Working Tuesday: Selling your creations - Shows

Note: This is part 3 of a series called "Selling your creations." If you've missed parts 1 and 2, I'd encourage you to look back and catch up!

Another way to dip your toes into the marketplace is to sell your work through shows. This is where you physically go somewhere, set up a table - or sometimes an entire booth - and sell your wares directly to people.

A "show" can take many forms. Sometimes, your local mall or a regional festival will highlight artists in the community. Sometimes museums or local galleries hold shows. And sometimes there are shops that sponsor seasonal shows for artists associated with their shops. There are several street shows throughout the summer in the DC area if you search them out - you may have even been to one!

Some shows require that you go through a jurying process to check the quality of your work, and some don't. I'd suggest you stick to the juried shows because the quality is generally better overall and people come looking to spend a little more money at a higher quality show. I've taken my work to unjuried shows, set up my booth and watched while the person selling food down the way sells out while I work to sell one piece. Trust me on this. Juried is better.

It's also been my experience that any show worth doing will require a fee for you to rent a space. Although this takes from your bottom line, it generally means more money has gone into advertising and renting a good venue. And advertising and a good venue mean better customers for you. Because I don't have much in the under $10 range, I find that the more they charge to rent a space, the better the show for me.

Once you're in the "show circuit," ask other artists about other possible shows. You may have missed the deadline for this year's show, but you can ask the promoters to put you on the mailing list for next year's opportunity. Artists are generally happy to talk about what kinds of shows have been good for them and share experiences. Look for artists with products similar to yours in price and demand as that will help you get a better idea of whether your creations will sell in that type of venue.

And once you've booked a show, remember this is an opportunity to market your work in the future. Make sure you have a stack of business cards so that people who see your work can get back in touch with you. They may not have the money to buy today, but they might keep you in mind for Christmas or might want to tell friends about you. Put out a book to collect email addresses and start a mailing list. Let people who are interested in your work know where you'll be next or when you're having a sale. I've had customers come back to see me year after year just because they want to see what work I've developed from year to year - and to get something from this year's collection!

Next week, I'm hoping to talk to another artist about her experience with shows. Stay tuned for some real dirt on doing the show circuit!