Another year gone, but I have to say I think it was a very productive one for me. As 2010 begins I'm hoping to be even more successful, the first year is the hardest right? I still have a bunch of prints left over from the festival that I'm looking to sell. I have sold a few other sizes including three 24x36 prints. It was pretty exciting to see my images that big. They looked amazing! I've also been shooting for a friend of mine who just had a baby. That will probably keep me busy for awhile since I can't get enough of him.
One of my 'resolutions' is to have a show somewhere. So if anyone has any suggestions of a good place let me know. I think it would be really great to have an opening event with wine and just invite a bunch of people out. I'll keep you posted if/when things develop more. I'll also try to keep up with my blogging more. Hopefully there will be more exiting things to share as the year progresses.
Happy New Year!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Seriously Slacking, Here Are Some Updates!
Wow, so I haven't posted since the end of October, sorry!
Some new business updates are:
-I just renewed my domain for another two years. I'm hoping that things will pick up soon. I have some ideas about doing some shows and getting myself out there. Now it's just a matter of doing it. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to send them my way!
-I guess the biggest news is that you can now purchase prints right from my website. FINALLY! I'm not really sure how or if it works since no one has bought one yet, but hopefully it'll run smoothly.
-I'm considering opening and Etsy shop. I think I would get more click traffic (like foot traffic, but online--I just came up with that myself!). Any thoughts? My friend Emily sells her jewelry on there and does great. Her link is also on my website.
-Just an FYI, those of you who I usually exchange gifts with....Guess what you're getting?!
-I recently posted photos I took of my friends Brenna and Cassidy. I took them at their home in VT in September. They are expecting and they wanted some nice pictures of themselves. I then used some of the prints in the nursery that I designed for the baby who is due to arrive anytime now! I think he's holding out for my birthday :) I also took a few of her belly while we were together at Thanksgiving. I'll try and post those soon.
I guess that's it for now. Hope you didn't miss me too much!
Merry Christmas!
Some new business updates are:
-I just renewed my domain for another two years. I'm hoping that things will pick up soon. I have some ideas about doing some shows and getting myself out there. Now it's just a matter of doing it. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to send them my way!
-I guess the biggest news is that you can now purchase prints right from my website. FINALLY! I'm not really sure how or if it works since no one has bought one yet, but hopefully it'll run smoothly.
-I'm considering opening and Etsy shop. I think I would get more click traffic (like foot traffic, but online--I just came up with that myself!). Any thoughts? My friend Emily sells her jewelry on there and does great. Her link is also on my website.
-Just an FYI, those of you who I usually exchange gifts with....Guess what you're getting?!
-I recently posted photos I took of my friends Brenna and Cassidy. I took them at their home in VT in September. They are expecting and they wanted some nice pictures of themselves. I then used some of the prints in the nursery that I designed for the baby who is due to arrive anytime now! I think he's holding out for my birthday :) I also took a few of her belly while we were together at Thanksgiving. I'll try and post those soon.
I guess that's it for now. Hope you didn't miss me too much!
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Just For Fun!
So while at a party at a friend's house this weekend someone asked me what I did for work. I told them I was a photographer. After having stated this, the host and new friend of mine proceeded to tell us about an episode of The Family Guy where Stewie (essentially) makes fun of female photographers. I was slightly offended by this story and decided that I needed to see the clip for myself. So after some super detective Googling, I found it. I was still slightly offended, but I found it really funny too.
So anyway, here is the clip. I hope no one thinks that I think I'm 'brooding and deep.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi8A5bsbmUM
P.S.
I don't know how to embed YouTube videos so if anyone knows how, let me know!
So anyway, here is the clip. I hope no one thinks that I think I'm 'brooding and deep.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi8A5bsbmUM
P.S.
I don't know how to embed YouTube videos so if anyone knows how, let me know!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Newburyport - Day #2...Not A Total Bustfest
We started the day off strong!
I got there a little bit before Katie so I (in true 'Meg' fashion) started setting up. I couldn't get the tent all the way up on my own, but I did a fair amount of it on my own...I was pretty impressed with myself. Set up took no time at all, we're old pros at this now. We opted for a different layout today. We put the tables with the photos right up front along the curb. This way people could just stop by and look without having to actually enter the tent. This turned out to be very successful. We had a lot more lookers today and we definitely chatted it up more with people.
We had a number of visitors today too. My friends Kaitlyn and Andrew came up and they got a print from each of us. As did my friend Kelly. Thanks guys!!! Katie also had a few friends stop by and they got some prints from her too. We only had one 'non friend sale' of the day, but it was definitely a team effort.
I got there a little bit before Katie so I (in true 'Meg' fashion) started setting up. I couldn't get the tent all the way up on my own, but I did a fair amount of it on my own...I was pretty impressed with myself. Set up took no time at all, we're old pros at this now. We opted for a different layout today. We put the tables with the photos right up front along the curb. This way people could just stop by and look without having to actually enter the tent. This turned out to be very successful. We had a lot more lookers today and we definitely chatted it up more with people.
