It has taken me a little over a week to process and recover from my first big event, and when I say "big" I'm not putting it mildly! The Alberta Art Hop consisted of 17 blocks of NE Alberta Street closed to car traffic, lined with 150 artists and crafts people. It was a huge and beautiful day! What a thrill to be out there among so many other truly talented and amazingly cool artists.
After a stressful week of too much to do and not enough sleep, it took everything I had to disguise my Zombie-like condition and get through the long, hot day with composure and style. I spent 8 hours standing in the street, in the blazing sun, (clearly a rookie without a tent!). But it was so worth it for all the people I met and all the things that I learned. Though physically wasted, I felt spiritually jazzed to be out there -in the mix with all the other artists and crafts people . . . am I one of them now? I don't know about that yet, it feels more like just my foot in the door -but that door is opening.
It has taken me a while to process my impressions and even though I wasn't as ready as I wanted to be, I'm glad I put myself out there. It was awesome to see people's reaction to my stuff! My Robots are kid magnets! The kids (and their parents) had a lot of fun examining all the different items used to make each face. People got a big kick out of them. The best comment of the day came from a boy about 9 years old who said "These guys would make Frankenstein jealous!" -that made my day.
I also brought a small collection of my Calaveras -because everyday is a good day to celebrate the dead! These turned a lot of heads as well, and I even managed to sell a few. It was incredibly rewarding and fun to see people's faces light up when they saw something they liked. Everyone expresses their interest differently and it was wonderful to watch.
I am extremely grateful to have had my friend Julie to spend the day with in the space beside me, I couldn't have done it without her! Next month will be a whole new ball game: a two day event in Vancouver, all by myself! Anyone out there care to come along and keep me company?
When is the Vancouver event? and what are your prices?
ReplyDeleteGood for you Alea. It's hard putting yourself out there, and you did it.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff! I found your blog through Kelly's comment on mine...small world, all of us making stuff in Portland. I sold at the Art Hop as well, but never got to walk around and see others' work. Hope you did well and I hope to see your stuff out somewhere again soon!
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