It’s been so long since I’ve written in this blog it feels a bit weird and I’m not sure how to start it, but when I think about it, I guess that’s basically how I always feel writing these posts.
This past weekend was the annual Craft Fair which takes place at the local high-school and benefits the graduating class. It usually draws in a huge crowd and people come from all over not just to visit the craft fair but we get vendors from all over as well. It’s usually pretty jam-packed and highly anticipated.
Since I began attending the Craft Fair in 2019 there has been shenanigans nearly every year. The first year it was an unexpected power outage that killed one out of 2 of the days for us. The second year was 2020 and well, we all know what happened then. Last year was the first year back and it was packed, bustling and full of enthusiasm after everyone was so tired of lock down. People came out in droves to support and I did quite well (as did most vendors that year). Since we forgo our beloved Craft Fair before that, it seemed like we were given a free pass on the shenanigans that year. This year, BC Hydro had planned a power outage for maintenance for the 19th. People in our community were upset by this, we all have very little patience for BC Hydro with how often our power is out (and for hours on end). Every year they schedule this shut off and it’s always after it gets cold. I’m not sure why they don’t schedule it for the summer months but I imagine it’s the same reasons our roads don’t get painted until right before the snow falls; we’re end of the line and out of sight out of mind. It’s easy to put us last. But don’t mess with our Craft Fair. Enough people complained that BC Hydro actually rescheduled their power outage to the following weekend.
I’m typically a pretty homebody, keep-to-myself type of person. I’m a bit of a hermit, to put it bluntly. I drag myself out of the house once or twice a week to socialize my toddler at baby groups and I socialize with other moms, but I don’t really do a lot of socializing outside of that. I do dog training once every week or two, I host Pack in the Park every week or two, my husband and I take our daughter for swim lessons in Vanderhoof, but all these things I wouldn’t exactly classify as socializing face-to-face. The Craft Fair or any sort of market involves a lot of face-to-face interactions that I’m not really used to or always very fond of. I haven’t been focusing on my art that much this year and I felt really out of practice. By the end of each day (and definitely bu the end of the weekend) I felt like my social battery was over flowing. I don’t need that much social interactions to fill my battery; it doesn’t take much. That all being said, I actually really enjoyed most of the conversations I had with people. From talking about the cosmos and theories on what the point of the universe is to seeing little girls excited about my Slappy bookmarks. It was all really fun to connect with people who saw something in my art that spoke to them. I think I kind of forgot THAT is why I do this. It’s not about the money or being the best or anything like that. It’s about using my art as away to express myself in a healthy way and about connecting with people on those expressions.
I loved seeing repeat customers; the fans of my art who always buy a bookmark or two or maybe a postcard or print each year that I’m set up there. Your continued support is always amazing and greatly appreciated. Of course, I also deeply appreciate the folks who are new to my art. It caught their eye as they were walking buy, it drew them in and they felt compelled to buy a particular piece (or two) that spoke to them and called them over. I loved seeing this young girl who always lingers at my table, she came back twice today. She bought a $2 sticker and while that made a small financial contribution it meant the whole world to me that she chose to spend that $2 on my artwork because she simply can’t stop staring at it all. She does not like creepy but she still loves staring at the creepy bookmarks.
I have so many favorite moments, it’s hard to write them all out. This weekend was exhausting but it was what I needed to remind myself why I started showing the world my art. I didn’t come up with a lot of new stuff this year, the newest would have been my crochet critters. I’ve sold them here and there on Facebook but this was their first Craft Fair. I think a goal I’ve set for myself is to make a lot of those little guys for the 2024 Craft Fair. The reactions I got from people (the ones who even noticed the little guys tucked away at the back of my prints) was really fun. Everyone adored them. I don’t normally let or like people touching my art on display but these guys I volunteered for people to hold them. They have marbles in their feet and bum so that they sit really nice and have a nice little weight to them when they’re in your hand. They are also made with really high-quality yarn. They are soft, squishy and weighted. They demand to be held to be truly appreciated. One little girl saw my Dormouse and her eyes lit up and she pointed at it. Her parents were asking what she was pointing at and they kept guessing the art on my table. She shook her head and I could see exactly where her gaze had landed. I put him to the front of the table and asked her “is this little guy the one you noticed?” she nodded and had this great big smile on her face. I invited her to pick him up and she gave him this great big hug. Honestly, the sweetest moment. Her parents quickly put it back and then hurried her along, clearly not wanting to buy a stuffy their daughter just fell in love with. I can relate, my daughter also has a whole zoo. I was a bit sad they didn’t get it for her, because honestly I think he was made for her, but the little Dormouse did sell to someone else who also fell in love with him. A grown woman, in fact, but I make no judgements. She loved him and thought he was so cute. She hummed and hawed and bought a sticker and said she’d think about the mouse and maybe come back. She paused for a second and then said “you know what? I am going to get him. If I don’t then someone else surely will and I will have regretted it”. I’m glad he went to someone who loves him, that is always the goal for anything I make, but I can’t help but still think man, I wish that little girls parents would have gotten the Dormouse for her.
