So, I just had my first art fair last month in March, the 30th to be exact, inside the Leicester Haymarket Shopping Centre and it was an eyeopener in so many ways.
Sections:
To start off with, we had to offload our products, kits and boxes so we entered the loading bay. For some context, I used to work for an events company so the ins and outs and behind the scenes of venues have not been new to me. It was really funny sharing this experience with Conor and my dad because they had never seen the old timey lifts or elevators (for those American friends). The kind that had two doors to close and if you didn’t close them properly and see the other side clearly* then you would be stuck in the lift for at least an hour. It felt wayward and almost quite rude to be behind the scenes like sneaking into a place you shouldn’t. But we obviously kept reminding ourselves that we had the correct credentials and licences to be there to set up. Had the imposter syndrome already kicked, in… yes, for sure, and we hadn’t even started yet.
We set up our things accordingly with the original paintings, commissions and business cards all presented neatly as well as a designated area for people to ‘leave their mark’ so to speak and participate in a public art piece.
We sat down, embraced it and my dad said, “I can’t believe it, we actually have a stall here’. The feeling was great. Seeing all of the hard work for the past few months all laid out in front and placed on this table.
One of my fears was that the table would appear empty, despite all of the prints I have in stock and all of the original pieces that were displayed, I felt as though I needed to do more. I tried and planned to do more originals in the last week leading up to it but life had other plans and Conor assured me that I do have enough and my best is all I can do. So it was great to see that the table was actually full and it was ALL me.
We had another table set up next to us for another artist to showcase their work but unfortunately they didn’t show. A few days prior, the organiser of this event told me that a lot of artists were cancelling. The reasons for this were unknown, maybe it was due to Easter but who knows. The point was that I had the entire stall/ area to myself. For The Caffeinated Hippo’s first stall, I’d say that is equally overwhelming and also liberating.
I didn’t want to cancel this event because it was still a big milestone and experience is experience.
The public art piece was a big success, people of all ages came and left some doodles, marks and names. Some held a deeper meaning such as tributes to those that passed, some were quirky cartoons of a duck in a bowtie and some were of things that people loved. One child in particular loved the football team Arsenal and the sibling scribbled over the ‘is the best’. It became a fun interaction and we must have had over 70 doodles from over 30 people.
I wanted to do a public art piece to mark the day, a memory for the various interactions. But it also became much more than that. I noticed that many people were saying ‘oh, I’m not an artist, I can’t draw’ but the second they finished their creation and took a step back on what was a part of something bigger, they smiled and liked what they did.
Everyone has a bit of an artist and creativity in them, and I just hope that them leaving their mark inspired them to create some more.
In terms of sales, I didn’t make any. I believe that some of it was due to the fact that it was just myself and purchasing a piece of art in a seemingly ‘random’ place from one table may be off putting. But, it was also due to the fact that it was my first go. I think that I do need to market myself more and to have a sign with perhaps ‘Molly’ (my logo) or to reel people in with my paintings more or have frames with my prints in them to give people an idea of how they will look in their space.
But, it was a fun day nonetheless, my lovely grandma came to visit and took the bus all by herself, my uncle and aunt came as well as various friends and family. All of which supported me and left their drawings on the canvas. Conor and my best friend stayed throughout the day, keeping me company and making me laugh throughout. Towards the end of the day, Conor became our model for our life drawing ‘class’ whilst my friends and I were drawing him.
It was very beneficial because I learnt how I can improve to make it better, how crucial art is for everyone and how much fun it can be and how even on days where we may not necessarily make a sale, it’s nice to have fun and enjoy the day.
My next one will be in the same place in April the 21st to the 22nd.
Here is a quick reel of how the day went <3
Comments