Taming the Tangle

Oh the places I'll go... upcoming show worries

Well, this year is the year that I'm going to try out some Florida shows since my application was finally accepted to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Since I just updated my website, you can see my show schedule online as well.

I'm less than 3 weeks away from my Florida trip. My boyfriend and his dad left a week ago to drive since they are sculptors and are doing more shows to make the whole cross country trip worthwhile. I'm lucky enough that part of my display could fit in their van, mainly my booth, weights, signs, drapes, and 3 small folding tables (which are rather short), which means that I can fly with the rest of my display, inventory, and other sales and clothing essentials.

In early November I did a show in Sacramento where I set up my booth like this, where the jewelry was pushed out close to the aisle:

This sort of setup would be possible to replicate with folding tables and drapes, although I won't have my cases. Honestly, I really didn't like being behind the wall of cases. I couldn't figure out how to naturally hand jewelry to someone looking. I also just didn't like being separated from my customers; in general I like standing near them and pointing out things so we can engage together. And it's easier to access mirrors in an open booth.

I modified my booth for a show in San Francisco, which was much more successful, but I'm afraid that without my columns, shelving, and cases, trying to recreate this setup with folding tables will look too much like a yardsale.

So I'm thinking of creating an island of tables with some hanging panels in the middle of my booth that I can display jewelry on. I want some of it to look like art pieces yet not be daunting on display. I have no idea quite how to achieve this (I'm thinking frosted plexi to not block too much light?), but it's all I can come up with as an interesting concept that would be easy to fly with. I'll have to make sure I don't block the visual on my jewelry too much if I'm going back to no cases... I want the jewelry to be touched, enjoyed, and tried on but not stolen.

My first step will be to make a mockup panel as a test... I'll keep you posted. Then I will have to create drapes for the tables or some sort of simple covering... Not sure if it should just be the cinnabar color from the sidewalls in my booth or if I should mix in some of the colorful print as well because that's so eyecatching yet not distracting once people are engaged with the jewelry. It adds some fun and flair I think but am open to opinions. Let me know what you think! Do you like the print? Or do you think simple is better?

Crazy plant inspirations

Last month I was in Hawaii for a week. I could've just photographed plants the whole time... they are like an alien life form! It was amazing to see how green everything was, and how weird most plants were. And the scale... many plants had leaves that would make great umbrellas. But time was short and there were other things to see (and, sadly, I'm a horrible photographer! all of these photos are by my boyfriend Sky... none of mine came out clearly... I'm telling you, I just see the world differently than a camera does).

To prove my point, this is my blurry fern. I'll only share one of the many photos I took. Ferns are always intriguing, and each leaf on this one was taller than I am so the fronds were extra creepy and caterpillar-looking.

It's been a while since I've designed jewelry with things sticking out of it... this lily and several other plants make me want to tackle some new ideas!

The above two images are the same plant. Sky and are were both taken by this plant, probably because it was growing in fields of lava, so the color and shapes were especially dramatic and intense against the stark black. It was great to see it in so many different forms of its being... I loved all aspects of it from soft blooms to crusty husks. So many contrasts of shape, color and texture.

These green tubes are a different kind of spiky... I like 'em, especially clustered up like that. Great texture.

This is a humble coconut, yet check out where it's growing! Surrounded by sea water and lava... not sure how it's surviving but I love it's will to live as well as the general theme of "emerging" and "bloom where you are planted."

All of the palms on the island were incredible with their ability to grab our attention with unusual fanning and pleating techniques, but this "albino palm" (as we called it) grabbed our attention for being so darned white while surrounded by such lush color. Dare to be different!

Hawaiian memories

Today a client sent me an email asking how my vacation was... it's funny to think "what vacation?" when it was less than a month ago! My boyfriend Sky just shared the photos with me, so here are a few to share with you. We went to Hawaii on the Hilo side, essentially to crash a couple's wedding since they don't have a strong memory of inviting us... but fun was had by all nevertheless! It was a short trip, so we stayed on the Hilo side and enjoyed the natural wonders looking for isolated adventures whenever possible.

This photo is the "backyard" of the place we stayed in. Super gorgeous!! The snorkeling was incredible although both Sky and I got a little freaked out in the water for various reasons.

