My Very First Booth

It's one thing to make art; it's quite another to sell it.

I give away a lot things I make, to friends and to silent auctions for causes I support. But I rarely sell it. Partly, I'm just not interested in the business side of art making, partly I'm fortunate enough not to need the money, and partly no-one is willing to pay a price that actually reflects the time and skill I've devoted to a particular piece of art.

Yesterday, my good friend, Julie, and I set up a booth along Jefferson Ave, outside the Eccles Community Art Center as part of its 125th birthday celebration. We were there from 12 to 7, and I made a grand total of $108.

7 hours at the booth works out at $15.43 an hour. Count in the preparation time, and I'm probably making minimum wage. And that's not counting the cost and labor of the eco-dyed prints I was selling.

So was it worth it? From a financial point of view, the answer is a resounding no. But I did get to spend the afternoon with Julie, and I talked with a lot of people, friends and strangers, who passed by our booth.

Would I do it again? Julie and I asked ourselves that question all afternoon, and the answer we came to is we don't know. Perhaps we were offering things that people don't want, even though we're proud of our work; perhaps this was not the right venue; perhaps this is not a good use of our time and energy. We're still thinking about it