FOXY Fusions Blog

When you choose to make your living as an independent artist or craftsperson, there is one piece of advice I can give you: Realize you are on your own. You have to chart your own course through the maze of options for building, and sustaining, your business. Do you sell wholesale to retailers and give up 50% of sales? Do you sell direct to the public at arts and crafts festivals? Whatever choice you make, there are pitfalls.

For example, participating in arts and crafts festivals is extremely unpredictable in terms of revenue. These festivals are typically juried by committee, whose members often change year to year…and everyone has their own opinion on what they want to see at the festival. You could participate in a festival one year, make an outstanding amount of revenue, and then not get juried into the festival next year or the year after. You could even participate in a festival for several years in a row, make a very consistent level of revenue, and then get moved to a different location and tank out.

You might think that festival organizers care about you and your craft because they jury you into their festival every year. You might think you are unique and important to the caliber of their festival. Think again. Many festival organizers care about one thing: making booth money. If they don’t get the booth money from you, they’ll get it from a dozen other candidates. You are replaceable. Very replaceable.

In fact, some festivals are so large that there are areas where people do not even walk, but your booth costs the same as other booths. Beware of this situation. If a festival organizer gives you a booth that is off the beaten path, bow out of the festival. Do not pay for a booth where there will be low foot traffic: you will spend your time and money on a losing proposition.

Giving it a try is not a good idea if you need the money because many festival organizers also will not feel any obligation to you after a festival to set things right. For example, FOXY Fusions has participated in King Williams Art Festival in San Antonio for the past 4 years and will not participate again after what happened this year. The first 3 years our booth was on the main parade route for the festival, and we experienced revenue from $2.25-3K for a one-day show which is really stellar given this economy. The 4th year, our booth was moved to a side street with extremely low traffic and we did not even make half of the $400 booth fee.  Even though FOXY Fusions has participated in this festival for 4 years, festival organizers were not willing to make any restitution to us for the impact of moving our booth from its previous location, or for moving us off the parade route which served to generate our sales in previous years.

So that FOXY readers can understand fully how unwilling festival organizers are to work with artists, and how easily replaceable artists are to festival management, the full text of the email conversation is provided below.

Being an independent artist/crafter is the *most* risky financial endeavor you will ever pursue. Your revenue is entirely at the whim of people outside your sphere of control. This business does not operate like other professional businesses. It is not a relationship that can be nurtured or developed. View every show experience as a one-time slam-bam-thank you ma’am. You cannot count on any reliable revenue stream when it comes to arts and crafts festivals.

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Kerri to King William Festival:

Hi

Just wanted to send you a suggestion for the future. This was the fourth year I’ve participated in King William Fair. Past 3 years I was on Madison, directly on the parade route, and my sales ranged from $2250 to $3000. This year, because I did not purchase electricity, my booth location was changed and I was put on Sheridan side street. I made $190 which means I’ve taken a loss with booth fee, gas, and time.

Once a vendor is established in a location, you really can’t move them without heavily affecting their sales. I hope this case study will influence some of your operating procedures in the future. For example, avoid moving vendors from where they have already been located, and do not put vendors on side streets that get no parade route traffic because the festival is large enough that people do not walk down every street.

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Response from King William Festival:

Ms. Lawnsby -

I’m disappointed that you didn’t have a satisfactory outcome from the Fair.  Unfortunately, Madison Street is the only location where we are able to supply electricity to Art & Craft Vendors and those vendors requiring this service are assigned booths on Madison.

This year vendors were asked to request three space preferences.  We made every effort to assign vendors one of their preferred spaces.  But given the number vendors requesting the same space we were just unable to locate everyone in their preferred space.  Our next best option was to locate vendors in a space as close to one of their their preferred spaces as possible.

We do appreciate your feedback.  And, we will take your suggestion under advisement and critically review our booth assignment process.  All A&C vendors will be receiving a Fair questionnaire in the near future that will provide us with more information to review.

Thank you again for your input and helping us improve to serve you better.

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Kerri to King William Art Festival

Thanks for your response. I guess I am not satisfied with this response to what is essentially a $2K+ loss to my business. How would you, personally, regard this kind of loss to your business? Would you do business with an organization that gave you this response again?

I think what would be an attempt at reconciliation would be offering me a complimentary booth on Madison, on the parade route, for next year.

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Response from King William Art Festival:

Ms. Lawnsby,

We understand the concern you raised, but the King William Fair is a multi-factored event hosted by a historic neighborhood. Given the demands of hosting such an event literally on the doorsteps of our neighbors’ homes, we make adjustments to the Fair’s footprint every year. We annually review every component, from vendors to parade route to dumpsters. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that any part of our event will be in the same place from year to year, nor can we guarantee our vendors placement in any single location. For that reason, we cannot accept your suggestion of placement.

