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Grrr...
Well, life can be rough sometimes. Buying trends change, expendable income for the middle class can dry up, demographics shift. I exist as a self-sustaining artist at the whim of the buying public...and my market is dry like the Sahara.
So, what to do...what to do.
Go where the money is, I suppose. Yet, I can't do that because...it's just ridiculous to pack up my stuff and trudge across country like a modern day peddler with my wares strapped onto my back. So, I'm doing a version of that by calling well known high-end mask retail galleries & gift shops in tourist spots all over the country. I've sent out two information packets in the last two days (one to an awesome-sounding gallery called "Rumors" in New Orleans...I guess they're the best-known & biggest mask retail gallery in the region) with another one in the works for tomorrow.
I looked online & found a maskmaker in Key West (he was the official mask provider for Fantasy Fest for several years in a row)...HIS gallery has closed (because, he says, he's sick of dealing with the public. I guess that's endemic to maskmakers everywhere. ;-) ), but he was very sweet and gave me a lead and a name for the buyer at a major art-object (& especially masks) gallery in Key West. I'm calling later today, so wish me luck.
I HATE doing this stuff. Hate hate hate. I am just not as naturally good with people as my brother is...this crap scares the hell out of me. And yet...I guess it has to be done. As much as I hate this, if I want to keep making these masks for a living I HAVE to do it, because there's just no alternative. I love making masks. It's my life and I can't imagine any other. But I can't afford to just make them for the sake of making them...I'm not rich like that. John says "Unseen, untold...unsold", and that's where I am right now. The best freaking maskmaker that's not selling masks. :-(
Fortunately my quality of work, lack of greed, and realism are just what the buyers are looking for. I also have experience selling to retailers already, which helps me put together a pretty package for presentation. Also, thank you Cirque for buying that mask! I can't say enough about how that turns people's heads. When I name-drop that account (and I do. Shamelessly. Like a whore) you can actually hear the tone of the buyer/gallery owner's voice change right over the phone. It's a beautiful thing.
If ANY of you out there know of a store or gallery (in a tourist or high-traffic area...I need to go where art is selling) that specializes in masks and gifts of a handmade, artsy nature...drop me a bit of contact info in your reply to this & I'll be sure to check them out. My stuff could be coming to a shop near you!
I bought a thick sheaf of high-quality matte photo paper and re-stocked my ink. I'm going to keep mailing until all of that paper is gone.
So, what to do...what to do.
Go where the money is, I suppose. Yet, I can't do that because...it's just ridiculous to pack up my stuff and trudge across country like a modern day peddler with my wares strapped onto my back. So, I'm doing a version of that by calling well known high-end mask retail galleries & gift shops in tourist spots all over the country. I've sent out two information packets in the last two days (one to an awesome-sounding gallery called "Rumors" in New Orleans...I guess they're the best-known & biggest mask retail gallery in the region) with another one in the works for tomorrow.
I looked online & found a maskmaker in Key West (he was the official mask provider for Fantasy Fest for several years in a row)...HIS gallery has closed (because, he says, he's sick of dealing with the public. I guess that's endemic to maskmakers everywhere. ;-) ), but he was very sweet and gave me a lead and a name for the buyer at a major art-object (& especially masks) gallery in Key West. I'm calling later today, so wish me luck.
I HATE doing this stuff. Hate hate hate. I am just not as naturally good with people as my brother is...this crap scares the hell out of me. And yet...I guess it has to be done. As much as I hate this, if I want to keep making these masks for a living I HAVE to do it, because there's just no alternative. I love making masks. It's my life and I can't imagine any other. But I can't afford to just make them for the sake of making them...I'm not rich like that. John says "Unseen, untold...unsold", and that's where I am right now. The best freaking maskmaker that's not selling masks. :-(
Fortunately my quality of work, lack of greed, and realism are just what the buyers are looking for. I also have experience selling to retailers already, which helps me put together a pretty package for presentation. Also, thank you Cirque for buying that mask! I can't say enough about how that turns people's heads. When I name-drop that account (and I do. Shamelessly. Like a whore) you can actually hear the tone of the buyer/gallery owner's voice change right over the phone. It's a beautiful thing.
If ANY of you out there know of a store or gallery (in a tourist or high-traffic area...I need to go where art is selling) that specializes in masks and gifts of a handmade, artsy nature...drop me a bit of contact info in your reply to this & I'll be sure to check them out. My stuff could be coming to a shop near you!
I bought a thick sheaf of high-quality matte photo paper and re-stocked my ink. I'm going to keep mailing until all of that paper is gone.
