8- I did a pet show yesterday and in a way it was good and in another way it was bad. The weather was terrible, the forecast said just a 30% chance of showers and it won't last that long. The weather was worse than expected and it drove most of the people away. The good news is considering the bad weather and the small crowd, our booth did the best out of everybody. We made around $70 just selling $2 and $4 items and I believe less than 50 people showed up the entire day! There was another artist there competing with me and she had absolutely no sales, I feel so sorry for her because she is a nice person and her work is incredible. The problem with hers is that she is overcharging on her items, that is why they went to me instead of her and I had a MUCH bigger selection which is growing nearly everyday. My commissions go for $125 and hers go for $300 and she isn't in any galleries like I am. I am also in several pet stores and even in a flower shop. I am already more successful than 90% of artists who wait 20-30 years to get to this point. We really have been trying only in the last few months. The only reason why it isn't a perfect 10 is that I did a commission for somebody and she promised that she will pay. I don't send out the drawing until I get paid. She is also deliberately ignoring me, we have been calling her and asking where is the check and no response. We will continue to call until we get a response. If she lies and I already did the work by the way, she could go you know where liars go. I don't care that she was a nice person. So many people said they want commissions done and if they followed through, I would have way over $1,000 in my pocket now. But every single one of them LIED. They all said do it around Christmas but I am not holding my breath about that. I wouldn't be able to do 100 all at the same time and have it done by Christmas if they all tell me to do it a week before. That would be stupid on their part.
The good news is that my vet that I go to for my birds wants to carry my cards and stuff. My mom just showed them to the vet and they already bought some! And the person that bought said if she had the money she would get at least 12 of them! She only had $8 on her and the cards are $4 a piece.
When I have around 10 horses drawn, I will see if horse supply/ food places would be willing to carry my horse cards. Currently I only have 3 horse designs.
There is a show in November that I am going to be a part of and they say at least 9,000 go to it and if I made $70 with under 50 people and those were my cheap items, (we couldn't sell my more expensive items like t shirts because it was an outdoor show with no electricity), imagine what I will make with 9,000 people and it is indoors with electricity. I believe I will sell some of my originals that isn't in galleries right now as well and of course, prints. The booth was only $25 and we possibly might make over $1,000 in the 2 days. It also so happens it is on the biggest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving. It is a juried show, meaning that not everyone who enters gets in. I got in but a little too late but since the person that runs it loved my art so much, she put me with the teenagers even though I am 25. There is an adult section and a "kid" section. The adult section would have been $125 for a booth but next year that is where I'll be. I will tell the person (if it meets expectations) that we want to sign up a year in advance so I'll be in the main section. I look like a teenager anyways so that ain't a problem. I will blend in perfectly with them, more so than the adults because they would all be 90 years old anyways. I look so young for my age, one person thought I was just 12 years old and then I told them I was 25 and they were shocked! That means when I really am 90 I might look 25. That would be funny. By the way this show is one of the most well known in the area and that's why so many show up.