The Dormouse wasn’t the only crochet critter I sold at the Craft Fair. I also started out with a little white tiger that sold to a quiet lady Sunday morning. I had a platypus I had been working on when I made the other two but my ADHD inspiration zapped out before I could finish it. I worked on it over the two days at the Craft Fair and finished the little platypus Sunday afternoon. He had just over an hour to sit on my table for a chance at a lovely home. I kept showing him off to everyone because I was so proud of it. It turned out absolutely adorable and was something very different from the other critters I made (with having fingers on the hands and the weird shaped duck bill and beaver tail). I brought him over to Pearl from Fernweh Clothing to show off and she fell in love with him. She told me me prices were cheating myself and sighed, “yeah, I know… but I usually sell them for $40 and marked a lot down at my table so decided to sell them at $35”. She told me she had to have him and handed me a wad of cash. I looked down and said “oh you gave me way too much” she responded with “I gave you what it’s worth”. Nobody understands the value of handmade quite like other create people who are also making things by hand. I always worry that if I price my crochet critters too high people will think it’s ridiculous for such a small stuffed animal. But the thing is, I spend HOURS making them. They are made with top quality yarn and I have damn near mastered the perfect tension for small, tight (but not too tight) stitches. These things take time and money to make. Even pricing them at $40 I’m barely making any money on them and definitely not making my time back. Pearl’s comment felt extremely validating.
Something that bothered me was the placement of the tables along the wall where I was. Everywhere else there seemed to be big gaps between the tables; plenty of room to move in and out or expand your display beyond your table if you needed to. Along the wall where I was the tables were totally jammed together and the only way really out was to climb behind (and sort of over) everyone else next to you. The Fluff n Stuff girls who make cotton candy were right next to me. Now, I have no problem with these girls they were adorable, worked hard and were very apologetic any time they bumped my art or signs, or were generally in my way. They kept apologizing every time I had to go in behind them and I told them “stop apologizing, it’s not your fault”. I honestly don’t intend to be complaining here, but they were things that were not ideal that I feel could be improved on next year. If even one table was moved to somewhere else on the floor we would have had more than enough room to get in and out at each table. I’m sure they could have found room somewhere else, with how spaced out other tables were. The other thing was that I was the one in front of the outlet and not the Fluff n Stuff girls. I have no reason to need an outlet, they do and would have requested to be near one. So why was my table in front of the outlet and no theirs? Because my large stand up display was behind me they had to move it to plug their cotton candy machines in. This happened early in the morning before I got there on Saturday. So when I got to my table I found it with my Stranger Things prints blown all over, my signs knocked over and my paintings that were hung on my display all askew. I was not impressed and grumbled as I straightened it all out. It just felt rude. I’m sure they didn’t mean to do any of that, but it all would have been avoided if our tables were just a little further apart and if they had been put in front of the outlet, not me. That is all on the people who plan the Craft Fair. Who are all nice people who work hard to put this event together, so like I said; I am not here to complain. I would like to take these concerns to them though, as is feel it’s something they should probably be aware of. I also didn’t like being next to a cotton candy machine (especially being so close together) because I kept having to wipe sugar off my prints. Luckily, they were wrapped in plastic. I thought about it and I’m not sure what type of vendor would be ideal next to them. Probably not very many, but I definitely feel like they shouldn’t be next to a bunch of artwork. I’m just glad I had put the prints in plastic sleeves that were on that side of my table.
Despite those annoyances, it was a very enjoyable event. Not quite as busy as last year but still a lot of people who came out and showed support. I made more money last year, but honestly not by a whole lot once I broke it all down. I really didn’t put a lot of effort into any new stock, besides the crochet critters (and I made just three of those) so all things considered, I think I did well and it was a worthwhile event to attend.
sLs Artistry 