Again, thank you for your  feedback.

ASPHYXIA: a lack of oxygen or excess of carbon dioxide in the body that results in unconsciousness and often death and is usually caused by interruption of breathing or inadequate oxygen supply

Independent artists and crafters are losing revenue, hope, and life. Caught between show promoters who use artist booth fees to fund show operations, the DIY movement, and a tightening economy which has reduced or eliminated expendable cash for art lovers, there is a quiet death occurring. I say quiet because the art show goes on…just with different artists. There is always another bright eyed person willing to pay booth fees to the promoter for an opportunity at the creative life.

Sitting in my booth this holiday season, at several shows, I have witnessed several things:

• People saying…”I wonder if they have that at Hobby Lobby…I could make it myself…”
• People saying…”I lost my job…I wish I had money to buy this…”
• And people simply walking on by without looking at all…with “no sacks” as artists like to say, which means people are not buying anything at all.
  

The “experts” who say the economy is on the rebound are obviously in a different economic bracket than my customers. My customers are middle- to upper middle class, typically college educated, with an appreciation for art and creativity. But like my husband, these people haven’t had an increase in their economic means for about 10 years or more. In other words, they haven’t had a salary raise even though the cost of living has steadily risen 4-5% a year.

So with the same money and a higher cost of living, what do my customers do? Search for deals. Shop at places that can afford to give them deals. Walmart. Target. Big chains, low prices, … funding the economies of other countries that can produce goods cheaply because labor (and people)  are not valued.

The result? A slow asphyxiation of the independent artist and crafter in America. Increased cut-throat competition for arts and crafts shows in communities that are still appreciating and spending money on art…enabled by zapplication.org…which in turn funds the art shows with the $25-$45 application fee just to be considered for the art show…paid…once again…by the artist/crafter.

On the outside, you’ll never know this is happening because there’s always another shining face at the art show ready to sell you their handmade goods. But stop and think….what happened to last year’s independent crafters? Where are they? Are they still breathing?

I’ve been away awhile from my blogging, but mostly because I’m a firm believer that if you don’t have anything interesting to say….SHUT UP. So I did! But now I’m back with stories from this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival which I thoroughly enjoyed….Not only because I got to spend 3 days without any kind of responsibility (which is awesome!), but because this year’s lineup of bands was awesome and we had the best weather I’ve experienced at ACL to date (6 years running now).

My legs are T-I-R-E-D from dancing for 3 days straight, but my heart is happy with the music that filled my ears! My favorites..in no particular order…

• Kings Go Forth….Check out this SHAFT-style grooooovy 70s  band…Lovin it!
• Qbeta…Rocked the house with their Sicilian beats…awesome for dancing!
• Slightly Stoopid….I’m a fan of this reggae band…they’re awesome and the next best thing to the dearly departed Sublime…
• Caitlin Rose…a newcomer, she has an excellent voice and great attitude, and I love her style!
• NINJASONIK….freakin’ GREAT!!
• Silversun Pickups…Still love these guys…and so weird to see them in person and see that voice come out of the man it does…weird and freakish, but I love it!
• The Temper Trap…huge smiley face next to the program for this listing…!
• Deadmau5…Kinda like Ghostland Observatory, but I still like Ghost betta…
• Muse. Need I say more? BEST PERFORMANCE EVER. Loved it.
• Ruby Jane…newcomer and awesome voice!
• Warpaint…This all-girl band is kickin’ ass so get a load of them cuz they’re on the rise!
• Switchfoot…Very kick-ass performance and fun band!
• Rebelution…again, great reggae…but nothin beats Sublime…alas! I still enjoyed their beats tho…
• Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue….check out this trombone performer because this band WHALES for a live performance. It was very energetic and fun!

That’s about all I can totally enthusiastically recommend although I also enjoyed performances by White Rabbits, Foals, Dawes, The Constellations, Norah Jones, The xx (trippy psychadelic..), LCD Soundsystem, the Gaslight Anthem, The Very Best, The Sword, Vampire Weekend, and Blues Traveler. Awesome, awesome weekend. Thanks ACL for another fantabulous weekend with fun, sunshine, friends and music!

As part of the FOXY Facelift on the Rectangle series, I’ve designed several new pendants! Hope you like ‘em!

FOXY Rectangle - Ocean Set 3

FOXY Rectangle - Ocean Set 4

FOXY Rectangle - Sunset Set 5

FOXY Rectangle - Opposites Set 6

Ocean Set 3 – The base is an opaque teal glass, the middle layer is a purple transparent glass with an iridescent surface that has lots of blue and purple shimmer, and the strap is a purple ripple dichroic glass.

