The Pain of Putting Yourself Out “There.”

Jun 10, 2008 - 11:35 AM PST


“A Cross Section of My Craft” Photo and Surly-Ramics by Amy Davis Roth

I am exhausted. My feet and my legs hurt. I have bruises on my arm. I am sun burnt, have chapped lips and I broke a nail. I (still) have a headache, my eyes are puffy, my nose is runny and I lost my voice. No, I don’t have the flu or even the common cold. This is not allergies or some strange disease and I am sure some of you may be very familiar with these symptoms… the fact is, I was in an art festival yesterday.

When I first started my ceramic jewelry business I would do a lot of art festivals because it was the only way I knew of at the time to reach customers and to connect with the general public. I didn’t sell online or even have a webpage, no boutiques had ever heard of my Surly-Ramics and I desperately needed to generate some money to get the business going and to pay the rent and quite frankly I needed to eat so I did a lot of art festivals. I would bring my ceramics and my paintings and set up my tiny little world under a tent for strangers to come and evaluate. I have to say it is much harder than one might think. The hours are long. The average festival is about 9 hours long and you have to be there at least 2 hours early to check in and set up. You always have to carry things like tables and easels and odds are something will fall on your foot. After the festival is over you have to wait for all the people to leave before you can tear down and pack up your stuff so you can add at least another hour of work there. Most festivals are in the summer (for obvious reasons) and so it is usually cold in the morning and then brutally hot in the afternoon but I think without a doubt it is the people that can be the most painful of all. When you are dealing with the general public you are undoubtedly going to run into the “I can or used to do that myself” person. There is one in every crowd and they suck. The fact of whether or not they can do what you or I do is irrelevant. Odds are they cant and they obviously aren’t. I get this comment upon occasion because I make art out of ceramic and so people flash back into summer camp and imagine themselves painting intricate designs on a piece of clay when in reality they were making sand candles and popcorn necklaces. Do I sound bitter? I’m not bitter at all. I just wish that it were ok to tell people that they should treat artists and crafters with the respect they deserve and basically that they should keep their smug comments to themselves. It is very difficult to pour your heart into your work and then to drag all of it out into the sun for 12 hours.

I had a great day yesterday. I made just under a thousand dollars and got a fantastic new wholesale account for my business. Most of the people I met were fabulous. I only do a few outdoor festivals now, I’m much too busy with my business to do as many as I used to. They are great for promoting your art or product… just remember to bring water, a few snacks and a positive and confident attitude.

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