All Things Art Festival

Megan Wimberley: 00:00:01

Welcome to Cowgirl Artists of America's podcast. I'm your host, Megan Wimberley.

In today's episode, we're joined by two incredible Oklahoma based artists, Lauren Florence and Kasie Sallee for a candid conversation all about art festivals. We dig into the pros and cons, share tips and tricks for making the most of your time, and even explore whether art festivals are right for you.

Whether you're a seasoned exhibitor or just starting to consider your first show, this one's packed with with insight and inspiration. Before we begin, let me introduce our two guests. Kasie Sallee is a contemporary painter inspired by the beauty and perfect imperfection of nature.

Her work mimics the organic shapes of the natural world as a way to express and evoke emotion. Her hope is to draw the viewer in with a spark of curiosity. She calls her work emotive landscapes.

The artwork gives the viewer the feeling of a place remembered, both physical and emotional, while the piece often hints at oceans, skies, rivers and other natural elements, but it's more the landscape of a dream or memory that comes to mind. Kasie travels often to hike and explore the wild and uses these experiences as a way to tap into inspiration for her art.

She lives in central Oklahoma and you often see the colors and influences of the Southwest and prairie in her work. For Kasie, art is a passion that pulses through her veins. It's her belief that beauty matters now more than ever.

Her sincere hope is that her artwork will awaken and stir up emotions for those who view it, feelings of joy, peace and connectedness to the world around us. For it's only when we take the time to reflect and connect that we are truly able to make change in the world.

Lauren Florence is a figurative artist working in acrylic and living in Oklahoma City.

Lauren grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma where she was heavily influenced by the art collection at Willarok and as a young child, after getting a fine arts degree at the University of Kansas majoring in textile design, Lauren walked through multiple doors in her 20s and 30s spending time in it on an energy trading floor and as a small business owner.

Lauren finally took a painting class in her early 40s after marrying and becoming a stay at home mom specializing in vintage cowgirls and the fauna of Oklahoma. Lauren aims to evoke joy and awe in the individual spirit and and wonder of the natural world around us.

Megan Wimberley: 00:02:17

And how would you like to describe yourself to the group? Both of you have done festivals.

Lauren has led a group to help local women with festivals and Kasie has was super helpful to me My first time doing the OKC festival too. So both of them have really helped me prepare for that specific festival. But y' all both have just a.

Megan Wimberley: 00:02:38

A wealth of knowledge.

Megan Wimberley: 00:02:39

So Kasie, would you like to go first?

Kasie Sallee: 00:02:43

And so what were you wanting to know?

Megan Wimberley: 00:02:45

Oh, just, just a little intro about yourself for this group. I'll read your bio for our official podcast.

Kasie Sallee: 00:02:51

So my name's Kasie, Kasie Sallee. And yeah, I live in Oklahoma, Guthrie, Oklahoma. And I've, you know, I've done art off and on my whole life like most of us have.

und, let's see, it was around: 2017

I had been away from my art for quite a while and was just feeling a bit down about that. And so I started dabbling and playing with ink and resin just to kind of be creative again and sharing it online.

And kind of like you guys were saying earlier, it seems like one thing just leads to another when you just put yourself out there. It started getting attention. And then I saw an ad for a one day festival and I thought I'm going to apply. Even though I had no tent, I had nothing.

I'd never done a festival. And I applied and got accepted and so that was kind of like the beginning.

I did that one day show and use the pictures from that to apply to the big Oklahoma City festival. I didn't get in, but I was waitlisted. And then two weeks before the show they called me and said, do you want to do it?

d I look back now that was in: 2018

I had two weeks to prepare for this like at that time, week long festival, but just took a leap of faith and did that and, and then kept doing it year after year. And so yeah, it's amazing.

I think I, I tend to want to know the future or plan but I think as artists sometimes it's more just about following like the breadcrumbs of just putting yourself out there and seeing what comes next.

And so yeah, so I've done that festival six times over the past seven years and it's, it's been really an amazing thing and, and led to a lot of different opportunities.

Megan Wimberley: 00:04:50

So, well, as artists always do, everything is useful. So maybe this will also be included in the podcast along with your written your that I'll read.

But it's always as you were talking, I was like, oh, this is will be so good. For listeners too. So we will go ahead and leave that in there.

But so, Lauren, in addition to your bio that I'll read for the intro, what would you like to kind of just casually say about. About yourself and your story?

Lauren Florence: 00:05:15

I am a painter in Oklahoma City, figurative painter and do a lot of very Oklahoma, Texas centric subject matter. Bison, scissor tail, flycatchers, vintage cowgirls. And I started painting. How old is my son?

I started painting 12 years ago when he was one and we first had moved to Oklahoma City and I didn't know anyone and I was staying home with him. Anyway, several years later, after things had started selling mainly off of Facebook, I was on a committee for the art museum here.

They were looking for donations and for their big art auction thing.

And I reached out to an artist on Instagram that I knew was in the Oklahoma City area and asked her for a donation and she and I became friends and she was like, you've got to do the big Oklahoma City Art Festival. I was like, what are you talking about? And Kasie knows who I'm talking about. Kathryn Freshley.