My adventure of choice one day was to go see waterfalls. We sought out several along with large busloads of other people, so we snapped some pics and moved on our way since the crowds weren't our thing.

This banyan tree was at one of the waterall areas, so even though hundreds of other people were photographing it, we had to as well because look at it! It's gigantic and weird! Definitely unlike other arborean species I've seen.

Sky's adventure of choice was lava and the volcano... we went to several spots. This is a lava field that swallowed tons of houses. Isn't it impressive how much life emerges from such a weird substance?

The gigantic lava bulges made us nervous... actually we were not allowed to walk on the lava in this area. Some of the cracks were really deep and usually filled with ferns and other plants... a bizarre contrast to all the hot blackness.

We also embarked on a jungle hike that led us to natural lava steam rooms (actually it hid the lava steam rooms). This space is hotter than a suana! And look at the orchid growing through a bench that someone installed. We only found this crazy space because a pair of underwear were hanging on a bush which caused us to look around. The hike would've been more enjoyable if we had known there were no snakes on the island, which we only learned afterward so we were super paranoid the whole time.

A lava adventure day would not be complete without a black sand beach... really cool to see. The surf was a little rugged for us to swim so we got soaked just standing next to it.

This beautiful jungle path is what we walked on when hiking to a volcano. The whole island felt like we were driving through jungles like this. It was amazing to see larger-than-life-sized plants that I've owned as sad little houseplants before... now I understand the moist climate they enjoy.

We made some new friends (also wedding attendees), and this was their "backyard" for the week. I was brave enough to snorkel here while holding hands with my friend Karen... we saw a cool purple eel and tons of rockin' fish but not the sea turtles we were hoping for.

Thanks for looking back with me! I'll share some crazy plant images in another post... really hoping they will inspire some new work explorations!

Booth tweaks for smaller packing

A big challenge for traveling artists is always booth display. There are so many ways to make a beautiful display, but there are always the issues of weight and portability. I know many jewelers who can fly with their displays, which I am still envious of. I'm not sure if I will get to that point, but eventually I imagine it being a goal, especially now that I'm not centrally located.

Financially I have to set that idea aside for now. Yes, I understand the time saving behind flying. But I own my car, two booths, and many display pieces that are not small enough  to pack and ship easily. So for now I'm working within the parameters of trying to make my car load lighter and smaller... more efficient would be nice too. I'm also trying to have more visual umph in my display. I want to bring in more color, yet keep it light and airy.

For the Contemporary Crafts Market in Santa Monica, I introduced fabric-covered shelves, which also boost my storage in the booth. I'm working on some behind-the-scenes packing issues like how to store my backstock as well as bags and boxes while keeping them secure, organized, and dry for outdoor shows. My plastic columns are taking a beating, and I've just been feeling like it's time for a facelift of my overall brand image. For now I'm still using a couple of the columns until I see how I like the changes.

I'm slightly obsessed with this fabric that I found. I love how it matches my logo color and works with the rest of my color palette. It's got a lot of color without being too busy or playful in my opinion. And the images are snippits of botanical patterns, which look a lot like my jewelry.

Here's how the same pieces look in an outdoor 10x10 setup.

The fabric does feel more casual to me, which was one of my hesitations in going this route. But it does pack up smaller. I'm using rather chunky plastic shelves, like the kind used in basements and such. I pondered a different kind that was much flatter but way heavier. Either way I go, I think the other option might have been better so I just decided to pick one. I sewed up the fabric in a way that I could take it apart and re-sew it to fit something else if needed. In general I also went with the cheaper option because there are more changes I want to make this year.

The next addition will be cases. I've grappled with this for years, and even had a case for a while that started falling apart and eventually got stolen in a bizarre NYC incident during setup. So this time I'm trying pieces of tempered glass with glass clips. I hope it's not too fussy for packing. I'm going to do a dry run next week. My concern is do I just put cases on everything as I have it setup, where customers can still walk around all the columns, or do I need to create an L-shape display that I stand behind so I can easily help more than 1 customer without running around and leaving inventory lying out in the open everywhere.

