When my friend all but dragged me to my first festival booth last year, I was anything but ready. It was… probably the greatest challenge of time management and McGuyvering that I have ever faced, and it was an utterly irreplaceable learning experience that lit a fire in me. In twenty days, with the help of a small village of kind people, I was able to pull together a tent, a display with too many moving parts, some tables, and enough inventory to last me to Sunday. Somehow. It was amazing, and I made friends and sold a lot of work!
This year… this year was so much better. Better because, even though I had 75% of it figured out, and there was 25% uncertainty, we rocked it. The Saturday weather was beautiful. I made new friends. The twenty-dollar shoes I wore were totally bomb. Bunches of people signed up for updates. I made sales. I got commissions. There was a half hour of rain on Sunday, and the clear shower curtains worked as a PERFECT alternative to hundred-dollar walls that I just couldn’t swing at the time. Couldn’t go any better.
I also got to see one of my wonderful photographer friends open up and just bloom. :) It was the first fest that he has ever had to prepare for, and there was so much excitement leading up to the day… we would shoot messages back and forth about what might work, what the weather looked like, how the air crackled every time someone said “Strawberry Fest.” And when he showed up with his beautiful wife to set up… and it was windy… and it looked like rain… they pulled it all together and set up, charmed the crowd with stories, and put some beautiful photography in some homes! In fact, I can’t wait to hang some Kevin Sladky originals myself! Can’t wait to see where he goes.
All in all… Thanks to everyone who took some time to drop by during a hot, busy could of days!!! It means the world.
It was a perfect weekend
to make friends,
to learn,
to sell art,
to spread some sunshine around!