In order to process a larger backlog of already-made works as I deal with my carpal tunnel this summer, I am trying to go in-real-life with selling.
I made a small Art Yard Sale with a friend as my emotional support human and training wheels, last weekend as of this post. I don't have good foot-traffic by my yard, nor did I advertise but for putting up a sign on either end of my block.
Because of my late-realized autism, I arrived in my 40s with severe Rejection Sensitivity Disorder. One does not want to be seen, but when one needs to be seen, it's mentally destructive to be ignored or shunned.
This was a trial run which I had thought of and then bailed on, and then forced myself to do in the single week beforehand, so I ignored any venue-placement and advertising issues. The general idea was to just learn the setup procedure with the pop-up canopy, folding tables, arrangement, labeling, and packaging that running a booth requires.
If I had done well, I don't think I would have tried to consider improvements so vehemently. I spent a couple days making a blueprint for a revised booth setup: easels, s-hooks, "WTF is this?" signs, leaving some items in their carefully crafted boxes, and a plan to have a printout sheet with QR codes for mobile payment apps.
My blueprint has layers, so I can see what's behind some of the other items, with a line-only base that can be restructured depending on which items I'm selling that day. The image below shows my setup with all of the items I had in my test run last weekend. I did forget two small matboard panels, but we won't worry about that!
The center aisle is intended to draw people into the space, with the hanging framed works better displayed hanging from s-hooks than stacked in a cramped rack on the ground. Adding magnets to the Soft Sculpt Lotuses at the get-go instead of merely suggesting it as an option allows them to shine. Sleipnir's legs can do what they need to hanging from his sling instead of flopping around on the table.
I want to test this revised Pop-Up Art Shop format to see if it improves my experience. I'd like to be able to not have to travel to and pay venue fees until I recover longer from my cancer bout, recent peaks of anxiety, and of course the carpal tunnel treatment I'm getting soon.
comments, questions? email me: thecatcamebackatcamp@gmail.com