Eydie DeVincenzi on thu 10 aug 00
ABOUT doing Shows:
I go to the Sugarloaf shows here in Maryland every year AS A CONSUMER. I=
save my pennies all year and give myself a gift.
Too often in too many boothes, this is what I see: the artist is sitting =
in
a director's chair reading a book. She/he might just as well place a lar=
ge
sign in the booth that says: "Don't bother me. I don't want to be here" =
. =
Yup, booth duty can be boring and make us feel vulnerable, but there are=
ways to handle it. Bring your work. I love to watch people producing
their pots. It makes me feel that if I buy one of your pots, I am more
intimate with it's birth. Warning: place yourself and your wheel (or
table) in the middle of the booth, not off to the side. Be accessible. =
Don't have your back to the traffic. Put up a sign that says: "Please
interrupt; ask me what I am doing!"
Cat Jarosz on fri 11 aug 00
Hi Eydie ... I've been getting tons of stuff about sugar loaf shows
lately ??? Whats up with those shows??? I dont know how they got my name
on their mailers as I"m way down and across in NC ... any imfo you would
care to share on Sugar loaf shows I'd appreciate the leg up...
About the sitting in booth and reading signal ... you are absolutely right
...even sittting sends out dont bother me signals so I do not bring a chair
any longer to shows ... as far as demo's well that can work if you
have someone helping at your booth telling folks that you are now making
this product here and pointing to it etc.... but if your alone most
folks would not interrupt you and one of the insites Bruce Baker gives on
demo's is that for most of the general public demo's are instructive
educational and the people get what they want from you that way and really
it doesnt help sell your work..... so if your gonna demo make sure you have
a point man / woman in booth with you .... Cat
Eydie DeVincenzi on fri 11 aug 00
Cat:
> About the sitting in booth and reading signal ... I do not bring a
chair
any longer to shows ... as far as demo's well that can work if you=
have someone helping at your booth telling folks that you are now making=
this product here and pointing to it etc.... but if your alone most
folks would not interrupt you =
>
Good point. In fact, I was one of those people who did not want to
interrupt the artist. This is why I suggested the sign. Of course, a si=
gn
may not work for everyone. Yes indeed it would be better if a second pers=
on
were helping in the booth, but that can be too expensive if you have to p=
ay
someone.
I saw one artist doing quick sketches of people as they approached his
booth, engaging the person in the process with comments like: "I love tho=
se
eyeglasses", "look at that great red hair!" =
I watched another artist carving her leatherhard pieces at a table. She
said that she saves up all her carving tasks for her shows, keeps them on=
her table, and works on them as she talks. She verbally engages her
prospective clients as she works with her hands. Because her hands are n=
ot
wet, she can jump up to help the person easily. I particularly like th=
is
method because when we do something we enjoy (and are good at), we emit
confidence and openness -- two very attractive attributes
When I do shows for low vision equipment, I use the time to write letters=
under the magnifiers [even though I don't have low vision]. The person's=
voyeuristic instincts drive them closer to read my letter. When they get=
interested, I have them a pen and offer a chair. Gotcha!
At Sugarloaf, I watched the customers too. People (including myself) ge=
t
dazed, bored and overwhelmed by [what I call] "same-o same-o" -- -- No
matter how great the piece or how skilled the artist, it's easy to get
glazed over as we walk through the maze of booths at Sugarloaf. Yes I lo=
ve
Randy's Red, but after the first hour, I want to buy a pot [with Randy's
Red] just to crush it!! Not to worry - it's only a fantasy. You don't
have to hide the red pots when you see me approaching your booth, unless
I've just eaten that killer chili they serve at Sugarloaf
Be creative. Dare to be different. Reframe the event so that the chore
becomes an opportunity to enhance the bulk of your checkbook. Most
important: SMILE as you rest your eyes on the person coming towards your
booth. This invites us in. And we all need to be INVITED, right?
<.... the insites Bruce Baker gives on demo's is that for most .....<
I heard that he is giving a seminar in Virginia in September? Anyone hav=
e
the details?
I hope something in this message helps, =
Eydie DeVincenzi
-- Packing the car for the 17th health fair this year for senior citizens=
in Maryland/Virginia area! =
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