You have perfected your art or craft. You’ve given tons to your family and friends and now their friends and family want your art too! Your workspace overflows with finished projects that you move from side to side so you can create more art. The cost of his hobby consumes his family budget. . .
If any of this sounds familiar, you may want to consider turning your hobby into a business. I was in these same shoes not too long ago. I realized that to continue feeding my addiction to my art; I needed to start selling my art.
I just didn’t know where to start until there was a knock on my door: a charity bazaar. My first collectors, by default, consisted of my wife and her friends who approached me one day to participate in her charity bazaar as a vendor. “Please consider selling your work at the bazaar,” I heard over and over again. Pushing aside all my doubts and secret thoughts of “no one will buy my work”, these fans of mine pushed me to say “yes”, and my business started.
I paid less than $100.00 for two tables and loaded my car with art. I showed my artwork, stepped back, took a deep breath, and waited. What a wonderful experience to see people react to my work! Seeing their smiles, hearing them talk about my artwork, and better yet, getting them to buy something I created!
When selling your art, understand that you certainly can’t and won’t please everyone. You won’t create something that everyone likes, but remember to stay neutral and distance yourself from the negative. I want to create an effect on people with my art, so I like all the reactions.
The success of my first show gave me the confidence to continue selling my art. In my opinion, charity bazaars are one of the best ways to start your art business.
Private schools and charities that have these bazaars are always looking for unique vendors. The home based artist is a perfect match.
Most charity bazaars require you to rent 1-2 tables from them for less than $100.00, with an additional percentage of your sales going back to the charity as a donation. It doesn’t get any easier!
The bazaar will take less than a full day of your time. The organizers and other vendors have promoted this event and invited customers to the bazaar. These customers come for the sole purpose of buying from the bazaar vendors.
Worried about direct competition? Rest assured that most bazaar organizers limit the number of each type of vendor that is invited to participate in the bazaar. For example, they will not have too many glass artists in their bazaar. This creates a diverse pool of vendors and promotes sales at the bazaar, increasing profits for the charity.
Do well for the charity and year after year you will be invited and contacted by other charities to participate in their events. Before you know it, you may be achieving the dream of making a living doing what you love to do the most… making art. . . and earn money!
