The People You Meet...

A lot of people have asked me if I would stop doing shows given enough galleries carrying my work.  On a rainy cold day in a tent with no potential customers in sight the answer might be yes, but overall I don't think so.  One of the best perks, in my mind, of doing shows is the amazing people you meet.

Some of the coolest people I know are other show artists who I would never have come into contact with if not for the art fair life.  I have spent countless hours next to these like minded souls, and often end up making connections that last.  These artists run the gamut from limestone carving to metal work to jewelry to painting to photography to ceramics to mixed media... the list goes on.  I own pieces by many of them and will continue to collect as I can afford to.

Some of my favorite meals have been the Saturday nights, mid-show.  At one show last year the artist next to me invited me to go with a group and I ended up with a bunch of new friends - and a roommate for one of my shows this year!

Believe it or not the internet has made making show friends even easier.  I participate in multiple artist forums and you yourself interacting with the same people frequently.  You feel like you know them but you have never met them fact to face.  It's a beautiful thing when you will be at the same show as that person and can finally make that connection.

This weekend I start my social shows at 57th Street Art Fair in Chicago.  I have a list of people that I'm looking forward to seeing, some old friends and some new friends that I have been in touch with but have not met.  I can't wait! 

Still Waiting... Part 2

On March 17th I showed you my status summary for show applications... here is the April 8th update:

By the Numbers:

• 13 applications sent
• 3 more applications to send, although 1 may not be sent if others come back as acceptances
• 4 rejections :(  and they came all in a row!
• 1 wait lists 
• 6 Acceptances  (one came off the waitlist!)
• 2 in progress - next notification dates is 4/15/13

Analysis:

4 rejections from shows that I have never done before.  I've applied to 2 of them in the past and was rejected then too.  Next year I may try to apply with a different style of piece and see how that goes.



I am also deciding whether I will attend 2 of the shows that I have been accepted to.  They are difficult weekends for family reasons and if I don't think they will be amazing it probably isn't worth the trouble.

To see the shows that I will definitely be at check out my site

Conclusion:

It's still a crapshoot

The Artist and the Geek

So in addition to an obsession with fused glass, I am a geek of many trades.   I'm a hobby level camera geek, I have a mid-level DSLR that can keep me busy for days if I find the time.  I am a wannabe car geek, I love to keep track of the newest cars out there and dream of owning the great sports cars.  Finally, and most relevantly I am a tech geek.  I really am an engineer by training (BSEE and MSCS), and I do use those skills to keep a day job that pays for the required parts of my life.

So why is this interesting?  I take advantage of the camera geek part of my brain by trying to improve my ability to take pictures of my artwork (and kids, and nature, and vacations).  I got the DSLR a year ago and with the help of Gwen I've been able to learn enough to take many of the web shots.  Glass is trickier than it sounds - lighting and glare are challenging.  Of course, for a jury picture Gwen is far far far better than I am, and she gets stuck with that job.

I'm not quite sure how the car geek comes into play, but its just a weird fact about me.

The tech geek is far and away the most useful.  I have created websites for myself and my friends for years.  I keep my web skills close to current just because it lets me keep my own site evolving.  Of course, most of the bells and whistles just make for an ugly cluttered site so I try to exercise restraint before actually publishing the pages.  I've always used analytics tools to track traffic on my sites, and I have a decent grasp of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Now that I've put my pieces up on Etsy I've discovered a whole new world of web tools! Using some nice applications that other folks have put together I have linked Etsy, Facebook and my own site so that my pieces for sale show up everywhere.  (see the sidebar on this page!)  The analytics tools let me track site visits, purchases, favorites and when I've been featured on Etsy's front page.  It seems there is a whole new industry out there that lets the geek in me give the artist a much better chance at being noticed.

It's good to be and Artist and a Geek!