Social Experimentation

I've hit a lull. Not quite a rut, because I don't feel stuck or unhappy with my crafting. I just can't buckle down and get it done. It's not exactly like a creative block, because I have the ideas and write them down for later. Am I distracted? Depressed? Disoriented by the rising pollen count?

Eventually I should snap out of it, and I am scribbling down lots of new plans and ideas. I just need to be more patient with myself.


As far as the craft fair experiment goes, Brooklyn Indie Market is really wonderful. The lady who organizes it is very sweet and accommodating, the other vendors are nice, the neighborhood is quiet (if somewhat sleepy) and safe. My ploy to lure in younger customers with the $5 pendants is working out great, and next time I'm going to bring even fewer high ticket items. My friends have been really awesome with helping me out, too. I highly recommend this market both to buyers and sellers, especially new sellers who want to find their feet in a happy, safe environment.

So the fact that I still don't like selling at craft fairs indicates that it's not them, it's me.

Sci fi cons and kink fairs are different. I sit at my table and chat with other weirdos, and get to watch the con wander by. The audience in Brooklyn is lots of nice normal people, very very kind and complimentary but ... I just don't know how to relate. It's not you, it's me! You are wonderful for oogling my beadwork, and your kids are very awesome! Thank you for stopping by!

I wonder if I'd feel better putting more time and energy into making more stuff, taking better photos of said stuff, and hawking it on the internet. For part-time artisans like me, the larger part of our customer base is people we know. And the people I know really enjoy looking at my online listings, jump all over the sales I have, and tell their friends and family all about it.

I'm going to keep on working at BIM, because they are soooo wonderful and I'm doing well there. This may just be a weird kind of stage fright phase I need to get over. They may also have another Steampunk event in October, yay. But in 2010 I may decide to stick with 3 freak-cons a year instead of monthly craft fairs.

There will be firmer plans by the end of 2009, but I'm already looking into some new SF cons for next year. New to me ;-)


Also, I started putting up the last of the clay necklaces, still on sale:

Priestess of Ma'at, $15 [Etsy Link]

Enjoy!