Want change? You CAN do something!

Last night I was a juror for the East Lansing Art Festival. Many of you may be surprised to hear that based on how vocal I was about their $40 jury fee. As I said, I would not apply myself with that high of a jury fee. So what’s the best way to effect change? Get involved. Don’t just complain about something when it’s within your power to try to do something.

After we finished jurying, I talked to both the Director and a Board member about the high jury fee. The Board member was surprised to hear that it was considered high. I think they were both surprised to hear that people might not apply due to what I was calling the unreasonable cost of the jury fee.

The result? They talked about lowering it to $25 next year! How artist friendly is that! As they said last night, they have two purposes as a non-profit organization. To bring a great event to the community and to serve their artists. That was GREAT to hear.

One of the other things they had to do this year due to money issues was to raise the booth fee $50 to $300. It was a hard decision and something they didn’t want to do (but I asked and the booth fee hadn’t changed for 4 years). One thing that money gets them is the ability to offer all day Friday set-up for their artists. Yes, another artist friendly thing that they’re doing. And it was a really hard thing for them to do according to the Director but they had to.

If they lower their jury fee next year, I’ll be the first one out there pointing out that they listen to the artists. I can’t wait!

Lagniappe

When we checked into our hotel in Slidell Louisana, we were given a small bag that contained a bottle of water and some snacks. It had this card attached.
I was so tickled with the whole idea that it's something I'd like to incorporate into my own business. Not sure how yet...

Organization

I love organization. There it is, I said it. Nothing pleases me more than to be organized. To have a system in place that works. Websites that have organizing tips and tricks and even better - forms to help, they make my heart beat faster. The organizing stores? Prepare to lose me in plastic organizer heaven. I'll buy anything to make me more organized.

This is my idea of booth heaven. Marc and Wendy Zoschke have a new booth that Marc designed and built. Look at all those labeled bins!!! Absolute heaven! The front side is beautiful and shows there work off wonderfully but give me that kind of organization - please! I want it in all aspects of my life...



So now the reality...my life is totally disorganized right now. I don't have lists going, I don't know what I should be doing next or what's a priority. What has happened here? The clean part of the studio looks like some hoarder lives there (not showing pictures of that). My poor office is full of papers that need dealing with. Everything needs help.

This is what happens when you do too many shows and they're too far away to come home quickly. Life becomes disorganized. All that is going to change... I'm putting my organizational skills back to work and taking charge!!!

Now if I could just get Pat to let me organize her little price blocks into a lovely little plastic container...

This is what happens when you take a break...

Even though I think I always have something to say, I needed a break from blogging. If you look back at the year it looks like I took a break even earlier than I thought I had but...tonight was the night. I was back to blogging! All ready to go and up pops something that says there's something new, push here. Which I did. Big mistake. Now my blog looks funky and is really hard to read. So instead of a quick little something light, written up to get me back to it, I have to redo my design. I'm looking at hours of work...but not tonight. So my apologies for the funny looking site. I've added it to the list of things that need doing...

A Quote

In doing some reading on the computer today, I found a great quote by Steve Jobs about work and I wanted to share it. This is for everyone who feels passionate about what they do...



“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” Steve Jobs [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

Art Fair Neighbors

I'm very lucky! Most of my neighbors at art fairs have been wonderful people and some have even turned into long time friends. Some are invisible, they just keep to themselves so you go away not knowing them any better at the end of the show than you did at the beginning. Some are just grumpy and you quickly learn to stay away from them. Others you just click with and end up with a good friend. That's what happened in Des Moines.

I was set up next to Paul Zerjay this past weekend, a wonderful woodturner from the St. Louis area. As I told him, he's now set the bar high for my upcoming neighbors because he was a real peach! The show was much more fun with him next door as well as his neighbors on the other side, John & Christine Strobel. Good times with good neighbors. It's what makes art fairs less like work!

Dad and my business...

There's no one more supportive of his daughter and her business than my Dad, Tom. Since the very beginning he has been there whenever I needed something whether it was moral support or to build something I needed.

My first display was a case that I bought from a friend, the second one Dad built. Cases that were interesting and would fit in my MGB! Then I decided I needed a small roof so Dad designed that as well. It broke down small and compactly, perfect for shows in a tiny car.

Since then he's been designing and building all kind of things for my studio as well, including my workbenches. I need a new rack for something, I call Dad. Of course then I end up with something much nicer than expected!

But he could be embarrassing as well. In my early days I showed my work in the Art Sales tent at the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts every June. The tent was one block from my Dad's office so he delighted in standing in my booth calling all his friends over to "buy some of my daughter's jewelry". Since he knew EVERYONE, this was totally mortifying to his daughter. It took a few years before I embraced what he was doing. Now I just laugh and enjoy it!

One of the many father-daughter traditions has been that he always helps me set up my booth at the Reeds Lake Art Fair here in Grand Rapids. He's now 83 and still meets me there before 6 am to help set up and then we go have breakfast.

But that's just the beginning of his "involvement" at that show. All day long yesterday people asked me if I was related to Tom! Young, old and in between, a whole lot of people know my Dad. So with a big smile, I proudly answer yes, he's my Dad!

Love you Dad!!!