Are art fairs worth it?

So I had my first art fair of the year this weekend and although it was just as I expected it to be I can’t help but feel deflated. I’ve put a lot of time and effort in to the build up to this event; creating the paintings, getting prints and cards ordered as well as stationary and signage, making sure I had the right lighting and stands to display, lots of promoting on socials and my website. All that effort and for what… £35 in print sales!… I knew it wasn’t going to be a massive success, and I kept telling myself the event was for exposure, to get myself out there, get some experience and learn from it but even still it’s a hard pill to swallow after such a big build up.

So it makes me wonder, is it really worth it?

Firstly is the cost, in total I’ve spent around £400 for this event. The majority of this cost is items I will re-use at other events but it is a big investment though when you first get started. Thinking big picture, if I’m going to do more events this year then the initial costs should be paid back in the long term. Something I need to keep an eye on, I’ll be tracking my costs and sales throughout the year to ensure I’m not losing too much money… If I break even I’ll be happy!

Secondly, is the time and effort, the events themselves are long days. As well as the travelling and setting up, you need to be engaging with people. Making conversations and connections…. This is something I definitely struggle with and find the most tiring. Again, thinking long term here, any connections made at an event could turn into a future collector, so it’s an important part of the process which I need to be mindful of.

Lastly, it’s the time away from painting. Whilst I still have a full time job, weekends are the only time I get to paint and do what I love. Is this time spent at these fairs worth this sacrifice? Could I be better off spending this time creating? Would it be more beneficial working with a gallery instead? Granted I will lose money on commission but I will save a lot of time and effort not having to attend fairs…. the hard part is finding good galleries to work with! Definitely something to think about for the future.

Lots to reflect on after this weekend. I guess this is all part of the journey, learning what works best for you as an artist. It’s still early days though, i’ve a couple more events this year still to attend, fingers crossed they are more successful! But I think the important thing here is to remember what I’m trying to do, my word of the year was exposure and these events are definitely exposing me! Not just to others but exposing me as an artist to myself… helping me understand what’s important and what I really enjoy doing.

So going forward, I will try to keep an open mind, remember the long term benefits of these events. In the end they will be worth it. If not financially they will have taught me a lot and hopefully help me to build some long lasting connections.

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Stay Strange

Cally :)