Staying Positive.

This is something I'm really struggling with at the moment. I think I have come to this new venture at the wrong time. The global recession has made people very careful with their money. People seem to want something for nothing and are not willing to pay for the time and effort a craftsperson puts into their work.

I really thought I had a wide range of work that would appeal to many people. There are a range of subjects and products at many different prices. From £1.75 for a hand made card to £20 for a large framed print. But that doesn't seem to make any difference. People are just not buying. They see my stall, glance and walk by or they stop a while, enthuse over the pictures, say how lovely they are and then leave.

It is incredibly frustrating as I love my pictures and really want to make a bit of money from them. I have put many hours and money into taking the photographs, editing to make them look their best, printing, framing and preparing them for sale, yet still I'm getting nowhere. I know other crafters are having similar problems. People are browsing but not buying so its not just me, but its very hard not to take it personally.

I did wonder whether I'm doing the wrong type of fairs, but what are the right ones? I've done quite a lot of charity fairs, which, although for a great cause, don't always induce people to spend money on the craft side of things. There are often tombolas, cake stalls, raffles etc. which people are more inclined to spend small amounts of money on "for the cause" then don't have the money to spend on anything else. So maybe I should stick to the designated "craft fair". This in itself causes other problems. Tables at these fairs are often expensive and there are not many local to me, thus travelling is involved. So there is the risk of forking out for an expensive fair and getting up at stupid o'clock to get there, and potentially still not selling anything. With the finance for this venture coming entirely from our household budget, which is not looking entirely favourable at the moment, it is hard to justify the risk. There is not a lot of support from the "household" either. I can understand its hard to see me come home from a whole day away from my "responsibility" as a mum having not even covered my petrol costs let alone the cost of the table, but a little bit of interest and support for something I am really passionate about wouldn't go amiss.

So where do we go from here? Who knows? Is there a magic formula? No-one's told me yet. I guess I just wait and see. Try the fairs I can afford and get to easily and create a deadline. If I'm still not selling by christmas I guess I should do a serious rethink. Should I change my approach? Try a different angle? Is this the right thing for me to be doing? Is it good for me/my family for me to be doing this? Maybe I should just find myself a "proper" job!!!

So, back to staying positive. When everything seems against you its very hard to stay positive about it all. I guess all I can do is keep plodding along and hope for the best. I'll keep you posted!!

Wendy, Mayflower Photography xx