The Third Annual Artist Open House is now DONE! There was so much to get done beforehand. I was out of town the weekend before, and of course, there's my job and general life stuff. It all makes those 24 hours jam-packed, and getting ready for an open house a little more stressful, this year.
Of course, prepping for it involves cleaning, organizing, moving around all the tools and various minutiae I use to make stuff, and washing down the patio area. I wear a mask to sweep up because of the clay dust floating around, but the rest has to be washed down with water, which I hate to do in drought-ridden So. Cal. But needs must, as they say!
Yes, being a potter is all glamor.
Since this open house is a showcase for all my creations, pottery and jewelry and whatnot, it takes a while to put everything in the point of sale (putting on the bar codes, pricing, pics, etc.), and then physically getting the tables set up, the linens put on, shelving and unpacking everything, setting it out in the shelves and on the tables.
It takes time. Walking 300 flyers around for days before the event takes a bunch of time. Designing said flyers takes time. Designing the email announcement, too. I'm not complaining, by the way! It's just part of the deal, and I really enjoy the end result, which is people coming over and enjoying my creepy cute creations!
A little bit at a time, though, things come together! Bin by bin, things get unpacked and arranged.
And then, the start time comes and people walk through the gate and start piling your creations on your checkout table and start asking if you take commissions...
And people start asking about skeleton wind chimes and this and that. And you know you're going to stick with making ceramics.
Because even though people keep telling you, you can't make a living at it (they're mostly right), you get to the point where you understand in your bones that just because something can't be "acceptably" monetized, that doesn't make it worthless, valueless.
The smiles, the happiness. That makes it worth more than money, always.
I feel sorry for people who can't see that.
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You busted your ass but it looks like it was all worth it. Your patio looks great.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I feel like I got something accomplished this year, you know?
DeleteSame thing with our haunt, e.g. the smiles and happiness it brings the trick-or-treaters every year makes it worth the effort and the cost. It's performance art for us and we find value and take pride in what we do.
ReplyDelete