Getting ready to sell some of my nature photography and other “crafty” items was a scary and rewarding leap of artistic faith for me. Self-doubting thoughts like, “My D’Ad is the professional artist, not me,” initially ran through my mind. I shook them off because I made a personal commitment to myself to “do something” with my photography, and frankly, I find taking pictures and sharing them to be a wonderful outlet to reduce stress and be creative with layout, design, colors, and angles.
I started small with this blog site. I got some great encouragement from family, friends, and even some strangers. When I expanded from virtual into print sharing of my photos, I went to a printing company and made seasonal (Winter, Spring, Summer, & Fall) notecards, bookmarks, magnets, and calendars. I used VistaPrint to produce most of the products. The ease of use of their site and the high quality of their products made it an easy decision. I still can’t get over how good everything came out. I even got some matting boards and put together some signed framed small prints.
I took the next leap, reserving a table at my son’s school’s annual Santa Breakfast and Holiday Craft Fair. I was very nervous about the entire event. I had never sold anything I have made before, not even a bake sale cookie. I’m a teacher, an academic, I wasn’t sure how to go about preparing to sell things at a craft fair. I did some research and starting at a small community fair seemed like it would be a low risk event for me. I found that I had good instincts for what to do at a craft fair. It was more than just getting the photos printed and making some seasonal clay ornaments to accompany the “four season” theme I had adopted. I practiced laying out all of the items I was going to sell at home, using different items like baskets and boxes to display things at different levels. I had enough “get free” coupons that I even got a big sign and t-shirt made up.
Several days before the craft fair, I had all of my items to sell and the table, display racks, etc. packed and ready to go into the car. My son and husband helped me set up once we got to the fair, and more importantly, they came over occasionally to give me time to take a “potty break” or two. I sold a little bit of all the items I put out for sale. My first sale was to someone who was a professional photographer. He loved the print I had made of the photo of a desert tree from our trip to Utah. It was a thrill to make that sale, and yes, I did save the $20 bill to frame. All in all, I feel like the craft fair was a huge success. I now have ideas about how and when/where I want to sell my photos and ornaments in the future. In fact, the craft fair organizer asked me to come to her church’s spring craft fair next April.
LisaDW Photography & Art 