How I'm Feeling: one week until show time!

I'm down to the wire now. There is only one week to go until the St. Paul American Craft Show. 
How am I feeling?
I'm excited.
I'm nervous.
I'm proud of myself.
I'm worried.
I'm scouring artists' blogs and Instagram to get an idea of what to expect.
I still don't know what to expect!
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What's Happening This Week

This week I'm finishing up work on my final design: a coin purse I'll have available in eight different color ways.

I also got a chance to set up my booth!

 My husband took our kids to visit their grandparents for spring break, and I took advantage of the empty house to do a trial run in our living room. Yes, I set up my entire 10 foot by 10 foot booth in our living room! It just fits!

I'm excited that I got a chance to set up my booth this week because now I'm not as nervous about the show. I even got to try out the lights, something I was very concerned about. I'm keeping it set up all week so I can add the finishing touches to it slowly.

Having an art show booth set up in my living room has transformed part of my house into a show room. (It also means I have to walk through a maze to get to the front door! What a strange experience!) I'm surprised how happy I am with how it looks. Perhaps you remember when I was so worried about figuring out how to create this booth in the first place? I have learned so much in these past few months!
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​Back from the Printer

I've received my promotional postcards, business cards, and hang tags from the printer. They printed a bit darker than I would have liked, but all in all, I'm pleased with how they turned out. I think the design I came up with reflects my style rather well.

One disappointment: I did not get the domain name I was anticipating for so long (www.marypow.com) in time to have it printed on these cards. But maybe that's good; it gives me plenty of time to figure out how to switch everything over to the new domain later, without feeling rushed.
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Yet To Do

​Next, I need to work on pricing, tagging, and packing. Tagging can be fun, and packing isn't so bad, but pricing? That I could do without. It can be very difficult to price one's work. Sometimes it's even an emotional process. Of course there are loads and loads of pricing calculators out there. Calculators that help an artist factor in the materials used, the time involved, the overhead, and the profit margin needed to sustain a business. But yet, these don't consider the "why": as in why does someone feel compelled to buy art or craft? 
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Pricing. Maybe that's a topic for a future blog post. But for now, I have a stack of half-finished purses calling my name!
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The 2016 St. Paul ACC Show is April 8-10. I'm in booth #1113. I hope to see you there!