Bunnies in a Gumball Machine.

I just wrapped up another artist market this weekend.  I had some new things to bring so I was pretty excited.  The night before I practiced my set up.

And then the day of I found a nice shady spot and set up my table-sized market.  A sweet friend brought me an iced coffee which started my day off right.

As I do these different markets I try to learn as much as I can.  Fiscally I did not do so well which had me feeling a little blue.  When that happens I really start second-guessing everything I'm doing.  I study my set-up, my prices, I think about my interactions and wonder if I could have said more.  Emotionally it can be pretty brutal.

 I realized after the show while going over all these things I still do not quite know who my customer is.  I maybe do not have a cohesive collection of items yet or I'm not sure if I'm trying to sell stuff or if I'm trying to sell parties.  I still have a lot of thinking to do.

My friend Katie and her sweet mom stopped by and she took the following pictures of my booth. She also did a mention of me on her blog here. Check it out for more gorgeous shots of the store where the art market took place.

Photo by Katie Drum

Katie and I were talking about my new venture and I expressed my usual fears and she said something that really put my mind at ease. She talked about people who are successfully doing this for a living and when asked how they did it most said they took a year off and just went for it.  There was something about hearing the word "Year" that made me feel a bit of relief. I've mentioned in the past that I get stressed out by time and constantly feel like if I do not succeed in the next five minutes I'm doomed forever.

Photo by Katie Drum

I am going to reevaluate a lot of things and continue living in a trial and error period.  I promise I'm not coming here whining or complaining or anything like that. I'm forever an optimist.  I'll keep trucking along and hopefully start figuring things out.

Photo by Katie Drum

This time around my friend Robyn set up a table. We were neighbors so we got to chat throughout the show.  My shadowy pictures do not do Robyn's stuff justice.  She makes all kinds of wonderful things that range from stationary to jewelry to framed yo-yos and more in between.  

Robyn's signature piece is her gumball machine that is filled with lots of handmade goodies. I can never resist a one of those so I was one of her first gumball customers. Fate intervened and I got a handmade button with bunnies on it!  It was meant to be!

You will hear more about Robyn's work soon. I missed Monday's etsy feature but will be making up for that tomorrow.  Any guess on whose work I will be showing??

Okay, I'm back to the grind.

Happy Tuesday!