So what goes into an Art Festival?

I'm thick in the season of art festivals and I thought I would share with you what exactly that means. There are hundreds (thousands?) of art festivals that happen throughout the year all across the country, and as an artist, you have to do your research and decide which festivals to apply for. Apply for? Yes, exactly. Each festival has an application fee to be juried in. You have to submit images of your work, an image of your booth, an artist statement, resume sometimes, and a fee, ranging from $30-$75ish. If you're accepted into the festival, you then pay the submission fee, which can be anywhere from $300-$700+. Plus you're encouraged to have your own insurance ($300) and there are often city fees ($25ish). Then there's your tent, weights (40 lbs per leg), walls, dolly, painting storage containers, and everything else that goes with your display. It's a lot, right? Now let's talk about location. You have to travel to the festival! Which means gas, food, and lodging expenses. It's a lot of upfront costs!

And now it's festival time! You've spent months creating, framing ($$$), labeling, and it's finally here! Some festivals allow you to set up the night before, but for others, you're up at 5:00 am and you hurry to be set up by 9:30 because, let's face it, the festival starts at 10:00 but people are wandering around at 8:00. All of this work, and NOW you have to be ON for the next 7 hours, talking to people and trying to convince them how amazing you are and how amazing your work is and oh, you HOPE they will fall in love with one of your pieces and take it home! And of course there are the people who tell you that they could do it better (yes, these people actually exist), and other artists who like to pull out their phone and show you all of the cool things that they do (insert eye roll emoji), and if you're lucky - there are the wonderful people who tell you the absolute nicest things about your work (and I LOVE these people). Of course, it's nice if they actually buy something (even if it's just note cards!) after they've gushed about your work for ten minutes. For me, it's REALLY hard to sell myself. I have a hard time telling people "here's why you should love my paintings". These make for really long days. Sometimes you do well and sometimes you don't. And it's incredibly discouraging when you have to pack everything back up and bring it all back to your studio. I much prefer the days when I can celebrate with a glass of prosecco!

So keep these things in mind if you're heading to an art festival. Even if you're not going to buy anything, you can always throw them a bone and follow the artist on social media (my instagram and my facebook). You never know when they'll post something that you'll have to have. And remember that at the end of the day, I'm just a girl, standing in front of my festival booth with my paintings, waiting for them to be loved.

Check out my About page for upcoming festivals and events.