Normally I travel back east for this 600+-artist show. Though I’ll miss seeing my Maryland friends and all the artists I’ve come to know, I’m quite happy to be an armchair traveler…and seller this year.
All those years living on the East coast and I never made it to Penland, until now. It’s too easy to put off what’s most needed in life, like two weeks of complete immersion away from everyday obligations. That’s exactly what you get at Penland, or any school like it.
Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina about one and a half hours outside of arty and foody Asheville, Penland is a sprawling wooded and meadowy campus where mist shrouds the mornings and huge variety of mushrooms dot the wooded paths.
Aside from some hip and leg pain from standing for three solid days, my first big craft show was enough of a success that I’m not in the hole. After months of preparing, it was a pleasure to emerge from the studio and meet attendees and other artists. It was also a treat to wander some old stomping grounds of Baltimore, to see DC-area friends and even have some gnocchi in Little Italy.
The lead up
Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t give myself a year to explore this new venture. Instead, I applied to the show not thinking I’d get in. But I did get in, and there seemed to be plenty of time to prepare. Between my day job as a brand and communication designer, I was running around town picking up clips for lights, fabric for a backdrop, tissue to wrap purchases, then I’d go back into the studio to hammer, saw, solder, file and form jewelry. While I worked on jewelry, I worried I should focus on the display. While I fixated on the booth display, I worried that I didn’t have enough jewelry inventory. Unlike other jewelry artists, I don’t have a backlog of inventory.
During it all, I reminded myself there’s a first time for everything. By the time I got to Baltimore, it was a relief to stop thinking about it. There are not many do overs in life. In the case of shows, every new show is a do over. You just have to resist the temptation to reinvent the wheel for the next one.
Me? Not very hip or pop Read more