The Deal of the Art

I spend a lot of time interacting with other artists via the internet.  We pass information about good and bad shows, good and bad promoters, good and bad restaurants at shows etc...  And sometimes we get collectively enraged.  Last week one of these artists pointed out a news item that implied a promoter was going to "teach" art patrons how to "negotiate a price" on art.  The number of posts, rants and opinions that was generated in 24 hours was immense.  This is a topic that pretty much every artist agrees on:

Negotiation should not be considered standard practice at an art fair!

The wonderful people who attend art fairs and consider buying the artwork they see should be aware of the following things before they question a price:

• We pay to apply to be in an art fair (usually $20- $50), and then if we are accepted we pay for our space (typically $200 - 500... but it can be significantly more) 

• We supply our own tents, displays, labor, transportation, room and board.  So by the time we open up on the first day of the show we are already in the hole, usually $500 - $2000.

• All of the work we bring to the show is hand made by us!  We have costs sunk into supplies, tools, classes, scrap and most importantly our time. 

• Our prices are set based on the cost of materials and the amount of time and resources required to create the art.  These are not random prices that we hope you are willing to pay so we can rake in the cash, they are prices that are based on what the value of the work is.

• We are at the mercy of the weather, the economy and many other things outside of our control (try doing a show in Green Bay during a packers game!).  If there is a storm and we are told to vacate the show for safety reasons we do not get a refund.  

• Most of the artists you meet do this as their full time profession.  The income generated over these weekends is used to pay mortgages, food bills, doctor bills, tuition bills, utilities....  For many this is the only source of income. 

If you have read my other posts you probably realize that I am in the unusual situation of being a part time artist with a full time job.  I participate in one third to one half  as many shows as most full time artists and I don't travel nearly as far as they do.    Even so  for 2013 I will be doing 12 shows, translating to 27 show days, with 4 hours of setup and 2 hours of teardown per show.  I am travelling for 4 of these shows so that adds 8 travel days.

In my last post I described the math that I use to figure out what it takes to break even and then how the profit is calculated for a single, local show.   Now scale that up and think about what I need to sell to have any profit on the year!  When I set my prices I do charge for labor involved in creating the piece, but not for the time I spend at the shows, so my version of profit is how I pay myself for the time spent driving, setting up, tearing down and selling.

Please understand that I am not writing these posts to host a pity party for what an investment of time and money it is to be an art fair artist.  I am just trying to educate the art fair patrons so that they will value our work appropriately.  I don't do this to get rich, I do this because I love it.  

Done Waiting (for now)

On March 17th I showed you my status summary for show applications...
I posted an update on April 8th...
Here is where I stand on April 21st... I have results from every application that has been sent!

By the Numbers:

• 14 applications sent
• 1 more applications to send (due 4/30)
• 4 rejections :(  and they came all in a row!
• 1 wait lists 
• 9 Acceptances ... I am still deciding about my participation in 2
• 0 in progress

Analysis:

• I have spent $300 on jury fees.  I was "invited" to 3 of the shows so my jury fee was waived). 
•  I am committed to $2495 in booth fees across 9 shows.  

So, before I generate any income in 2013 I have already spent $2795!  Luckily some of the later shows will let me do a payment plan so I can pay them after I have made some money at the early shows.

"Show Math":
There is a cost associated with the materials, labor, and kiln time (electricity) for every piece.  So when I make a sale, I have to take that cost out before I can begin applying the income to pay for my booth.  That income also has to cover travel expenses.  My cost of production is usually 30-50% of the selling price.  Let's call it 40% for now.

Sample Show (yes this is a real show, near my house so there is no hotel cost)

• Costs (jury+show+mileage+food) = $573
• I need to sell $955 to start making a profit.  60% of sales AFTER $955 are profit.  
• The average price of my pieces is $85.  I need to sell roughly 11 items BEFORE I CAN BEGIN TO MAKE A PROFIT!
• If I sell $2000 worth of items then I have made a profit of $626.  

Conclusion:
At least I know where I will be this summer!  To see the shows that I will definitely be at check out my site or "Like" Heartfire Studios on Facebook.

Oh, and based on the math, I'M CRAZY!

Still Waiting... Part 2

On March 17th I showed you my status summary for show applications... here is the April 8th update:

By the Numbers:

• 13 applications sent
• 3 more applications to send, although 1 may not be sent if others come back as acceptances
• 4 rejections :(  and they came all in a row!
• 1 wait lists 
• 6 Acceptances  (one came off the waitlist!)
• 2 in progress - next notification dates is 4/15/13

Analysis:

4 rejections from shows that I have never done before.  I've applied to 2 of them in the past and was rejected then too.  Next year I may try to apply with a different style of piece and see how that goes.



I am also deciding whether I will attend 2 of the shows that I have been accepted to.  They are difficult weekends for family reasons and if I don't think they will be amazing it probably isn't worth the trouble.

To see the shows that I will definitely be at check out my site

Conclusion:

It's still a crapshoot

What next?

The best thing about not selling what I had hoped to at One of A Kind is that I may actually have enough stock to get me through most of the outdoor shows.  A very freeing concept, I get to try new things!

So the big question is what do I want to try?  Working with the deep glass blocks was so satisfying...

 

I think it's time to work on more depth and dimension!

I'm thinking about trying my hand at some level of casting, or a variation of pate de verre.  I'd like to play with inclusions, and maybe something more like a mini chandelier or mobile.  So many options, it's playtime again! 