I like being able to interact with my customers out in the booth and walk around in it, yet there are the practical logistics as to why jewelers often stand behind a wall of cases. I might be able to create a small L and have just 1 free-floating column. I think I'll be able to do some tests in my fairy cottage, or even on the back deck if the weather stays clear and dry.

Cases will be a huge change for me. It's going to completely alter the way I interact with people and my booth, yet I'm hoping it elevates the level of my work, cuts down on theft (which, shockingly, I don't have a ton of), and allows me to converse more with people about my work while they look and try pieces on. I'd like to be more of an active participant.

My next show is Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in Michigan, July 9-10. I'll set up my cases there so I'll have some practice before the State Street Area Art Fair in Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 20-23. I'll share some pics, and hopefully have great sales so I can continue the booth renovation with new fabric banner images.

How do you celebrate your birthday?

For me my birthday is much like New Year's. It's a great time to reset goals and make changes, and it's convenient that it lands at the mid-point of the year. I've always admired Chicago Art Girl Anne Leuck Feldhaus who tries to celebrate her birthday in a different place each year. Birthdays are not always big celebrations for me, but sometimes it's just the perfect time to try something new. I've never had a consistent thing I like to do, and lately it seems like my birthday always falls on an art fair weekend.

That was true again this year, where setup for the Marin Art Festival landed on my birthday. The nice treat is that my sweetie decided to join me for that show, on one of his non-show weekends... what a great guy! That way we knew we could setup quickly and enjoy the rest of the day.

More than that I decided I wanted to head to the coast a day early so I could end year 38 in daredevil style by skydiving! The plan was that we would jump together, but Sky just wasn't feeling it that day... his fear of heights got the best of him even though he has skydived twice before. That wasn't going to stop me, and it was great to have a photographer and supporter on the ground.

So, 1 week ago today, here I was floating through the sky tandem-style, which was great to have a tour guide to point out the sights.

I don't have a fear of heights per se, but there's still something bizarre about hanging out of a plane and then leaving said plane for a freefall. It's rather overwhelming, and the sensory overload caught up with me at various points throughout the day. My favorite part was pulling the parachute and slowly floating to the ground. I could really relax, and there was a beautiful sense of levity.

The landing was truly smooth, thanks to my tandem partner Charlie Brown at Skydance in Davis.

Do you have any fun crazy ways you like to welcome a new year? Whatever you do, I hope you get to feel special for a day or a week, which I definitely did.

Street Fair vs. Art Fair

Yes, I am alive after my recent bout with Post-show Recovery Syndrome preceded by Melting into a Puddle at the Hottest Show in the World Syndrome (and, yes, I know, it was a dry heat). I'm not as cranky as I sound after showing at the 4th Avenue Spring Street Fair in Tucson last weekend, but here's what I learned (aside from April is way too early for 95 degree heat).

The good news is that this show is named appropriately. This is a street fair, which is different from an art fair. On Sunday morning I did a quick walk through half of the show, and found the quality to be nice. There's a full range of offerings from very low end to moderately high end, and a slew in between. A lot of street fairs are not strictly juried, yet 4th Avenue does try to set a standard that all pieces need to be made by the vendor, so as street fairs go this one is good quality. In general I would say that the jury is not looking at the work itself with a critical eye, yet I didn't see anything horrendous if I overlook the realistic-yet-plastic machine guns and numchucks that I saw at least 30 kids carrying. In general such items will not be found at an art fair. There were a lot of items geared towards quantity production.

The tough thing at street fairs is that there's a lot to compete with, such as:

Jugglers and other on-street entertainment.

Lots and lots of food. Usually people walk and eat, which is scary if they also choose to look at your art.

Multiple sponsorship booths which provide free entertainment and giveaways.

Pop-up artists who do cool stuff on the public areas of the show.

All photos are ©2011 Kurt Tallis from a past 4th Avenue Street Fair.

 

Of course art fairs have food and entertainment (usually music) to attract larger crowds and create more of a destination. Yet it's easy to see why some customers might be distracted or find some of the art booths to be extraneous.

The one bonus to street fairs is that if you have a top notch display, you can really stand out in a crowd. You may not be bustling with people all the time, but your items will attract the right type of clientele if they are at the show (and not too distracted by jugglers). This luckily happened to me in Tucson, yet it was hard to explain to many people my price points ($180.00 was mistaken for $18.00 more than once because that was a more common price point at the show).

