If you’ve been following along with me on Instagram or Facebook, you may know that 2022 was the year that I gave myself back to art. After being mostly gone from creating visual pieces for nearly 10 years, I decided to listen to my heart and try my artist’s apron on again, figuratively and literally speaking.
So I started creating.
It was, in a word, terrifying.
But also exhilarating.
I explored a new medium, fabric collage.
I fell in love.
And, to my shock, others seemed to really love my fabric landscapes too. They encouraged me to start to offer them to the world, so I did.
My fabric collages were accepted in one local shop, then another, and then a third. I was asked to participate in a local holiday market. I applied to be a participant in more vendor markets and craft fairs, and was accepted to three, and now am a regular participant in one.
The thing about in-person events, though, is that I’m awkward as hell. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m autistic and have ADHD. Maybe it’s my imposter syndrome. Or that I’m damned exhausted (hellooooo, mom life + pandemic life). Most likely, it’s a combination of several factors.
Me being awkward as hell as my first market of 2022.
But I did it.
I made mistakes, and I did some things right.
Here’s what I’ve learned.
1. Showing up is half the battle.
Okay, I know this seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a big deal.
I stayed away from even trying to sell my visual art for a long time . . . because I was scared. Because it’s vulnerable. Because it sucks to show up, get your hopes up, and then be disappointed if nobody’s buying.
But if you don’t show up at all, your chance of sales is 0%. You’ve already determined the outcome before you even try.
Showing up in the face of fear, then, is super brave. And it’s 100% more likely to bring you success or new customers or new creative contacts than not.
In my opinion, showing up is a success, even if you sell nothing.
2. Preparation can help bridge the gap between might and will.
One thing I let remain an obstacle for my participation in local events was my display table. Even though I create visual art, real life design is NOT my forte. Just ask my home — I’m terrible at decorating!
So naturally, I was worried about my vendor table display.
To help myself overcome this, I practiced at home. I set up a whole display in my kitchen, trying to figure out what might work at a fair.
It helped immensely.
Here’s my at-home practice setup.
So practice at home. Ask some knowledgeable friends for advice. And Pinterest is your friend! You don’t have to reinvent the wheel here (and I kind of thought I did, silly me). See what other people have done, and take from their examples pieces that might work for you.
Research, practice, finesse. You got this.
3. Be willing to make mistakes.
I’m a perfectionist. Big time. When I do a thing, I went it to be done perfectly right, and on the first time.
Yeah, I know how ridiculous that is. Even more ridiculous is that I let fear of imperfection stop me.
You’re not going to get it right the first time. Certainly not if you’re a beginner, and still not if you’re experienced.
And your goal isn’t to be perfect.
Your goal is to show up, do your best, and learn.
You have to be willing to make mistakes.
Mistakes aren’t failure. They’re a natural part of the process. So make your mistakes, learn from them, and move forward.
4. Help yourself with a script
This one is for my fellow awkward artists or neurodivergent makers. We’re not great socially, especially on the fly. And for me, especially when I’m battling through imposter syndrome to exchange my creations for money.
I’m bad at talking to customers at fairs.
And I’m not just bad at it.
I hate it (probably at least in part because it’s difficult for me)! So much.
For my first market of 2022, I sat behind my table and stiffly smiled at everyone who came by, heart hammering in my chest. I’d say, “Good morning, how are you” . . . and then not know what else to say.
As a customer, I personally do not like being chatted with. But I’ve learned that I don’t think this is the norm (thanks, my neurodivergent brain!).
So I gave myself a little script to use. Not a hard-and-fast, written-down-on-paper deal, although I support you trying that if you think it would help you.
Instead, I decided to mark down some of my items that I’ve been trying to clear out anyway. That way, when people came by my table, I had something extra to talk about. Here’s how it tended to go:
Me: Good morning, how’s it going?
Customer: Fine, and you?
Me: Great, thanks! FYI, prints are 25% off today only.
Customer: Oh cool, thanks!
Me: Yup! Let me know if you have any questions!