Ocean Set 4 – The base is an iridescent royal blue glass that shimmers purple and gold, the middle layer is a dark purple iridescent glass which darkens considerably once on top of the blue, and the strap is a fun rainbow dichroic glass.

Sunset Set 5 – The base is a light pink opaque glass, the middle layer is a dichroic glass that has an awesome scratchy texture once it’s fired, and the strap has a fun pink dichroic glass with the FOXY Swirls pattern etched onto it.

Opposites Set 6 – The base is a light purple opaque glass, the middle layer is a shimmery purple/blue iridescent glass, and the strap is a teal dichroic glass with a bubbles pattern on it.

All of these new FOXY Rectangles can be purchased at http://www.kerrilawnsby.com/fxy_rectangles.html

Enjoy!

The FOXY makeover continues with a revamping of four more FOXY Rectangle designs…

FOXY Facelift - Part 2!

Forest Set 6 always had a lovely transparent dark forest green backdrop for a rainbow dichroic pattern with angular crossing lines. Now it has a dramatic strap with dark purple glass that has a shimmery purple/blue iridescent coating. I think it’s new structure and symmetry are highly attractive!

Sunset Set 6 retains its glowing red iridescent glass, but now it has a more whimsical appeal with a rainbow dichroic pattern that has squiggly lines in teals, purples, blues, and pinks. Fun!

Opposites Set 4 has an all new dichroic strap that catches the eye with its bold color and aztec pattern, a perfect compliment for the transparent teal base and icy salmon ripple dichroic centerpiece.

Opposites Set 5 was always an appealing combination to me, but it has lost its swagger along the way. So I turned it upside down and put a strong bold iridescent purple sheen in the middle to offset the sizzling lime green, and topped it off with a multicolored dichroic strap!

Hope you enjoyed this FOXY Facelift as much as I have!

Change is a necessary part of life…and in the spirit of change I’ve been giving FOXY Rectangles a makeover. The FOXY Rectangle designs have been a solid line since the business began, but there were a few cobwebs that needed cleaning. After getting halfway through the FOXY facelift for the Rectangles, I have revamped three of the existing designs which were pretty to begin with, but could now use a little extra umph!

FOXY Facelift...Part 1

FOXY Rectangle – Forest 1 is essentially the same as it was: it is using the warm brown opaque glass on the bottom and the lovely bronze glass in the middle. But now…it’s incorporating the new FOXY swirls pattern, designed by Kerri Lawnsby Studio, for the strap! I think the new FOXY swirls are much more compelling visually than the old swirl pattern this design used. Hope you like it too!

FOXY Rectangle – Opposites 2 is also very similar, except that now the design uses a wine-colored transparent glass on the bottom which provides a rich canvas for the fun rainbow colored balloons pattern that livens up the middle layer. The dichroic strap will be a range of colors from green to teal to blue…whatever strikes my fancy that day and goes with the balloons pattern in the specific piece!

FOXY Rectangle – Opposites 1 has always been a favorite design of mine, but somehow along the way it’s fallen out of tune…so I’m making it sing all new melodies now with the FOXY swirls pattern in the middle layer and the new light blue ripple strap! Hopefully in the photography you can now see that the surface of the orange transparent base glass is iridescent, reflecting all sorts of happy teals, purples, golds, and so on…depending on the slice of glass in your piece!

Apologies for my photography, but come see these changes in person and I think you’ll agree it’s the beginning to a very FOXY facelift for the Rectangle series!

Watching Paige Miles get voted off American Idol last night, I thought how similar her experience is to mine. She has a talent people enjoy in her beautiful voice, and she has many fans who adore what she does and who she is. While on a much smaller scale, I have a talent for fused glass that many people enjoy and support by becoming a fan of FOXY Fusions on Facebook, or by spending their hard-earned dollars to purchase something that I created.

Paige has experienced recognition of talent, and acceptance from many adoring fans. But unfortunately, like me, the strength of her performance is not yet compelling enough to get her where she wants to be. She must be discouraged to get so close to a “for sure” music career as part of the Top 10, only to fall short of the necessary votes to stay in the game.

I think I know how Paige must feel. I feel it every time I receive that fated email… the email goes something like this:

Thank you for applying to the Top Juried Fine Art Festival. Unfortunately, we had so many talented artists apply this year that we could not extend an invitation to every wonderful artist that applied.

In other words, you’re pretty good, but not good enough.

So…Paige…what should we do?

