This is a long one, so get ready! It's been a while since I posted this in-depth on a subject. I find it can be rather cathartic, so here goes…
The last week of preparations for CB was particularly chaotic. I was working extremely hard to finish everything: the jewelry itself, building and preparing my display, pricing and tagging, etc (meanwhile almost completely ignoring my boyfriend, my friends, my email, my filthy dirty house and my cats). I then came down with a sinus infection as well as a double ear infection. Luckily I made it to the Dr. for some antibiotics and threw myself right back into my work. There was no stopping me! I was literally working up to the moment my friend Casey (aka
the Candy Thief) came to pick me up in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon.
Packed and enthusiastically ready for our 4.5 hour road trip to DC, we hopped in the Jetta and started on our way. The trip down went smoothly and we were able to find a decent hotel to sleep at so we could get an early start for 8am set-up at CB.
The next morning’s load-in was fine, I did forget to bring a chair to sit on unfortunately, but we made do. My nerves the whole morning were pretty out of control. I had no idea what to expect but the excitement in the air as all the other vendors set up their tents and unpacked their goods was palpable.
I made my first sale within the first hour the event opened. I was pumped. I thought, “OK great, this could be really awesome” however after that initial sale, the tone of the event for me started to change. Tons of browsers and many comments, the most popular being “oooh, creepy!” sometimes followed by, “…but in a good way!” and sometimes followed by a sour face and a prompt exit from my table.
The prize for worst comment of the day goes to a woman who tried to pick up the cut-off Barbie legs I had on my table that were displaying my rings, [note to self: never use that display again! It seemed to really confuse people that the legs were
JUST display]
“Where da
body? That
dumb.”
“Thank you” I replied.
And a close second:
“Awww, the
poor Barbies!!”
“Don’t worry, they’re not alive, they can’t feel it.” I reply with a smile.
“Yeah, but they were
PLAYED with!” she retorts violently as she storms away. (as if this somehow makes them any more alive?) I should have asked if she was a vegetarian. just curious.
It was warm, but comfortable for most of the day, until the sun came beating down on us from behind our booth. By 2pm, and with only two sales in my pocket, I was feeling really deflated. Not to mention dehydrated, hungry, head-achy and overall unsure and insecure of myself, my work, and my place in the “indie-craft fair scene.” My cheeks hurt from smiling, and fielding all the same comments, over and over and OVER again.
Some people lingered a while, admiring and complimenting the work, but when they turned the pieces over and read the price, they usually moved on fairly quickly. The interesting thing about it is that my price points were not out of the ballpark for the event. I know of another jeweler there who sold in the same price range as me and a woman who makes handbags priced from $100 - $150. Both of those vendors said they had an awesome day of sales.
So what was it exactly? Why was there interest and not purchases? My shoe pins were $25. The most expensive piece on my table was $175, a necklace. The majority of my work was priced at $70 - $150. Perhaps because of the dark patina people didn’t realize my jewelry was made of sterling silver (I did try to mention it often).
I think people are uneducated about what goes into a piece of hand-made jewelry. In a world where you can walk into any mall and buy a pair of “silver” hoops for under $10, maybe people don’t understand the difference between that and my earrings in terms of materials, process, and overall expense to make.
I don’t buy anything pre-fab, (except for my chains). I do not cast my pieces. (though maybe I should in the future because it would bring the price down). I hand make every… single… earwire. I individually fit and “bezel” each face part. I do two rounds of pigmented epoxy resin setting to ensure no air bubbles, in which all the color mixing is done by yours truly, chosen precisely as on a painter’s palette. Every piece is sanded to perfection, twice. One simple smile necklace, with one color resin surround can easily take up to 6 hours. This doesn’t even include the time spent hunting for dolls, and choosing the perfect parts to use in each and every piece. My craftsmanship is top notch. It’s the one area I have full confidence.
Was it the location of our booth at the event? Perhaps it just wasn’t my "crowd?" Maybe I need to suck it up and just apply to more high-end craft shows where an understanding of craftsmanship is a given and concept jewelry isn’t unheard of such as the Buyers Market in Philly or ACC in Baltimore. Maybe DC just wasn’t my city. I don’t know.
Another thought I entertained was that perhaps those who enjoyed it, and did not see it as “dead bodies strung on chains", were just not bold enough to wear something a little confrontational. The funny thing is, I’ve never thought of my work as being that “difficult” to wear. And I almost never think of it as creepy. Even the blood droplet piece, never struck me as offensive. Thought provoking maybe, but mainly humorous. Why not wear a piece of jewelry with a little more meaning or layers to it? But I guess that’s just me. That’s what I’m drawn to. Maybe I do have a sick sense of humor.
If there’s anyone out there reading this who was at my booth at Crafty Bastards that can give me some HONEST feedback, you have no idea how grateful I would be. Be harsh, be honest… I just want to know. I wish I had an exit poller outside my booth that could have recorded people’s impressions and thoughts, because for as many brazenly expressive (sometimes tactless) visitors that filtered through, there were just as many silent ones. So if anyone would like to come forward with some REAL, HONEST feedback about my booth, my display, my work, my sales demeanor, or whatever, I would love to hear your thoughts. Really. I'm all ears.
Maybe this is what retail shows are all about. Since it's my first one, I felt naive about every aspect, including the need for a tougher skin. I’m not used to being on the front lines. It’s easy to hide behind my galleries, let them do the “selling.” I get to kick back in my studio, design and create freely, without insecurity or outside criticism, and communicate about my work almost exclusively via email and blogging. It’s been a while since my last art school critique! So to be perfectly honest, I don’t have to hear the negative very often. The magazines and galleries and compliments find me typically without much effort on my part. Rejection like this is ultimately good for the ego I guess. It’s good to realize not everyone will like what you do and so you just have to get over it and continue to do it anyway.
It just stings a bit after So. Much. Hard. Work.
I did have a fantastic time with my booth-mate and friend Casey of course. Our travel experiences had moments of indescribable hilarity! The time spent reconnecting with her made it all worth while. I also managed to meet fantastic fellow artists whose work I've admired for a long time: including
Megan Auman (LOVING my new bracelets which I traded her for)…
Also Caitlin Phillips of
Re-bound Designs (amazing book purses I've blogged about prior) and Annie of
Imogene who is as friendly and cute as her jewelry designs. I also got to catch up with some blasts from my past: Stephney Wallace, fellow silversmith from the MICA jewelry center in Baltimore and even my old high school guidance counselor/principal from Lake George stopped by to say hello!
Thanks to all those who ventured out, it was
quite an experience.
Posts
