights about the life of being a

lifestyle entrepreneur meaning creating

something Greece and selling it you know

employing yourself it's a really great

book ASMP

is anyone here a member of a SNP yay I

always suggest everyone should join

every photographers just join a SNP it's

a great organization it's a great

organization to support they have a code

of ethics that's the address for the

code of ethics it applies to whatever

art work you do it's it's a great thing

to keep in mind one thing I do want to

warn you about is there are no

organizations like ASP for art show

artists for people who do art shows

there are some pretenders out there who

want to take your money so if anyone

approaches you trying to get you to join

this organization or that organization

for you know independent artists the

artists who do art fairs you know say no

thanks I don't join I'm not a joiner and

because they really only want your money

there's really everyone's a while

someone will come up and they want to

try to start some kind of an

organization basically what they're all

trying to do is is a control juries show

juries and because there are different

kinds of juries there are some juries

you're juried into a show meaning

there's a jury who look at your work at

the work that you apply with and

with some shows it is the people who run

the show it's the director or whatever

and then there are some shows that are

what's called a peer-review meaning

they're artists who are in the show who

are on the jury deciding who else gets

in now if they're honest artists they

will jury in the highest quality work in

their opinion if they're dishonest

artists they will jury their competition

out and their friends in and so there

are a couple of organizations who try to

talk to show and try to tell shows that

they represent artists and they're

trying to get themselves onto juries

there are people into juries they're

trying to keep they're trying to keep

the riffraff out what they think is

there if I have the people the new

people I went to I was at a show my

favorite show which is like a serpent

sylvania I had already mentioned it

Long's Park and the reason I like it is

just because it's Pleasant

they're very pro artists they give you

space to spread out they don't rip you

know they they don't rip you off they're

just really nice they give you breakfast

every morning they're just really nice

to work but they have a lot of helpers

that will help you do anything they're

just really nice people so even though

it's not necessarily the highest

grossing they're just a low-stress show

and so I like to apply that show but

this art this organization that claims

to represent independent artists one

they all usually have a town-hall

meeting there one morning before the

show opens and and the first year eyes

at the show I went to one of these

meetings and and someone raised their

hands they're talking about all these

issues blah blah blah and someone raised

their hand is what do we do about this

problem is you do a show for years and

suddenly you can't get in and you go

there and all these new people are there

and I'm thinking wait a minute I'm one

of the new people and these people are

just trying to keep us out there's like

these older more established more

established meaning they've just been

doing it longer and they're trying to

keep new people from getting into these

shows and and that's why they're trying

to get onto these juries so they can

control that and that's like just if any

of these groups no matter who they say

they are they say they're representing

our charters just I know from experience

to say sorry I'm not a joiner

so and I did remember to mention

strollers so this one of my favorite

quotes from Jamie's L first perseverance

Trump's talent second do what you want

to do otherwise why bother third be

ethical it might rub off on others

fourth don't give up I think those are

great words of wisdom for any

photographer any artist you know whether

you're selling your work in these venues

or any other and any other venues so and

if you've ever heard if you've never

heard Jay speak if you ever see him

supposed to speak someplace do yourself

a favor and go see him he's very he's

very insightful and very funny and just

a really interesting interesting person

and go go get him basically thank you

all for coming

best of luck with all your adventures on

the show circuit and I hope this has

been helpful look and thank you very

much for more information please visit

us online give us a call or stop by our

New York City super store you can also

connect with us on the web

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