Art and Creativity Journal: And We're Off!

about 1 month ago

And so, the holiday show season has begun!

Today was vendor setup and opening night for the 15th annual Port Gamble Ghost Conference.

Putting a LOT into limited space!

Yes, you heard that right: I'm selling Alchemy Stones at a gathering of paranormal investigators and other fans of the unexplained and unexplainable. "Tinfoil hats?" Well, it's actually a pretty decent demographic.

According to organizer Pete, this year has "the most vendors ever"... which we can definitely feel in terms of the vendor table areas being the most cramped ever... which is not fun for someone who qualifies as "large and tall."

But hey, glad to be here and I hope we have a decent weekend!

Seasonal shows are a major part of our annual sales, and whereas I have never been much of a people person, I don't mind putting on my "happy face" for a couple of days, every now and then. It's also reassuring to be talking to people from the greater world and receiving (mostly positive) direct feedback about what I am doing.

The nice thing about selling to a paranormally inclined audience is that they are very oriented towards the spiritual side of the work... compared to the "general public" found at an arts and crafts show, where people just want to know "what kind of paint I use."

This is also not a crowd in which I ever hear comments like "Oh cool, my kid paints on rocks!"

This evening was mostly just the "kickoff party" and not much of a selling opportunity... hopefully tomorrow we'll see some actual commerce take place!

All in all, it seems I was actually better prepared for the even than I had given myself credit for. The cramped space was a bit bothersome because our displays were somewhat small (6' table instead of 8' table, and only ONE table) and we are now there with inventory still in some of the bins... but so it goes.

Just a brief update this evening, as I need to get to bed, because the alarm will be going off at 6:30 tomorrow morning.

I appreciate you coming to visit and please do leave a comment if you feel so inclined!

Thank You!

If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!

Because I am trying to make some semblance of income — a part time living, even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art.

Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!

My Alchemy Stones Patreon appeal

Alchemy Stones web site and blog

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Regardless, your upvotes and comments are always appreciated!