This past weekend I took a leap of faith and decided to host a booth at the tenth annual Art In The Park at the Brownsboro Retirement Community. This was an experience full of artistic growth for me. I decided to bring my Grandma along, because she has always been one of my greatest supporters, and when we pulled up to the loading area I quickly realized that I was way in over my head. My booth was not as exciting as anyone else', and my selection of purchasable work was very limited in comparison to the other artists. Honestly, I was tempted to turn around and go home, but I swallowed my pride and set up anyways. After getting my new tent set up and breaking a lawn chair in the process (oops), I looked down at my setup and was relieved to see that the small table I had brought made it look as if I had a lot of pieces with me. After typing this out, I realize how pitiful that sounds, but we're just going to say that my space was "modest." My "modest" setup was also very cute; my Grandma had brought her Ecuadorian tablecloth and it brought a lot of personality to the space. Once the festival began, I had plenty of people walk by while I had my mouth full of a delicious pumpkin roll (I received a voucher for a free pumpkin roll when I got there, and honestly that made the whole experience worth it.). Most of them took my business card, which I am incredibly thankful for, and walked on. I had a few people purchase bookmarks and prints. One woman was even so excited about my print that she asked me what my recommendations were for framing it! I was able to share with people my concepts and processes, and I was happily surprised that so many people were eager to hear about it. When I was not sitting at my "modest" table, I was walking around and checking out the other artists. I ended up leaving that day with two potted plants in mosaicked terra cotta pots, two pairs of handmade earrings, and a hand painted wooden fish. The wooden fish was actually a gift from a lovely artist that I met there. She shared with me all about what it means to prices your work and create things to sell. She also gave me lots of encouragement, and then invited me to collaborate with her in her studio which she calls her "she shed." I was also able to network with a local art therapy business, which excited me quite a bit. While I doubt I will ever become an art therapist, I am willing to take whatever opportunities come my way. Who knows, God has surprised me with His plans before. As the day came to a close, I ended up being very glad that I came and shared my business cards with those at the event. Ultimately I gained exposure and connections; it was a learning process and I am thankful for that.