And then the customer would look through the prints, which often led them to linger and look at other items, and sometimes led to a sale. Win!
Throw yourself a bone, and give yourself something to talk about. Maybe it’s a sale. Maybe it’s an item that you’re only going to offer at THIS sale. Maybe it’s a new set of items. Maybe it’s that all your items are upcycled.
Whatever it is, find a natural angle and let it carry you through the possible awkwardness of conversation with customers.
5. Make friends with other vendors.
This one might be just as hard for you as talking to customers. It’s easier for me than customer chat, but not easy.
But meeting your fellow vendors (a.k.a. networking — ugh I hate that word, do you?) is really important. Not only because there are usually really cool people around you, but because it’ll help you a) build up a network of people you know at local events, which can b) lead you into further opportunities, or at the very least c) help make you less stressed at fairs because you’ll be going into them knowing you won’t be surrounded by strangers.
Start small. Don’t try to make friends with everyone. Start with your neighbors. Or even just one neighbor! Get to know the folks selling at the tables next to yours.
Don’t know what to ask? Here are my go-to questions (yay for scripts again!):
Hi! How long have you been doing markets?
I love that [insert item they’re selling]. How did you get into making that?
How long have you lived in the area? [Then if they aren’t from the area, ask where they came from and how they got to the area. Share your origin story too!]
[This one works well for holiday events.] Got any plans for the holidays?
And you don’t have to chat the entire fair. Pop in and out. Take social breaks as needed. Ask them if they’ll watch your table so you can take a bathroom break, and offer the same for them.
Then! Follow them on social media! That way you can stay in touch. And, if you’re awkward like me, socializing on social media is easier than IRL, and you can get to know your new friends even better but with less stress. Win!
6. Bring something to do with your hands.
Don’t just sit through the craft fair bored, especially if customers or sales aren’t coming through as much as you’d like. Bring something to do!
Because I’m making fabric collage and it’s easily portable, I just bring my sewing tote with a work-in-progress or two. That way I have something to do, which passes the time AND helps me with my awkward feelings. Bonus: it stops me from grinning in maniacal, socially awkward silence at customers visiting my table.
Also, having something to do, especially if it pertains to what you’re selling, can be really engaging for customers to view. It might also be something you bond with other makers over!
7. Don’t undersell yourself.
It can be very tempting to price your items low in the hopes of getting a sale. And the nice thing about local markets is that, because there are fewer fees involved, you can without hurting your income.
But don’t price low to your own detriment.
I’ve seen makers selling items it took them hours and hours and hours to create at prices that don’t even cover their materials, much less their time and skill.
Make sure that your prices cover your materials, your time (decide on a price per hour spent making your items if it helps), your years of skill, and any other costs such as your market entrance fee, gas, food for the market, signage, etc. And then make sure you’re taking home a little extra (or a lot extra!) for profit. If you sell only at-cost, you will burnout.
Don’t undersell yourself. You and your art deserve better than that.
8. Bring more cash than you think (and other money advice).
This is a super practical straightforward one. Bring cash! More than you think you’ll need. At a recommendation from an experienced friend, I bring fifty dollars worth of one-dollar bills, and fifty dollars worth of five-dollar bills. I haven’t ever gone through my whole stash, but it’s a comfort knowing I have enough should I need it.
More helpful advice from this friend was to price everything in whole numbers, either denominations of five or ten. Even if your online shop has things priced at $19.99, for example, round it up to $20 for in-person markets. You don’t want to have to deal with coins.
I also have my Venmo and PayPal QR codes displayed on my table so folks can pay with their phones, and I can take cards too with my Square card swiper.
Feeling far more confident (and silly) after getting a few craft fairs under my belt.
There you have it — my main takeaways from getting back into local markets in 2022 and going into 2023! As I said above, I was SO SCARED to start selling locally, but my confidence has quickly increased. I’m excited to see where I’m at in another year.
If you sell at local markets, what’s your number one piece of advice?
And if you’re new to selling at local markets, or want to get into it, what’s a question you have that I didn’t answer? Throw it in the comments and I’ll try my best to help!
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