Episode 12: Challenging Craft Shows

Today I talk about my experiences with two different, and back to back Saturdays, craft shows.

The first was alright, I made a few sales, including a custom doll! Yay! I have completed it, and it will be on the way to it's new owner later today! Amanda had a better day than I did, and I'm so happy for her! We made coordinating pieces; I made a gnome inspired by an embroidery piece she had sketched out but hadn't completed yet. I sent Amanda a photo of the completed gnome, and she took the colors I used and created an embroidery to go with it. They found a new home with a friend of mine! Amanda also sold her "Beard Bae" embroidery (I'm jealous of his new owner!).

The second show was rough. It was cold and very windy. We were outside on a packed dirt floor, with no heat. There were no signs indicating that there were additional vendors in the arena, and I overheard customers talking in the building that 1) they didn't know there were more vendors; and 2) they didn't want to shop outside because it was too cold. It wasn't a great show, and it was mostly a non-positive experience.

I was signed up for a show this weekend that I thought was inside, but turns out they have a few outside vendors as well. With a 50% chance of snow on Saturday, I'm going to cancel. That means I forfeit my fee, but I'm just not interested in another cold weekend outside with low sales. I'm going to the beach instead!

With two disappointing shows, my mental health took a hit. I have been feeling a lot of imposter syndrome, and wondering whether I can or should actually try to make a business of the things that I make. It's been a rough couple of weeks, for sure. I'm hoping that I can use some ACT exercises to help pull myself back up into a better state of mind, and continue doing was I was called to do.