All in all, participate in a street fair at your own risk. Collectors and art appreciators will *really* enjoy having nice quality at the show, yet you rely on how many of them actually attend the show. Street fairs are a great way to get your "show legs" if you are new to doing shows and want to practice setup, display, interactions, and sales in a casual setting. If a street fair makes sense due to travel, it might be worth it if you are teaming it up with another show. I will consider Tucson again if I get into the Tempe Festival of the Arts since they are always back to back weekends, which would spread out my travel expenses over 2 shows.

Artists, do you feel like "The Time Traveler's Wife"?

Tonight I watched "The Time Traveler's Wife," which I thoroughly enjoyed because I waited a good long while to watch it after reading the book (I've also listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend... very well done with dual narrators).

It was a good night for me to watch it. My sweetie and I have just passed the halfway mark of when we will get to see each other in person again (6 weeks total come May 20). It can be a tough life, the life of a show artist. We all allude to it to each other, yet rarely do we get down into talking about it. Mostly because I for one strive to be "in the now," otherwise you get hung up in constantly wanting to be somewhere where you are not. That's an evil mind game that will suck the energy right out of you.

The intertwined lives of two show artists becomes a delicate dance as well... lots of calendars and keeping track of what you are doing as well as what they are doing. I don't do well with looking too far ahead when it's particularly hairy with lots of cross-country travel.

What I liked about the movie, however, is that it's a great reminder of how two people who are involved are each still very independent and leading their own lives. Your life can't stop when the other is gone, and, sadly, you can't share everything. This is hard because a lot of time, experiences, and processing can happen... you have to find ways to still feel connected and to share some of the inner dialogue in addition to the everyday stuff that's just happening.

In my own life, I find this easier to do with someone who understands the emotional roller coaster of shows and travel, as well as the emotional toll of being away from home. Shows can sound so glamorous. Over time, fellow artists can become a family away from home... yet it's not the same as being home, which is something I always yearn for even when I'm caught up in the moment and enjoying myself. This is a tough thing to explain, and it often leads to the feeling of leading two lives.

For me, at this point in my life when I am willing to take the risk of another relationship (why deprive myself of that happiness?), the movie was just a good reminder of striving for independence. I've always needed my own space, time alone, activities, and girl nights... things that are easy to lose sight of in the beginning of a new relationship where you are getting to know each other and enjoying so much time together (especially when in a new town where I don't have a solid friendship base established yet). My hand is being forced a bit, but I think it's also healthy... and I'm glad to see a movie touch on the various moments of sadness and loneliness when the alone time falls on a holiday (or even just at dinner time), over-joyed happiness at reunion as well as the sometimes anger and frustration at the forced independence that lashes out at a reunion, and those moments when you realize you or the other person has changed due to their travels and how to span that gap.

The other tough thing with show travel is how differently time moves. There are times when it crawls... the traveling between shows and that apparent "down time" takes forever (yet this can be a grand time for lots of mental processing, evaluating, and scheming). Whereas shows are super-speed... so much happens with sales, networking, and various opportunities that arise; it sometimes feels like several weeks packed into one day. There are so many stories to tell; I often feel a bit of guilt when talking to someone who is not there on the trip because it can seem like they are doing and accomplishing relatively little by comparison. That becomes a delicate art... sometimes it's best to keep it in or get a lot of the energy out by talking with fellow artists and then calming down to a normal vibration when dialing outside of that stratosphere. It works both ways, though... on the road I yearn for quiet stories of home cooking, gardening, friends, and yet that can set in that feeling of waah! all the good stuff happens without me, etc.

These are just my thoughts, do they ring true? Do you have any survival tips to share?

The fever

Okay, it's official... I'm going to Burningman this year! I participated in one local Chicago event, which is where the picture above was taken (more pics on my facebook page as well... send me a friend request and we'll link up). After that event I was hooked... art, performance, dancing... and so much more. When I received my rejection to the Sausalito Art Festival earlier this week, all schedule conflicts were gone, so I just bought my ticket today!

