Branching Out, Or Alzheimer’s Prevention!
- Jean
- Jun 6, 2019
- 3 min read
Branching out can mean a lot of things. Recently, for me, it has meant learning how to start a business. Learning how to build a website. Learning how to market myself, and my products. All while learning how to improve my art.
It’s important as you get older to “branch out,” so to speak, to keep your mind active, and maybe, just maybe, prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease. I joke about it. Often. The truth is, however, that without challenging yourself as you age, you will become stagnant. That is a fear of mine. So I persevere on this road of creating and selling my art.
Learning how to navigate technology does not come naturally to me. I’m too old to be a “native,” but I have improved tremendously with the help of others, and some adventurous experimentation. The biggest disaster was that I paid for a full three years on a platform that only offers one website builder in it’s fee. That builder was not user friendly for me. So, I paid my stepson’s girlfriend to help me with a more user friendly product. I’m getting the hang of Wix, and it’s definitely more user friendly for non-natives than Wordpress. The kicker is that I have to pay an additional fee to use Wix on my prepaid platform. Sometimes while branching out you get poked in the butt! Yikes!
My next technological reach will be to add a store to my website. Stay tuned, but don’t hold your breath!
I’ve got two larger art fairs under my belt now. The first offered more crafts, and kid oriented items than I expected. It was more 0f a family geared event, and people were buying trinkets for the kids, not art.
The highlight of this event was the aging artist, whose booth was in our direct line of vision. He was busy all day producing enhanced photo paintings on the spot ,while sitting in a chair, or squatting on the ground. Let’s just say, he was completely oblivious of the loose cheeked vertical “smile” beaming from his backside for all fairgoers to see. Up and down. Down and up. All day long. Never pulling up his pants. Slack, floppy, saggy, happy smile. It sure made us smile. And giggle. And laugh. And belly laugh. Sheesh, didn't I just describe this fair as a family event!
If laughter is the best medicine, it sure eased the pain of slow sales. We did sell a few items, and, finally, at the very last minute, Joe sold his first refurbished, reupholstered rocking chair! That was a big coup for him, and the sale of a big ticket item, made for a successful show for us!
There was another wonderful benefit to that show. A reporter from the Racine Journal Times came by and asked for an interview with me. Of course, I obliged. She asked loads of questions, and snapped lots of photos of the booth. When Sunday morning arrived we were greeted with a wonderful article on the front page of the Local section, and a colorful presentation of our work online! How affirming was that?
Here’s the link. https://journaltimes.com/upcycled-art-caledonia-artist-s-work-gives-doilies-new-life/article_4ea2304d-964d-52f7-86fa-535ea5686f56.html
The second big show had a bit more of real art sprinkled amongst obviously manufactured goods, and crocheted dish towels. It was sponsored by an art association, and was juried. Once again, people were mainly out to stroll, and window shop on a beautiful day. We did make enough sales though to cover our booth fee and then some. “Whew!”
This show also had some pleasant surprises. First of all, I received a third place ribbon in the fine craft division! It was a real confidence booster to have my work be recognized.
Another surprise at this show came from a docent for a historic mansion. She discussed with me the possibility of using my work in the redecoration of the mansion's bridal room. I was thrilled! What fun would that be? And important too. We’ll see if it pans out. I sure hope it does!
It seems that going out on a limb to start this business is beginning to see some payoffs. While art fairs are not the most cost effective way to sell art, they are very important for building, and promoting your business. The person-to-person contact is essential. Building relationships with customers and potential customers is required to grow your clientele. The sheer physical visibility of it is priceless. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of this season develops.
Joe and I are taking a bit of a break now until the end of July. In fact, I’m writing this in a hospital room, as Joe lies recovering from a nasty hernia repair. He’ll need some much needed R&R so he can jump back in as my pack mule and chief reupholstery man again! As for me, I'll be branching out by exploring new ways to develop my craft. Gotta stay sharp in my old age!
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