I am not a morning person

I am not a morning person. Nor do I wish to be. I like the quiet solitude of the midnight hours when there is nothing but the chirping of the crickets to disturb my reverie.

So, why do I get up before the crack of dawn on a Saturday? Because of an art show. Typically, setup time starts around 6am. With an hour drive, that means leaving the house at 5am. Which means getting up at 4am.

Yes, that's 4am, the time I usually go to bed.

So, why do we do it? Why do we put ourselves through miles of driving, back breaking setup, long hours of standing, and tearing it all back down again?

What drives us?

Hope.

It's the hope that by making great art, the buyers will come. We know our art is good and we know that if people just see it, that they will buy it.

But, isn't this just a delusion? Stop and think about this for a minute. Let's say you need to buy a food processor. Do you just go to the department store, point to the first food processor you see, and say, “I'll take it?” no. You probably start by doing some research, checking out different models to see which one will suit your needs. Then, when you get to the store, you'll at least have an idea of what you want.

Customers at an art show are no different. While they're there to buy art rather than a food processor, the thought process is similar. They're still trying to figure out if what you have is what they want.

Don't delude yourself into thinking that all you need to do is put your art work out, and people will buy it.

Just like you might need some help choosing the best food processor, your customers also need help choosing your art work. Are you there to help them?

Give yourself more than hope. If you can actively engage your customers, and get them involved with your art work, you can greatly increase your chance of making sales. And, you can make getting up before the crack of dawn worthwhile.