This will be one more item to add to my year of adventure, but my reasons for wanting to attend/participate are because I've been exploring in my head what my notions of community are... particularly artistic community, especially since art is so often a lonely endeavor. Some of you know that I'm also exploring these notions on the road, as I am looking to relocate to an artist community hopefully on the West Coast... with all my life changes over the last year, it's time to make a bold move to start living for the things I want out of life. I'll keep you posted of course... who really knows what the future holds.

New inventory abounds

The last 2 weeks have been filled with trips to the post office and UPS as orders from my wholesale shows find their way to their new homes. It's always fun for me to imagine my jewelry in all these different locales. Some, like museum shops, I've become used to the idea that my work sells and displays well in those environs. Others I'm going to have to try to venture to visit them  on my travels to truly grasp the personality of the place. I love seeing galleries in person. Here's a little rundown of some recent activity:

Mowen Solinsky Gallery, Nevada City, California
Last month I traveled to this wonderful, outdoorsy artist enclave nestled in the Northern California mountains. While there I took new inventory to the gallery and experienced it first hand... and was lucky enough that there was even an opening during my visit! So I had the opportunity to meet other artists and people from the community as well as got to know everyone who works in the gallery and talk about my work more with them. This type of personal connection always helps to boost sales as well... consumers don't just want a piece of jewelry, they want a part of the artist and that storied life as well. This connection has to come through the gallery representatives since I'm not there most of the time.

I felt fairly familiar with Mowen Solinsky since they represent me at SOFA Chicago; I was familiar with many of the artists from that show. But the gallery is huge with much more variety. It was fun walking through and recognizing many artists' work I know (including Greg & Heather who make raku vessels in my old Cornelia studio building), discovering new work that I fell in love with, and just feeling like I could spend hours taking it all in and still not feeling like I'd seen everything. The gallery is doing a beautiful job of bridging the gap between fine art and craft. These are all things that I had to pick up on in person... now that I have more a sense of the vibe of the gallery and the community, I might be able to make better suggestions for jewelry that works in that environment/story and appeals to a certain type of clientelle.

Caldwell's, Seattle, WA
Ben, Anita and I met at the New York International Gift Fair. They have just recently received my inventory. I was spreading the word to a Seattle friend and did some poking around online... check out these links:

http://www.nuovo.com/caldwells/

http://www.10best.com/Seattle,WA/Shopping/Specialty_Shops/26282/Caldwell|s_Seattle_WA/

 I am so curious to see my work in this environment. My work definitely looks like it has tribal influences, but I've never seen it in an environment that plays to this angle. I haven't seen the store myself yet, but I'm hoping to pop in for a visit next month (on April 9 I'll be having a trunk show at Mary Lou Zeek gallery in Salem, Oregon so am planning to tour around that whole region for a week).

Fallingwater Museum Shop, Mill Run, PA
How have I never been here? I have even dreamed about this place... the website is as beautiful as the building looks. A collection of my nests and more nature-inspired pieces are now in the gift shop, which I imagine is probably slightly different from a lot of high-design museum gift shops. I'll have to plan my travels to pass through here... maybe this summer.

Gardiner Museum Shop, Toronto, Canada

The Gardiner just received a fresh bit of inventory for spring... which is great since they just were voted one of the top 5 galleries in Toronto!

Relish, Bloomington, IN
This looks like the type of store where I could spend all my money... it's a little more "lifestyle" than any one type of store. I haven't been there in person, but it's not too far... I'll have to try to visit on one of my trips East. My jewelry just arrived so should be out on display!

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There are even more to mention, but that seems like a screenful for now! Let me know if you stumble across my work here or in any other stores... or if you think a store is perfect for my work. Thanks for your support.

And so it begins...

This morning I woke up at o-dark-thirty for day 2 of my Winter Feast for the Soul meditation session. Then I bustled around to make it to the Merchandise Mart loading dock... StyleMax opens tomorrow. It is below 0 here, so unloading was very quick but not painless. I'm feeling focused for a super-fast setup so I can make it back to the studio to fill some pre-Valentine's Day orders. There's lots to juggle right now, but I'm trying to stay focused on getting through this string of 3 wholesale shows while maintaining a high level of customer service for my existing clients... and not lose track of myself amidst all the craziness. Wish me luck & send me warmth. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®