Hey all!
This blog is going to be taking a different direction starting this Full Moon in Libra. Like I mentioned in my last post, it's taken me 15 years to work up the courage to create an entire art booth devoted solely to my Lefty art. But now that I have, I'm not gonna stop...my goal is to get into some of the shows I call 'millenial/GenX' shows which are sooo different from the 'boomer' shows I've been doing over the last 20 some years with my very popular LuLu in Laguna artwork (which I'm retiring by the way other than still selling LuLu cards wholesale to the mermaid stores that love them).
So, to sum up the Lefty's debut show of which I had no expectations whatsoever regarding sales because heck, it's Temecula and it's a brand new town that doesn't really have any art galleries that anyone knows about, so the crowd was sparse but the folks that were there were interested in talking about art which was a very good thing. This town has potential and it's changing fast so we're all hopeful.
Anyways, I met with lots of folks who are quite involved with what little art scene we do have here and got invited to show my work at several shows and events.
I did notice that my Lefty cards and my small Lefty booth sign were not easily read (if at all) by older folks and I even had one man look quite disgusted when I trotted out my little spiel about painting my leftys using my non dominant left hand (perhaps he thought it was the work of the devil? heck I dunno), but I do KNOW that I'm NOT a salesperson. I don't have that special something required; never have, never will, but I do plan on hiring someone sparkly to sell for me at shows. I myself plan to be in the back of the booth giving Creative Soul Readings with my Lefty deck which is something else that these Millenial/Gen X shows (let's call them 'XY shows' from hereon out, okay?) DO allow readings - kewl! ...because I'm almost certain the Boomer shows would not like that at all!
Next up is a new online shop for my Leftys (Shopify platform), new banners for my blog and facebook to match my Storenvy banner - it's all got to be consistent, of course plus my first wholesale order from a shop in San Diego (just waiting for the owner to pick out her faves). Then purchase some really cute envelopes for the Lefty Cards, perhaps in a fun pastel-ey color. I also need to hire a booth helper/salesperson for shows and then apply and actually get into said shows! I may start an Instagram account and look into making Lefty resin necklaces and rings also. The Artist's Circle which I'm starting this month in cahoots with 3 other kick ass artists will hopefully prove to be a wonderful support group for helping all of us keep it together whilst living out here in cowboy land!
So, stay tuned...I plan on adding more of this kind of writing to my blog plus update the pix I posted here once new ones come in (I had a nice group of photographers snap my booth). We all gotta start somewhere, right?
Last, but not least, I created (and branded) this entire booth display and all the products in it in 4 days! I went crazy at Michaels buying vintage, shabby chic props (in a record 10 minutes - they were closing) as well as absconding my husband's childhood desk (which belonged to his grandma before him), an antique caned chair and a really cool turquoise taboret from Ikea. I touched up my Lefty artwork scans using Photoshop and then printed them on Mohawk color copy card stock using an Epson 2200 printer and archival pigment inks. My prints (I only had 4) were printed on Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster which ended up suiting the Leftys better than the very expensive Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper. I only featured Leftys I'd painted in the previous 2 years to keep things consistent design-wise plus I did bring some old copies of Lefty poetry zines and postcard zines that I had made in the mid 2000's.
FIRST EVER Artist's Circle meetup April 12 ~ Temecula
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