Art Show Recap

As I mentioned before, last week was super busy! My friend Angela asked me about three weeks ago if I'd like to be part of, and help plan, an inaugural art show at Vision 5. Vision 5's goal is to be an affordable housing option for artists who are also interested in sustainability and sustainable building initiatives. There are two traditional galleries on the ground floor where artists can display their work, as well as small gallery areas in each common room. The rooms start at about $600 per month, which is crazy low for our area. I accepted her invitation and got straight to planning both the events and my display.

There were two events. The first was on Thursday and was mainly geared toward community members with some influence, like reporters, city council members, etc. The second and main event was on Saturday and was open to the public with free food and entertainment. Artists of many types displayed their work all through the building. There were filmmakers, metal workers, wood sculptors, painters, digital artists, cartoonists, and more. Angela, her sister Vanessa, and I were the planners. The parts that I helped with were the brainstorming, dessert order, pamphlet creation, coffee order, table and chair rental, balloon order, and floral order.

Those two photos were taken by Crystal Edwards, one of the artists during the event. I spent most of my time with my work since I was eager to talk crochet to anyone who happened by. I made a few sales and had a good time. My lovely husband kept me company and brought me dinner and refreshments. Thank goodness he is so understanding and patient. I talk a lot under normal circumstances, and lately I've been talking about crochet non-stop! Angela also stopped in often to chat and be supportive.

It was super nuts trying to prepare my own booth while also planning the event, but I feel like I pulled it off. Many folks took my business cards, which made me happy. I also got plenty of compliments on my work, making me beam with pride.

This was my first time tabling for crochet. In high school and college I sold jewelry semi-successfully, but I stopped when the materials became too expensive and I lost my inspiration. Jewelry making is fun but also pretty limiting unless you are willing to put a lot of money into materials and learning new skills like metal work or glass blowing. I much prefer crochet, not only because the results are a little more practical, but also because it is so accessible. You can buy yarn for $3 a skein or $30 a skein. You can stick to basic stitches or expand to hundreds of new stitches. You can buy patterns, find free patterns, or make your own patterns. You can make things to wear, things to play with, things to snuggle under, things to cook with, things to look at...the possibilities are endless and inspiring! Participating in this event really solidified my resolve to make crochet my lifelong hobby and hopefully small business. In these past few months I've really gotten serious about it and I've already enjoyed a bit of success in pattern sales, gathering a blog following, and selling a few items. I am very hopeful about the future.

I got to be a part of Vision 5's beginning. Thanks for being a part of my new beginning as I grow as a crochet creator, designer, and blogger.