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It's Craft Show Season Again!

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  • #16
    Quoth Kanalah View Post
    Oh, silver lining, guess who's business is being audited by the IRS? And she has no idea why.
    Ahahahahahaha! About time the universe leaned on your mom for a bit.
    By popular request....I am now officially the Enemy of Normalcy.

    "What is unobtainium? To Seraph, it's a normal client. :P" -- Observant Friend

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    • #17
      Seriously, leave your mum out of the loop. Next time she asks about further shows, just tell her you ain't firmed anything up yet.

      Then go to the small shows, and if she finds out about them, "well, they were so small it didn't need the two of us, obviously I would have called you if I needed your assistance, but you've trained me so well I can cope with the small shows on my own, thank you, very much appreciated." and if she presses, "well, you've already got so much on your plate with grandma and your own business, I'd feel so bad taking you away from those far more importance calls on your time."
      Then offer her cookies, smile and change the subject.
      Good luck.

      (also, around here small businesses can get paid for taking apprentices on, so if you did need a hand with a show, it might be worth looking into getting a workexperience person.)

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      • #18
        Totally forgot about all the "That's so nice that everything is handmade, nobody makes things anymore." And then they walk away. I can't tell you how many people asked me where my neighbor (who makes quilted hotpads) was this year. She's been gone for the past 2 years because people didn't buy stuff.

        That and all the people screaming and taking photos of the Derpy quilt. at least 7 said they would come back later to buy it, then if they did return, they'd look at the price tag and get all snotty with me.

        And people taking photos of my quilts (HUGE no-no). According to one of my fabric store buddies, they bring in cell phone pics of things they saw at Really Big Craft Show that they thought were too pricy and expect her to know how to tell them to make it.
        Protip: I went to school with her and she recognizes my style. She's told people before "That's Kanalah's work and you're better off just paying what's on the tag."
        https://purplefish-quilting.square.site/

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        • #19
          I would have cut off contact with your mom long ago. I've had to do the thing with my own family (my dad primarily who seems very much like your mother), and it's easy enough once you're away from them.
          My Guide to Oblivion

          "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

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          • #20
            You have to wonder why some people go to craft fairs, as they seem to think everything is better & cheaper at Wal-Mart.

            You need buyers looking for "hand-crafted" rather than those who think "home-made". The former are those planning to spend money, the latter, ones who want cheap. Some people think making something is what you do when you can't afford to buy the "proper" item at the store.

            Of course, those are also the same type of people who think having "art" on their walls means buying a print of a famous painting for $10, rather than spending $100 for a real painting by an unknown at a local art fair (not knocking prints, I have one of Starry Night that I dearly love, but I do recognize the difference

            Some craft fairs are just more "upscale" for lack of a better word - nicer high-end items, not the results of "101 uses for a glue gun & pompoms" And if the buyers "match" the venue, then you'll have sales. This type of sale, IMHO, is better for selling quilts than the average little church bazaar type sale.
            Unfortunately, those usually cost more for booths, & are harder to get into, sigh.

            But the venue can be the problem - a gorgeous hand crafted quilt will sell better when the next tables have crystal necklacs & hand carved ornaments, than when it's surrounded by plastic beads spelling silly sayings & packets of marshmallows labeled "snowman poop"

            People can be weird - like those who turn their nose up at the suggestion of a garage sale or thrift shop, as they don't care for "used" things, who will then spend their Saturday going to antique shops. Those type of people will also pay half a dozen times more for the same item if it comes from a "Art & Crafts Gallery" than from a "Craft Bazaar".

            Hang in there, you'll find the right place for people to pay fairly for your quilts eventually, those places do exist.

            As for your mom, well, only you can decide what you're willing to put up with, but IMO once a person is an adult, no one is obligated to put up with verbal abuse from another adult, even a parent. You can be respectful, and still make it clear you will not listen to her belittle you. A parent raises a child with one goal - to prepare them to be an adult. She's done her job, and now needs to step back and let you do that, by making your own decissions (and facing the consequences). If she tries to make changes, tell her when she has her own booth that she has paid for she can do it as she wants, but you have decided how to do yours, and it is you who will take the consequences of how the sales go because of that. And if she belittles or insults you, either walk off, interrupt her to talk of something else, or pop a ipod or other earphone into your ears, saying you'll talk to her when she's prepared to talk to you as one adult to another. Sprinkle in lots of "I love you but must stand on my own feet" and "I think you did a good job raising me, now let me show you" etc. to ease tensions.

            Or of course, you could always just piss her off so badly she stops talking to you altogether, giving you instant peace

            Madness takes it's toll....
            Please have exact change ready.

