I'll take just a few..

So, from the high of my instant sell out during the opening moments of my last show to 3 days of sweating it out. Literally, figuratively, physically, mentally.

I dont know what it is about Syracuse. I like the place. It is a gritty college town with a solid cultural base. Last year was a debacle with an ill-advised change to the layout that relegated a cluster of us to a dead end, separated from the rest of the artists by bath-fitter demos and used book sales and 2 dresses for the price of one. I was very vocal about the idiocy of this and the organizer actually visited me, apologized, said she agreed. Before I applied this year, I emailed her to make sure things had changed. It had, she said, and she hope I would participate. Oh, OK.

I was rewarded with a primo spot with parking in a lot behind us, shade trees, the exhibitor restrooms across the street, lots of wonderful artists all around us. Well, OK, then, this could be a good one. Or not.

The show runs Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Friday downtown is only busy during lunch time, but we are there 10-6. It is deadly. Saturday started out with a lot of rain and flooded streets, so the show really started about 1:30. Sunday was gorgeous but hot and lots of people came. Some artists did very well, some tanked, I tanked. That's how this business goes. The question now is whether I use common sense and drop this show or whether I let my affection for the thing lure me into dropping another wad on doing it. I have all WInter to figure it out.

The good? Yes, there is some. I sold my guest books and wine journals and collage. Miniature book necklaces sold out. Very cool. I sold large journals but not so many smaller ones. Odd, that, but sometimes you can't figure it out. What it tells me is that I am on the right track, that dropping the trinkets was the way to go. Hopefully I will have a ton of stuff to bring to the next 3 shows, all of it things I want to make, things that really define who I am as an artist.

Some shows are good for you because they make you money, help you carry on to the next one. Some of them are not so lovely for your bank account, but they enrich you in other ways. The changes I have been encouraged to make this year have made me better and happier. Set me back on the right road.

I can do this.