We had a number of visitors today too. My friends Kaitlyn and Andrew came up and they got a print from each of us. As did my friend Kelly. Thanks guys!!! Katie also had a few friends stop by and they got some prints from her too. We only had one 'non friend sale' of the day, but it was definitely a team effort.
(Katie and our first purchaser of the day) It was a beautiful day and we both had a lot of fun. We got a little loopy towards the end. You should have seen us dancing around and Katie doing lunges...classy! So I would say, although we didn't sell out or even sell half, it was a great experience and I'm definitely glad we did it.
Now I just have to figure out what to do with all these prints. I'm sure many of them will be Christmas and Birthday presents, so don't be surprised if that's what you get this year! I guess it's probably time to set up the ecommerce option on my website. I'll probably do that and open and Etsy shop. Any thoughts on that or on pricing? So tricky.
Thanks again to everyone for their support!!! And big thanks to Katie for being my partner in crime the last two days. It was a blast!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Newburyport Bustfest- Day 1
(Katie's photos on the left, My photos on the right)"Are you selling vintage photographs?" asks prospective buyer.
"No" I respond thinking to myself, oh because they're black and white that classifies them as 'vintage'?
"Oh, do you have any pictures of boats?" he asks.
"No, sorry" I respond, this time thinking I really need to step up my game and feed this niche market. Apparently in Newburyport people are looking for photos of boats, the ocean, light houses, etc.. I'm not saying that that's not art, but really people?
So although Katie and I sold nothing, zilch, zero today, we are still in high spirits for tomorrow. It can only get better from here right? Our booth looked great! Maybe too good? Perhaps it was intimidating to buyers? Who knows, but if there was a prize for prettiest booth we would totally win!
The wind was a bit of an issue today. More so for the girl next to us. She put the sides up on her tent which seemed to catch the wind rather than deflect it. Several times she came barrelling at us. While we were packing up there was a huge gust and it hit my table and knocked my whole basket of prints on the ground! They're in plastic so they were fine, but still, what a pain! Hopefully she'll opt not to put the sides up tomorrow, we'll see!
I'm definitely bundling up. It was a bit chilly today and I refused to not wear flip flops. I will need to accept the fact that the warm weather is leaving, so it's boots, wool, and down for tomorrow!
Anyway...tomorrow is another day and we're ready to go. We'll be slashing prices to see if that makes a difference at all. If you're interested in any prints let me know...I have a lot!
Thanks to everyone who came up to visit/support us. We really appreciate it!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Ready...Set...Fest!
So for the last few weeks I've been super busy getting ready for the festival up in Newburyport. Yes, it's this weekend! Of course me being the planner that I am allowed for plenty of prep time. I ordered 114 prints that I would then matte to sell at the festival. I order all the matting supplies. Sorry kids, not cutting my own mattes, I would go crazy...more crazy. I also ordered merchandise bags that I would stamp with a logo (interesting story about this to come).
Fortunately for me, I'm still unemployed and only at The Improper two days a week so I have plenty of time to (as we say in VT) git er dun! I researched online exactly how to do the matting and it seemed pretty simple. I made a quick run to Art Supply Wholesale...ahhh memories of Interior Design projects and spending obscene amounts of time and money in that store, but I love it. So with supplies in hand I was off!
Thank goodness for Sex And The City DVDs! They helped to keep me sane while matting prints for 6 hours straight. Unfortunately I didn't purchase enough double-sided tape so I was at a standstill. It was probably for the best, I was pretty fried. In the meantime I went and had more of my negatives scanned so I could order some more prints, yes as if 114 wasn't enough, let's add 30 more to the list!
By the time the additional 30 arrived I had already matted, signed, stickered, and bagged up the rest, ahh progress. I was definitely on a roll and flew through the final stages. I still had the idea of stamping the merchandise bags so it was onto project #2. I opened the box containing the bags to find them, mushed, wrinkled, and not the right size. Apparently I figured 8x10 prints and 8.5x11 bag will work fine...not so much! Should have gotten the 9x12s. So the bags were a total bust and if anyone has a use for 1000 brown merchandise bags please let me know. Or I may be forced to make a large scale paper mache sculpture or use them to wrap all presents I give...for the rest of my life.
My biggest worry so far has been how to display the prints. I have 144 matted in sleeves, 1 framed 16x20 and another framed piece that has 3 prints. Not much online either, perhaps I should start a photography display 'how to' site? I did find some awesome baskets at the Christmas Tree Shop that are perfect for displaying the loose matted prints. Fortunately, Katie is doing the festival with me and she had some great ideas, plus her parents own a gallery up in Stowe, VT so they're familiar with this sort of thing. After a day of texts and picture messaging we had a basic idea, yes! I have a feeling we're going to end up with so much stuff up there and we're not going to use half of it, oh well! I'm not going to describe the display because honestly I have no idea what it's going to end up looking like. I know we have some tables, some lattice work, foliage, and of course Katie and I kickin' it tailgating style! You'll just have to come to the festival and see. Or check out my blog next week, I'll post pictures.
