My graphic fails to register the insane # of hours it takes, let alone money to prep for an art show!
Prepping for a show takes a lot of work. If you are one of the organizers, it requires weeks if not months of meetings, phone calls, emails...and even more !
If you are just a participant you not only need to create the art you hope to sell, you also need to price it, create professional looking tags, wrap, and price each piece. Depending on your work you may also need to invest in special bags, paper, and/or bubble wrap.
Set up is often the day of the show and you must adjust for the space you are assigned. You'll need a booth in some instances, table cloths, display units, and potentially, a sign.
Advertising may be done buy the sponsoring group but you also need to reach out to your mailing list!
When pricing, you need to take into consideration the cost for being in the show as well as a 2.6% credit card fee + 10 cents per transaction. Some credit card fees are higher!...and then there's the time it takes to close out a show, packing up what's left as well as your displays, etc. In my case, each piece of glass has to be wrapped carefully so they don't break on their return home.
These are the hidden elements most customers don't realize. If you add up the time artists spend on work just to market and sell their items we probably make about 3 cents an hour, if we're lucky!
But we do it..because making art gives us joy...and eventually we figure out a few short cuts that might bring us up to a nickel an hour!
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