Here’s my answer:
Stop worrying about what those judges want to see because even they don’t know what they want to see. They saw a glimmer of it in you that attracted them in the first place, and they want more of that….whatever “that” is.
So dig deep to discover the essence of magic in yourself that has attracted people thus far—your uniqueness. Drag your pure essence out into the sunlight, free it from the bonds of self-censure, and polish it up for everyone to see its brilliance. Be strong. Be determined. And let your light shine.

And now, I’m going to try taking my own advice.

Turquoise, Tomato, Coral, Violet, Beige, Canary Yellow, “Amparo” Blue, Pink Champagne, Dried Herb, and Eucalyptus… Pantone has a diverse palette of colors for Spring 2o10 from which to work! I finally settled on three new Circle designs, and am planning a few new Rectangle designs. Drumroll please….

FOXY Circle #5 -- Swirls in pink and turquoise!

FOXY Circle #16-- Eucalyptus, Amparo Blue, and a Subtle Aurora!

FOXY Circle #21-- Dried Herb and a Rich Amparo Blue!

Two of these new designs feature the new “Crazy Swirl” pattern that I drew by hand and am now having etched onto a range of dichroic colors! In fact, the pink/turquoise swirl design is simply an updated version of FOXY Circle #1. You can order this design in any of the colors shown below. To do so, order FOXY Circle #5 and send me a note as to which colors you want top and bottom! Available colors are below…

If you’ve purchased a FOXY Fusions bracelet for a gift, you won’t know if it’s the right size until your giftee tries it on. If the bracelet is not long enough, you can always contact us to exchange the bracelet for one that is longer.

If the bracelet is too long, however, you have a much simpler solution: you can remove a link to make the bracelet shorter. To do this, all you need is a round nose jewelry supply tool that you can get from any craft store (like Hobby Lobby or Michaels).

What you are going to do is remove the link on the side OPPOSITE the clasp. To do so, turn the bracelet over, insert the tool into the looped metal attaching the square link to the bracelet, squeeze and lift. Once the looped metal is lifted, you can remove the link from the bracelet.

You can close the looped metal back down on the individual square link and use it as a necklace.

The pictures below illustrate this process.

Use the tool to squeeze the looped metal

Lift the looped metal with the tool

Remove the link from the bracelet

Remove the link

Close the metal loop on the extra link

Now you have a bracelet and pendant!

Sometimes I wonder the impact my crafting lifestyle will have on my young sons, who are now 7 and 10. During the fall and spring, I am gone 3 out of 4 weekends at shows, off solo selling my wares while my kiddos are in school. My husband takes them to all their soccer games on the weekends, and I miss these special moments….although I usually get lots of photos of them playing sent to my Blackberry—Love modern technology!

During the week, I feel like I’m cramming time with my boys…trying to see them as much as possible. But there’s only so much time between after school, homework, soccer practice, and bedtime; and often I have lots of work to do to get ready for the next weekend show as well so I’ll be in the studio late at night.

My older son Garrett told his Nene (my mom) that when he grows up, he’s going to get a job that makes lots of money so he doesn’t have to work as hard as his father and me. Then my mother shot me that look that said: “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” (and really, she totally disapproves of me being gone so much!)

But two weekends ago my son Garrett got to come with me to a show because it was close to home in Georgetown. He loved it! He wandered around, found some arts and crafts he liked and even made a “trade” with an artist (with a little help from mom). He was so proud of his purchase…and liked the idea that he got to own something made by another artist by trading something his mommy made. And he got to hear folks say how much they loved the glass that his mommy made…I think it made him feel special.

Another benefit of my kids witnessing my crafts lifestyle is that it is teaching them that there are all kinds of ways to make a living in this world besides the standard corporate style job. It’s teaching them that you can conceive of something in your own mind, create it, and actually convince other people to buy it from you! How cool is that? Last year I knew Garrett had figured this out when he filled balloons with flour and sold them at school as “stress balls” for $5 each. He made a BUNDLE! I am teaching him to be an entrepreneur.

I’m also teaching my kids that doing what you love is important. I am not happy with corporate work. Sure…it pays the bills. But if I don’t have a way to be creative as a living, I am miserable. Even though I’m gone so much from home, when I *am* home, I’m happy. I think that makes a difference. An energetic happy mommy who’s around half the time is much better than a depressed sad mommy who’s around all the time.

And, lastly, I’m teaching my kids the power of determination. You win some, you lose some, but you never stop trying to live your dreams. Ever. I am trying to set an example for them that I hope will help them create a full, happy life.

It will be fascinating to see how my kids turn out…what lessons they learn…and what they say about me as a mom when they grow up!