This past weekend was incredible! I decided last Friday to take the plunge and participate in the Christmas Fair/Boutique at our church. Most churches in the area open up their basements or gymnasiums to vendors for the holidays and I won't lie and tell you that I was walking into this all confident and cocky. I was really very nervous and I had NO idea if I could even FILL a 8 foot table nor did I have any idea how my ceramics would be received. My goal was to just make back my $35 for the table for one day.
Setting the table up with the wares was totally reminiscent of my model horse showing days that I felt a sense of longing to show again and be a part of that action. So immediately I felt at home showing off my pieces and sitting behind the table. Everything just felt right and well. I priced items from $2 all the way up to $40, so I had something for every pocket.
The vendors around me were really nice people and we had a blast talking the entire weekend. The fair itself was excellent for me. I was the only ceramist/potter at the event so I pretty much had a monopoly on pottery lovers and they were thankfully there this weekend looking for gifts for their friends and loved ones!
As the first day of selling came to a close I decided to buy the table for another day. The selling was extremely good and the experience of seeing people viewing my work face to face was the most valuable part of the weekend and I just couldn't get enough. The real pottery lovers had to touch the pieces. They had to look at them and feel them. They took the glazes in and enjoyed the variations. You could just tell who loved pottery because they just hovered and then bought and then came back again for more. They wanted to talk about my wheel, my kiln and my glazes.
They wanted to talk about how the pottery spoke to them. One guy felt almost every piece and he wound up purchasing the most rustic of my pieces. No pink pieces for this guy. He loved the deep greens and browns. The real pottery lovers colors. These types of customers were the most inspirational. Hearing the love of pottery and ceramics in their voices made me want to run home and make more pieces.
Overall, I learned so much this weekend about myself (I had to be a perky and happy sales lady) and about my work. The stuff I thought turned out terrible or was a bad idea all turned out to be the most appealing to people. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder and art is totally subjective. As an artist I am my toughest critic and I think that portion of me needs to shut down (or at least be silenced for a while) while inspiration on my wheel and in my clay studio is let loose.
I do have pieces left over that didn't sell. As soon as I get the house in order and the laundry done and put away I'll begin to put them up for sale. I want to have an Online Christmas Boutique of my own with nothing over $20.
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