Craft Show Tip: 5 Reasons to Love Doing Craft Shows

Craft Shows are great for so many reasons.  They are such a great way to get in front of your customers in person and hear what they are saying about your art.  There aren't a lot of opportunities to meet and network with other artists and crafters, but craft shows give you that opportunity.  You're out in public, showing your art and it can be a wonderful - even if scary - thing to do.Here are 5 reasons to love doing art and craft shows:1.  You get to meet your customers.  If you sell online it's difficult to get to know your customers.  Of course, there are ways and you'll certainly get to know your most loyal customers even online, but craft shows are one of the only ways you'll meet them face to face.It's exciting and can be scary as well.  You're not a faceless maker on the internet.  You are a real person with real feelings.  They might not like everything you make.  (Here's a spoiler:  not everyone will like what you make.  Not even the people who like some of your stuff will like it all.  Be ready for it.)Some people will be mean.  They still won't notice the person standing there who actually created all of the stuff they're looking at.  You will be background for some of those people.  It happens.  You can be ready for it so it doesn't hurt you so much.But by and large the vast majority of the people will have nice comments for you.  They'll say what they like.  They'll tell you what they would love to see from you and that can help you shape your future creations.  You can see what they're looking at, what they buy and what they walk away from.  You can find out how the public reacts to your art.Use this all as an opportunity to learn about your market and what they love and don't like.2.  You make fans so much easier at craft shows than online.  You can get their email address and keep in touch with a newsletter and they'll remember meeting and talking to you so much more than if they stumbled across your website.  I have found my most rabid collectors are from craft shows.If you are able to take custom orders, this is even more the case.  People love personalized, custom work.  They'll definitely remember you and call on you for more pieces in the future once you have made them a custom piece.3.  You get to meet fellow artists and crafters.  This has been one of the best things about craft shows for me over the years.  Working for myself mostly alone it's easy to feel like there's no one who gets what you're doing.  Meeting people who do what you do makes you feel more like a part of a community.  It's energizing.  I have met lifelong friends doing craft shows.4.  You get to have your own little store for a day.  No one decides how your booth will look except for you.  (Unless you're doing a show with specific rules about this.)  You get to put your own creativity and design aesthetic into your booth design.  Unless you have a store or some sort of permanent retail space you don't get this opportunity in any other way.  It's another way to express yourself and express your art to your customers.5. You make money.  When you strip everything away, you're really doing a craft show to make money.  The best part is you leave with that money at the end of the day.  No waiting for a check to come at the end of the week.Ready for craft shows?  Get prepared for your show from applying to planning your booth, what to do during a show and tearing down with my Craft Show Tips eBook.Click here to learn more about it and get your copy today!