Monday, August 27, 2007

learnins from the front

OK so how about a report for Lazy daze, one word, CRAPPY! way to much buy/sell there. lets just call it a lesson learned, OH, whats the lesson you say?! well when you walk the show early in the A.M. and notice 25% of they booths are low priced buy sell items, most of the "craft" is poorly made, you see lots of $10 stickers (bright yellow too) you might as well go get your change from your booth and head to the beer garden! not kidding, anyway that's why if you make good work and price it realistically (i define this as work that is above the average and sells for a dollar amount that allows you to take your time and "create" good work, not crank out schloopity schloop!) you can not go to these shows where the organizers allow vendors who break the rules CLEARLY STATED in the contract sent to them to stay set up. This brings the quality of the show way down and makes it near impossible to sell good honestly priced work. what is worse is the general public is getting an education when they attend these festivals and when they are bombarded with kitschy junk, pre-made SHIT, and way low prices they just received their mickey mouse PhD in craft education. well i for one have had it with alot of these show promoters/ organizers. i have a few shows where you are cared for and not seen as a dollar sign. but in all honesty what are the next generation of craft artists to do? this use to be the staging grounds for a budding artist. Two of my close friends set up at the show, they are admittedly scratching to get by and they invest a few hundred dollars and lots of time in a show that just leaves them dead in the ally, like a rat! well, i gotta go pull handles before i pull my hair out! Today was actually a good day, Evan did a speech test and passed with flying colors, then went to the dentist for his first check up, he was brave as hell! so today i was the windshield! OK off to work, peace out, don't eat the trout! Shane a.k.a BOBO (PS that's for you rump shaker, i know your watching me now)

4 comments:

Sarah-potterknitter said...

The ONLY thing good about that show the year I did it was the fact that my aunts pool was about 8 miles away, we were in it by 6pm and didn't care about the horrible day anymore.

Shane Mickey said...

sarah,
yes, wish i had my suite as our hotel had a pool, i went for the double jack on the rocks, not as good as a pool, but it worked!

Togeika said...

Shane,

You should see the Mashiko pottery festival. Many yellow crates with 500 yen labels on them. Over 500 booths, all potters and usually more than 2 potters per booth.

I refuse to demean my work. I charge my studio direct prices. If I sell one $200.00 platter, that is forty $5.00 pieces! Also, my wife Jean sells woodblock prints ranging from $50.00 to $300.00 Last spring, she sold as much in prints as I did pots. In the new area in front of the Messe ceramic museum, we consistently outsell everyone else.

I am not there to bitch about cheap shoddy work. I am there to kick ass and raise the level of quality.

Good luck!

--
Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA and Mashiko, Japan

"Making pots should not be a struggle. It should be like walking down a hill in a gentle breeze." --Shoji Hamada

http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/

Shane Mickey said...

lee,
thanks for the words of encouragment! wish i could kick ass and take names, but here in the U.S. it is the Walmart world, and people just want cheap shoddy shit over high level craftsmanship, not at every show though, gotta find the goodins