so, in my last posti was poised ready to rock & roll at the Borders Art Fair – or so i thought!
i just had some gold hand finishing to do on some of my limited-edition prints, sign them all, carefully wrap & seal them complete with certificate of authenticity, collect my work from the framers, create my inventory & then write out all my price tags
easy to do, right?
well yes if you couldactually lift your head off the pillow – WHY, WHY, WHHHHYYYY NOW!
of all the times to be sick THIS was not it!
in my last post i mentioned i got ill & i pivoted to then writing my blog post but now it was crunch time & i was sicker than ever (you might know me to be over dramatic if you’ve read my posts before but this time it was REAL drama)
i was sicker than ever
wtaf was i going to do?
there was a lot of panic but zero disco!
step in my husband, let's call him “Super Pablo” (as i said to my kweenslast week i've changed his name for privacy reasons obvs!)
whilst he couldn’t do the arty stuff he could cut backing boards, collect my newly framed work, help pack my kit & install my artwork at the art fair (whilst i lay on the ground face down – not even joking btw!)
once i was (mostly) vertical & armed with a stash of painkillersi wasready(ish) to take on the Borders Art Fair
but here’s the thing: it didn’t exactly go off like a firework, more like a damp squib in terms of sales to begin withtbh
it didn’t exactly go off like a firework
for the first couple of days, i felt like aglitter bomb at a minimalist’s housewarming
people were stopping, looking, smiling (smiling is good right?) some chatted, some nodded...
then they were walking away
ooft!
what was i doing wrong?
awww no voice no.2 (you can read more about her here) was back
"yourprices are too high!”
“no one likes your art enough to buy it”
“pffft, what made you think you could actually sell your art?”
ok so time for a pep talk to myself & possibly a swig from my stashed hipflask!
actually, at this point lots of other exhibiting artists (who i'd never met before this event) stepped in & put me straight
TF for them, they gave me the strength to tell voice no.2 to GTF
so, ikept showing up, kept pushing myself to connect
people were buying
& by the final day, something clicked. maybe irelaxed, maybe istarted to get it, but suddenly…sales started happening!
people were buying
prints were getting wrapped up. i was seeing collectors actually invest in my work!
f*ck it felt GOOD!
in the end the Borders Art Fair wasbloody brilliant!
ifound out ihad been in contention for best stand (excuse me while i add that to my insta highlights)
people told me that my stand was their fav (maybe they said that to everyone but idon’t care it made my day)
&ieven managed to bag a spot in not one, but TWO national papers - wtaf! defo dropping that anywhere i can
but then came the CRASH...
code for sleep, netflix & not so healthy snacks
since the fair ihit what you might call an after fair funk
to be higher than the occupants of a snoop dawg tour bus 1 minute to then be sat in your PJs the next,with what seemed like the emotional stability of a toddler who’d missed nap time, is pretty scary!
maybe it was also a come down from all the cold & flu meds i'd popped - who knows?
all i know is i'd reached the peak, done the fair & now what?
ok so i took 24 hrs of r & r (code for sleep, netflix & not so healthy snacks), then it was back on the horse, planning my kweenie world domination – starting with completing the hand finishing on my Limited Edition “divinity” collection
i only have the OG's on my website right now (as seen in the gorge pix below), but if you are interested in the Ltd Edition fine art prints then contact me
kweenie feminist unapologetic pop art original featuring Audrey Hepburn - "fuck you"
kweenie feminist unapologetic pop art original featuring Elizabeth Taylor - "i won't do"
kweenie feminist unapologetic pop art original featuring Dorothy Dandridge - "what you"
kweenie feminist unapologetic pop art original featuring Marilyn Monroe - "tell me"
finally, i just want to give abig shoutout to all the kweens(& king if including “Super Pablo”) who came through & made the borders art fair a dream rather than the nightmarevoice no.2 told me it would be!
your support means more than a pornstar martini on friday night (& trust me, that’s a lot!)
why not give yourself a shout out in the comments or maybe you're up for sharing the last time you told voice no.2 to GTF? - the comments await kween...
love you, bye
kx
PS things i learned (the hard way, obvs)
- sales don’t always happen instantly - sometimes you have to stick it out
- people can love your work & still walk away & that’s not a YOU problem
- the best strategy? keep showing up, keep connecting, keep pushing through, even when it’stotally awks!
- the high & lows, i reckon it’s all part of the process, right?
3 comments
You always inspire SuperK.x
Sorry you were ill, I would never have known. Was great to talk to you.
Your stand was totally awesome. A breath of fresh air. Keep rocking it Kweenie.