It's well documented that over the last couple of years of blogging, me and craft fairs have a very turbulent relationship, I pretty much decided to take a break from it all. Warkton Craft Market has been a venue on my wishlist for a couple years now so refusal was NEVER an option. I am more relaxed about craft fairs now and I feel I can present a collection of work which best reflects me as a crafter- and that selling really is not just the only benefit you can take away. I cant wait to meet a new bunch of local crafters (although i'm extremely shy) and learning and listening to them can be really helpful and inspiring.
To give myself a fighting chance I am taking forward a few things I learnt from the last fair I did...
1) People wont buy what they cant see so i've been working on new and interesting displays which are now sat on my dining table being tested to make sure nothing falls apart. Gone will be the baskets that hide everything and tbh look pretty pants.
2) Smiling inanely wont make people talk to you, in fact they will probably run a mile in the opposite direction. Stepping forward and engaging with people and being proud of your work should rub off on the customer. Restrained enthusiasm is the key lol
3) Don't be too despondent if it all goes wrong. I royally threw my dummy out of the pram last time because I let myself down so badly. This fair like the fair before are the perfect venues for crafters (well organised, affordable, good location and marketed extremely well) but I couldn't make it work for me. Upon reflection I learnt that a) craft fairs may not be the place for me to sell and that b) if I did continue I would have to learn from my mistakes and rectify them not just threaten to give up doing the one thing that keeps me sane and that I love doing.
Even despite all the upset over craft fairs i'm soooo excited about tomorrow, there are amazing crafts on offer with lovely people and in a cute little village... what more could I want!
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