I wrote the above paragraphs before I went to bed.  I had dreams about Pate de Verre... I'm visiting the glass store this weekend... My family goes out of town without me tonight... I feel cosmic forces at work 

Still waiting

2013 Art Fair Application Status Summary as of 3/17/13 (yes, this is how I think)

By the Numbers:

• 13 applications sent
• 5 more applications to send, although 2 may not be sent if others come back as acceptances
• 0 rejections
• 2 wait lists 
• 5 Acceptances
• 6 in progress - next notification dates is 3/28/13

Analysis:

I'd like to say I'm doing a good job picking shows, but 3 of the 5 acceptances were invites from last year and I may not attend 2 of them.   The 2 new acceptances came from shows that are further away than I have traveled before so I am now making bigger commitments but I am excited.

Both wait lists are shows that I will do if I come off the wait list, and both are local.

Conclusion:

I have no idea what any of this means.

Waiting to Plan

I like to plan.  If you read my previous posts you will realize how much time I spend planning, it is somehow comforting to me.  My brain loves to be occupied with planning.  My brain is happily obsessed with making plans.  I even plan to plan!

I hate to wait.  The worst kind of waiting is when I am waiting for information from which I will make plans.  This is a hard time of year for me.   Right now  I am waiting before I can go further in my planning.  sigh.  About half of my applications have been sent, most of the rest will be sent next week.  Some of the responses will start coming in the beginning of March.

With the exception of the shows that I have been invited to or grandfathered into I have no idea where I will be this year.  Because I am adding some travel (see my post about this) I feel like there is even more planning to do.  Where will I stay?  Am I taking my 9 year old SUV or renting a vehicle?  Will anyone come with me?  And of course, What Items will I bring to sell?

I have my ideal schedule on paper, with a list of backup plans.  I have my photos, I have my money tied up, I have a few custom orders to fill and more than enough stock left from OOAK to be able to relax going into the season.

Now, what else can I find to plan?

The Art of the Educated Guess

Setting up an art fair scheduled should be referred to as  "The Art of the Educated Guess".  You have to decide which shows to apply to.  You have to decide which images to send.  Once you have your acceptances you have to decide which shows to actually participate in.  Each of these decisions is based on so many factors that you can never have enough information about that they are really guesses, hopefully the educated type.

Guess 1 - Where do I apply?

Each application costs money, so you can't just apply to every show that hits your radar.  I have broadened my travel area for the year so my list of potential shows has grown to more than 90!  I have spent hours reading reviews, considering driving distances, looking for potential friends and family members to stay with, considering costs, demographics and just plain guessing.  I am still a part time artist and I am looking at $600 in jury fees (20 shows), hoping to get 8 - 10 shows that I am happy to be at.  After weeks of banging my head on the wall I have  narrowed it down to 20 something to apply to and now I need to get my images together. 

Guess 2 - What images to use?

My booth has evolved nicely over the last several years and I have a booth photo that I'm really proud of:

But what to do about photos of the actual artwork?  I can use last year's photos, but my work continues to evolve and that doesn't seem quite right.  So it's time to go through my current inventory and pick a few pieces, get my camera set back for glass photos, and go!

The trickiest part of taking photos for higher end show applications is that while my instinct is to show off  all styles that I am working in, your photos are supposed to be a "coherent story".  I don't know who made these rules up all those years ago, but apparently artists are not supposed to have any diversity in what they create, and if they do they can't show it off.

In the past several years I have become more focused and work in 4 basic styles now. I can even break the styles into two families, but how do I choose for my jury pictures?  The 4 pictures shown here are NOT a coherent story.

 

On top of trying to make the photos work together, many shows only want 3 images of your work, none want more than 4. 

Ultimately the biggest irony related to jury photos is that tools like Photoshop have changed the game.  There are people out there who will take your mediocre image and get it jury read (for a fee).   Some are even generous to give you great advice on the phone without a fee (thank you Larry!).  So are we being measured in artwork or Photoshop skills?   Ultimately I hold out hope that without a good item to photograph you can never get an image that gets you into the top shows.  Cynically I fear this is not true.

So what images will I use this year?  If I had enough money to play games with it I would consider sending two different applications to the same show.  One application would have my floral pieces and the other would have my quilts.  Would one get in and not the other?  Would both get in?  Would neither get in?  Hard to say and I can't afford that game.  I do love my floral pieces, when I am in the right mood making them is the best feeling, but my quilt pieces are more unique and ultimately make for more interesting photos.  So now I have to narrow it down from 9 images to 3 or 4 depending on the show.  Here are the images I am considering using:

Guess 3 - Which shows to participate in?

I try to balance my show schedule against my world.  I try not to do more than 2 shows in a row.  If all the show acceptances and booth fees had the same timing this would be a difficult dilemma.  Unfortunately the timing is different for every show so that makes it closer to impossible.  I might have been accepted to my second choice and have to pay for the booth before I hear from my first choice!

In the end I have created a few rules to protect myself from the worst scenarios.

• I do NOT apply to shows that require non-refundable booth payment with application.  I would like to keep my flexibility until show season is a little closer.  
• I do not apply to shows with "rolling juries".   I am concerned that the standard goes down as we get closer to the show date.
• If a show doesn't allow setup the day before the show starts I look at logistics before I apply.  There are shows with Saturday morning setup that close at 10pm on Saturday.  There needs to be a very good reason for me to put myself through that.

Now that I have done all my prepping it's time to start sending in my applications.  I'll keep blogging as the process goes on.  Wish me luck!!!