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            • #21
              Quoth Tama View Post
              I would have cut off contact with your mom long ago. I've had to do the thing with my own family (my dad primarily who seems very much like your mother), and it's easy enough once you're away from them.
              That might be a little extreme. I certainly don't get on with my mother, mostly because we are far too similar. We mostly cope with spending a week together at christmas, and the level of stress that causes makes it easy to just meet up for the occasional meal/weekend, till the next christmas week, when we think we can live with eachother again.. for a while.

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              • #22
                Quoth Merriweather View Post
                Of course, those are also the same type of people who think having "art" on their walls means buying a print of a famous painting for $10, rather than spending $100 for a real painting by an unknown at a local art fair (not knocking prints, I have one of Starry Night that I dearly love, but I do recognize the difference
                I thought "art" was Elvis-dogs playing poker on black velvet...
                I am not an a**hole. I am a hemorrhoid. I irritate a**holes!
                Procrastination: Forward planning to insure there is something to do tomorrow.
                Derails threads faster than a pocket nuke.

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                • #23
                  I generally only see her for the 4 days of Really Big Craft Show. But lately she's been doing the "I want to spend time with you because I love you!" stuff.

                  And I do try to get into classier art shows, unfortunately the people running those don't think quilts are art.
                  https://purplefish-quilting.square.site/

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                  • #24
                    Quoth Kanalah View Post
                    And I do try to get into classier art shows, unfortunately the people running those don't think quilts are art.
                    Just because it isn't on a canvas, or sculpted out of stone/clay/metal, doesn't mean it's not art.

                    Performance is considered an artform, whether it's acting, singing, or dancing.

                    Those people at those "classy" art shows need to pull their heads out of their ass.
                    PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

                    There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

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                    • #25
                      Kanalah, forgive me for saying this, but your mom treats you like shit, so she shouldn't be with you at those shows. She'll gripe later? Yeah, but she won't be there doing it at the show, driving you crazy and driving away customers. If she can't be nice to you, why have her there? I'm sorry, I just don't understand her. Saying she loves you and then criticizing constantly? Doesn't compute.

                      Your work is gorgeous. It sounds to me like a lot of the people in your area are not familiar with hand crafted items. How anyone can compare your beautiful work with the crap they buy at Wal-Mart is beyond me. Maybe point out to them, "the Wal-Mart stuff is mass-produced and will wear out in a year or so. My stuff is one-of-a-kind, hand-made and will last for years. You can pass them down as heirlooms to your kids."
                      When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                      • #26
                        Definitely don't spend much time if any with her. If she loved you she wouldn't do this crap.

                        My dad, as I said before, used to like to say things like your mother did, and my family did nothing about it, so I cut off contact and I feel a LOT BETTER.

                        You have enough to deal with without having to be guilted into anything!

                        Saying she loves you and then criticizing constantly? Doesn't compute.
                        My Guide to Oblivion

                        "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

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                        • #27
                          I'll admit to asking people how they made something, but only for the general procedures kind of thing. Not for specific patterns or something that is clearly a signature of theirs.

                          I've actually gone on crusades at craft shows (or Artist Alleys in conventions) when I hear people snipping and squawking about price.

                          "You obviously don't want it enough if you're not willing to pay the price it is worth, now leave the poor crafts person alone or I'll make you leave them alone."

                          I've seen plenty of items that I know are not worth the price that the person is asking, but I don't throw a fit over it. I just leave and look somewhere else. Crafts people are not big box stores, they cannot and will not take a hit to their profit in order to make the customer happy. Bitching and moaning about the price or demanding discounts just shows how selfish and entitled you are. (General "you.")
                          My Writing Blog -Updated 05/06/2013
                          It's so I can get ideas out of my head, I decided to put it in a blog in case people are bored or are curious as to the (many) things in progress.

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                          • #28
                            Quoth dalesys View Post
                            I thought "art" was Elvis-dogs playing poker on black velvet...
                            Only if there's glitter

                            Madness takes it's toll....
                            Please have exact change ready.

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                            • #29
                              Quoth dalesys View Post
                              I thought "art" was Elvis-dogs playing poker on black velvet...
                              Quoth Merriweather View Post
                              Only if there's glitter
                              Don't forget the glow-in-the-dark paint so you can admire it anytime of the day, or if you awake during the night and need some culture to return to slumber. It is best placed in the bedroom where you can settle your gaze upon it as you rise to greet a new day.




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                              • #30
                                Sorry to hear about all those sucky people who think your stuff is expensive. Probably the same people who complain about why seeing a doctor is expensive or going to a lawyer is expensive.

                                I sympathize with you over your mom. I have relatives who like to belittle me or my mom over things we own or things we do (ex: "why did you put your mom in this hosptial so far away," meaning, "it's inconvienent for me to drive here!") but I also understand how you can't just brush her off. She will try to prove a point ("you are lazy! you are worthless!") and nothing outside of death will shut her up.
                                Time! Time! Time is what turns kittens into cats.

                                Don't teach me a lesson; all I learn is that you are an asshole.

                                I wish porn had subtitles.

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