I'm really hoping it goes well. Katie's mom sent her a note and she forwarded it to me today. I thought it was really great:
"Bet you’ve been a busy bee getting your things ready for this weekend. I’m sure you and Meg will have a great time and really learn a lot. Try to pick the brains of the other vendors. Some will be regulars at these fairs and can tell you which are the best organized and attended if you want to do it again. Take some pictures of your set up and send them to me next week. I wish I could just pop in on you. Can’t tell you how happy I am that you are doing this as it’s the start of your artistic future. You will feel slightly insecure and vulnerable if a few people (the jerks) look at your things and say nothing and just walk away and then you’ll be infused with confidence and pride as the next person says ,“Wow these are great photos…Did you do these?” The experience is definitely character building and it helps you build a thick skin…….something you really need as an artist!"
So now I will head off to bed and wonder about what I'm forgetting or what I didn't do or what I should have done. I'm really excited to be doing this. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be where I am with my business, I would have said you're crazy! I guess I was given some good motivation even though I didn't realize it at the time. I'm definitely excited to see where I'll be with it a year from now. Just gotta keep plugging away!
More to come soon!
I'm going to eventually write about each of the sections of images on my website. Would that be interesting (Sal? Since I think you're the only one that reads this).
Fortunately for me, I'm still unemployed and only at The Improper two days a week so I have plenty of time to (as we say in VT) git er dun! I researched online exactly how to do the matting and it seemed pretty simple. I made a quick run to Art Supply Wholesale...ahhh memories of Interior Design projects and spending obscene amounts of time and money in that store, but I love it. So with supplies in hand I was off!
Thank goodness for Sex And The City DVDs! They helped to keep me sane while matting prints for 6 hours straight. Unfortunately I didn't purchase enough double-sided tape so I was at a standstill. It was probably for the best, I was pretty fried. In the meantime I went and had more of my negatives scanned so I could order some more prints, yes as if 114 wasn't enough, let's add 30 more to the list!
By the time the additional 30 arrived I had already matted, signed, stickered, and bagged up the rest, ahh progress. I was definitely on a roll and flew through the final stages. I still had the idea of stamping the merchandise bags so it was onto project #2. I opened the box containing the bags to find them, mushed, wrinkled, and not the right size. Apparently I figured 8x10 prints and 8.5x11 bag will work fine...not so much! Should have gotten the 9x12s. So the bags were a total bust and if anyone has a use for 1000 brown merchandise bags please let me know. Or I may be forced to make a large scale paper mache sculpture or use them to wrap all presents I give...for the rest of my life.
My biggest worry so far has been how to display the prints. I have 144 matted in sleeves, 1 framed 16x20 and another framed piece that has 3 prints. Not much online either, perhaps I should start a photography display 'how to' site? I did find some awesome baskets at the Christmas Tree Shop that are perfect for displaying the loose matted prints. Fortunately, Katie is doing the festival with me and she had some great ideas, plus her parents own a gallery up in Stowe, VT so they're familiar with this sort of thing. After a day of texts and picture messaging we had a basic idea, yes! I have a feeling we're going to end up with so much stuff up there and we're not going to use half of it, oh well! I'm not going to describe the display because honestly I have no idea what it's going to end up looking like. I know we have some tables, some lattice work, foliage, and of course Katie and I kickin' it tailgating style! You'll just have to come to the festival and see. Or check out my blog next week, I'll post pictures.
I'm really hoping it goes well. Katie's mom sent her a note and she forwarded it to me today. I thought it was really great:
"Bet you’ve been a busy bee getting your things ready for this weekend. I’m sure you and Meg will have a great time and really learn a lot. Try to pick the brains of the other vendors. Some will be regulars at these fairs and can tell you which are the best organized and attended if you want to do it again. Take some pictures of your set up and send them to me next week. I wish I could just pop in on you. Can’t tell you how happy I am that you are doing this as it’s the start of your artistic future. You will feel slightly insecure and vulnerable if a few people (the jerks) look at your things and say nothing and just walk away and then you’ll be infused with confidence and pride as the next person says ,“Wow these are great photos…Did you do these?” The experience is definitely character building and it helps you build a thick skin…….something you really need as an artist!"
So now I will head off to bed and wonder about what I'm forgetting or what I didn't do or what I should have done. I'm really excited to be doing this. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be where I am with my business, I would have said you're crazy! I guess I was given some good motivation even though I didn't realize it at the time. I'm definitely excited to see where I'll be with it a year from now. Just gotta keep plugging away!
More to come soon!
I'm going to eventually write about each of the sections of images on my website. Would that be interesting (Sal? Since I think you're the only one that reads this).
Friday, September 25, 2009
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