Craft Shows - Prince or Frog

 Toby and I have been busy little potters. We have been doing several new arts/craft shows as well as our usual After Hours Artwalk in Wichita Falls and the Artwalk on the Paseo in OKC.  Some of the shows have been fun and some were miserable. We read an article that said some craft shows were better than others and some were just better fits for your items than other shows. You just had to try them to see which fit and worked well for you. Unfortunately, the article said, "You have to kiss a lot of frogs."

The two art walks that we have done each month have worked well for us. People are beginning to know us and look for us. Some stop by to tell us how much they enjoy a mug that they bought from us, which is fun. These art walks do not cost us anything to set up and sell (well, gas money). The set-ups are pretty easy. Although the temps can be rough through the summer, the hours were from 5 to 9 and were do - able.  We saw people we knew and enjoyed the time. And we did okay on sales.

Then the fall arts/crafts season really kicked in. We tried one in Wichita Falls at the Multipurpose Event Center (MPEC). The MPEC is a very nice facility, so we did not suffer in the heat, but the crowd was not nearly what we had expected and the cost of the show was more expensive than the art walks. Sales were okay, but not great - not for the hours and milage put in.  We did get to see my cousin and have dinner with her and her husband, so it was not a wasted event.

Then we did the Rock Island Art Festival in Chickasha, OK. Other potter friends had told us that it was great and lots of fun. Well, it used to be held in a park with trees and grass. The park was sold to a private corporation, so the festival was held in the downtown streets. Being the last weekend of September, the weather had been great in past years. This year, the weather was in the high nineties, with gusty winds that blew tents around crashing into other tents. The dust and heat were not fun. We were next to a kettle corn truck with a loud generator. Then the booth across from us blared  "stoner music" that vibrated through us all day. The hours were Friday and Sat. 9-9 and Sunday 10 - 4. It was way too long and awful. If sales had been better, maybe we would have been more content. But sales were not great for the time and effort and hours and miles put in.

We live and learn and kiss a few frogs. We have a few more shows lined up in the next few months.

Jesse has been in touch. She is doing well. She is a happy camper and always makes the best of a situation. She loves adventure. This past weekend, she drove the university bus to Washington DC for a craft show. I have not visited her to find out how the craft show went. In the meantime, her mural in downtown Wichita Falls won People's Choice for best mural in Texas. She is also up for a community award in Wichita Falls. People love her mural and miss her. I know I miss her.