So, it is now mid-July. The Ides of July, we Art Gypsies like to call it.
And, deadlines for art shows in the cooler months of September, October and November are fast approaching. With them comes the requirements of jury fees and booth payments. With no income coming in for the Hellaciously Hot Days of Florida Summer, it can be dauntingly depressing.
This is where the fable of the ant and the grasshopper come in to play. I am definitely a grasshopper. Always have been. I daresay, most of my art friends are the same way, save a couple of the more industrious go-getters who have arranged for galleries and gift shops and wholesale opportunities in the merry, merry months of June, July and August (tourist season here).
I am, however, trying to get my inventory over the limit so that I have enough to sell in case I hit the tides just right. That's not going so well right now either, as I took an extended vacation and house improvements are looming. I've had tile to put down on the bedroom floor for 2 years, I have security lights ready to install in the back yard, my kitchen counters are to be tiled and the walls grouted and I have a studio light that has been sitting in an unopened box for over 8 months.
So, I've been "researching" for new shows, and taking note of shows I did in 2015 and 2016 that were good for my particular brand of whimsey. I'm trying to mark dates so that I don't forget them, pull out folders for shows I liked doing and looking for the new demographic areas to try out that don't conflict with my already favorite shows. I have papers from one end of the studio to the next, I have pages still on the printer tray and little post-it's everywhere from the lamp to the tool box to the light switch. I continually feel inadequately prepared for meeting deadlines.
What I have managed to take note of is that I have received several (as in over 15) e-mails "extending" deadlines for upcoming shows.
This is a matter of concern for most artists, as it generally means...no one is applying to the show. They haven't received enough applications. They are reaching out to artists, and even reaching out to some, namely me, who were not juried in to their shows the previous year.
So, of course, I put out my feelers to other artists about the concerns. They generally feel the same way.
Are Art Gypsies dying out as a breed, or are the New Ones just readying to come on board as the Old Ones drop like flies? I've heard many discussions of Pro-Panel Buying and Art Tent Sales from artists "getting out of the business" more so than ever this year. Is it just becoming too expensive to do the shows? Is there no profit left in the festival circuit?
As for me, I really have no recourse. It's what I do. Until I can't do it anymore, physically. It's my retirement income, as I blew my money wad on a bad decision during a bad marriage. And unless I win the Florida Lotto, I can't see any more employment opportunities coming my way.
There's always Publix. But then, I'm not sure I could pass the psychological test...
Friday, July 15, 2016
Friday, July 1, 2016
June. In Florida. And You're Doing An Art Festival.
The words, "are you fucking nuts?" come to mind.
I have always avoided art festivals in the months of June, July and August in the state of Florida. First of all, there just aren't very many to do and second, it's too bloody hot.
Summer in Florida means afternoon thunderstorms and rain, usually of epic, however short-lived, proportions. So, if you sign up for a festival in June...you have to prepare for torrential rains. June 1 means the start of hurricane season here, but that's really not an issue. It's the heat that's an issue.
There is the problematic generator. Most festivals won't allow the use of a generator (because it's too noisy and creates a possible health hazard with extension cords and fire possibilities). Some festivals have the use of electricity at a cost, but most do not. So, your 12-volt fans are useless, unless you have the generosity of a next-tent neighbor who has a really good marine battery or a quiet $800 generator that he lets you plug in to (thank you, Mr. Make Chalk Boxes For Kids).
The last festival I did was in Dunedin, FL and it was a specific craft festival, so I really didn't expect much. I was (thankfully) surprised by the sales so I'm definitely planning another trip to Dunedin in better weather.
Because, it was hell. Hell as in hot. Hell as in hot on parking lot asphalt hot.
I gave in and purchased a battery-operated fan at CVS Pharmacy in a fit of wild-eyed fever so that I had some sort of moving air on Sunday, because Saturday with no fan almost did me in. I was literally drenched in sweat from just setting up in 80-degree humidity. "Drowned Rat" best described my appearance the rest of the day, which turned in to 101-degree heat. I think people bought my art out of pity for the poor creature that looked like she stepped off of a Les Miserables set.
My hubby absolutely will not do the marine battery thing. Not sure why, other than the cost factor of a marine battery. We are looking in to a Ryobi charger and battery, with a fan attachment. That is about the same cost altogether, but he says he can use the battery for other devices, which just means that when we load up and do another art festival, the charger and battery will inevitably not be in the van, because he will have taken it out to use it at work, and I'll never see it again.
Lesson here is: Buy a fan. Keep it in your art vehicle. Write your name all over it. Don't leave home without it. Because, if you are going to brave a festival in Florida in June...you will need it to survive.
I have always avoided art festivals in the months of June, July and August in the state of Florida. First of all, there just aren't very many to do and second, it's too bloody hot.
Summer in Florida means afternoon thunderstorms and rain, usually of epic, however short-lived, proportions. So, if you sign up for a festival in June...you have to prepare for torrential rains. June 1 means the start of hurricane season here, but that's really not an issue. It's the heat that's an issue.
There is the problematic generator. Most festivals won't allow the use of a generator (because it's too noisy and creates a possible health hazard with extension cords and fire possibilities). Some festivals have the use of electricity at a cost, but most do not. So, your 12-volt fans are useless, unless you have the generosity of a next-tent neighbor who has a really good marine battery or a quiet $800 generator that he lets you plug in to (thank you, Mr. Make Chalk Boxes For Kids).
The last festival I did was in Dunedin, FL and it was a specific craft festival, so I really didn't expect much. I was (thankfully) surprised by the sales so I'm definitely planning another trip to Dunedin in better weather.
Because, it was hell. Hell as in hot. Hell as in hot on parking lot asphalt hot.
I gave in and purchased a battery-operated fan at CVS Pharmacy in a fit of wild-eyed fever so that I had some sort of moving air on Sunday, because Saturday with no fan almost did me in. I was literally drenched in sweat from just setting up in 80-degree humidity. "Drowned Rat" best described my appearance the rest of the day, which turned in to 101-degree heat. I think people bought my art out of pity for the poor creature that looked like she stepped off of a Les Miserables set.
My hubby absolutely will not do the marine battery thing. Not sure why, other than the cost factor of a marine battery. We are looking in to a Ryobi charger and battery, with a fan attachment. That is about the same cost altogether, but he says he can use the battery for other devices, which just means that when we load up and do another art festival, the charger and battery will inevitably not be in the van, because he will have taken it out to use it at work, and I'll never see it again.
Lesson here is: Buy a fan. Keep it in your art vehicle. Write your name all over it. Don't leave home without it. Because, if you are going to brave a festival in Florida in June...you will need it to survive.
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