What a great experience being an artist vendor at "Best of the Northwest" was! And not just because some lovely people became new collectors of my art.
I learned more valuable lessons from old friends, too.
1. Set-up help is good, but breakdown help is better: Not only is my friend Satira great with big power tools...
... she also happily helped me break down my booth at the end of the show. Which took us two hours. I shudder to think how long it would've taken to pack up without her help.
2. Catch up when your friends show up: My fellow classmate Vikram Madan, from the Artist Trust EDGE program, helped brighten day 3 of the show.
After two months of meaning to contact him, I finally got to ask Vikram for suggestions on art galleries which might be a good fit for my work.
3. Step it up: Despite self-delusions to the contrary, I am not tall enough to mount booth lights while standing on the ground.
The art is the most important thing. But I need to remember to bring a &%@#$! stepladder next time. Hopefully, "next time" will be the spring Best of the Northwest show. Crossing my fingers that I'm one of the select few...