She's now in Oregon, but she's a good friend for both of us. And so I applied with Katherine's encouragement and she literally gave me a list of supplies. You know, here are all the things you need.

And the Oklahoma City Art Festival is unusual because they supply the tent and the display walls. And so that was sort of a low risk sort of thing for me. I didn't want to own a tent at the time. I did not want to own display walls.

house and I got in. This was: 2018

That was the first year for both of us for that festival. And it was crazy hard. The mental aspect of it, it was a six day festival at that time with long hours. And I pretty.

Even though looking back, my sales were decent for my first year, it felt like. It felt like I just sat there for six days and nothing happened. The mental game can be so hard.

And then you get one little sale and you're like, oh my God. You know, like there's. The lows are low and the highs are high. And what.

So I've done the Oklahoma City Festival four times now and I've now branched out and I'm going to multiple festivals. Not that one anymore. And I can talk about that in a little bit, but I'm probably getting way off Track and telling you way too much.

But anyway, let me just wrap this up real quick.

That's how I got into festivals and sort of got my feet wet and learned just a couple years ago to branch out and do other festivals that were a little farther afield, where I did need a tent, I did need walls, and. And I love it. I actually love it. I don't do too many, but I do love when I go.

Megan Wimberley: 00:08:18

Yeah, thank you. I think that gives everybody such a good foundation for thinking about this.

And, you know, as you probably heard from listening to both Lauren and Kasie, that festivals are a lot of work. They are not the right fit for everybody.

You know, as we always say, everybody's art career is different, and you need to find out what works for you.

Um, but hopefully this podcast, for anybody listening who is doing them and wants to improve or anybody who's on the fence, will help to give you a little bit of clarity. One of the things that I wanted to. To start with is just generally. And we'll get into really the nitty gritty with the next question.

So this is kind of going to be overview topic, but in your mind, let's start with the pros. What do you think are the pros of participating in festivals? Lauren, do you want to go first on that one?

Lauren Florence: 00:09:08

Yeah. For me, it's exposure, people. And what I've seen.

I mentioned that my first Oklahoma City festival was really hard and really slow, but when I went back the second year and did it again, my sales doubled. And I've seen that with other festivals, too. The second time you go, people recognize you. You have a little more street cred.

They realize that they saw you before. They like what you did before, and this time, they're gonna get something. And with Oklahoma City, my sales doubled the second time.

They doubled again the third time I went, and that's big. And so. And I'm seeing that same thing with a festival now that I love so much called Cottonwood in Richardson, Texas.

The more times you go, the more credibility you have, the more recognition you have. And people think about you and they order prints at Christmas and they, you know, it's. They follow you on.

I mean, the website hits I had just from this festival I did in Richardson a couple weekends ago was huge. It's so fun to watch that spike.

And I mean, building your client base and exposure, I mean, you can have a website, but for people to see your work in person is the absolute best.

Megan Wimberley: 00:10:37

Are there any other pros you want to list for you?

Lauren Florence: 00:10:40

Money Yeah, I mean, really, you know, I've had my work in galleries, and they sell sometimes. It sells sometimes, but at festivals, it sells a lot better when I'm there and people can talk to me, and I just.

And people know it's like a limited time. Right. I mean, you always have people who are like, oh, I can look at your website later. Right. Okay. They're never gonna buy anything anyway.

Like, they're just finding an excuse to move along. But. But other people buy, you know, and you only need a few customers to make a good purchase to have a good weekend.

Megan Wimberley: 00:11:19

Yeah. What about for you, Kasie? What are the pros of art festivals for you?

Kasie Sallee: 00:11:25

I would say everything that Lauren said, and then just especially that credibility and the opportunities that come that you weren't even thinking about.

Like, you know, I've had different commissions that came from being seen at the festival or just opportunities to work on projects or things that I just never would have even known about. And I think it's because just being in the festival gives you that credibility. I also.

That's how I got in a gallery in the first place, was the gallery was walking around the festival and asked me if I would like to be in.

And I know it's very difficult sometimes to get in a gallery because they get approached by so many people, but when you have your work there, it gives them the opportunity to kind of see you. And so that was a. That was a big thing from my very first festival. I got invited into a gallery and have been in a few since then. And.

And then I also think, like Lauren said, if you plan for the show and, you know, are strategic about what you bring, I could always count on sales. And the Oklahoma City festival was always like, a. A very big portion of my yearly income would come from there, and I could count on it.

So I think for me having that, I would work towards it, know I would get those sales. And it kind of took a lot of the pressure off the rest of the year because I. I knew I would always get those sales there. So that's a nice thing in.

In the art career, where it can be very, you know, unpredictable, was knowing that I probably, barring weird things like weather and stuff, would probably have some pretty good sales and knew you could count on it to kind of help fund for the rest of the year. But, yeah, there's a lot of. A lot of good things from being in a festival.

Megan Wimberley: 00:13:17

Yeah. And I.

I think one of the points you brought up is something that we try to teach artists on all Their opportunities is that selling work is not the only benefit of participating in something. That there are so many things if you prepare and if you're ready to meet people and make friends that the.

As long as there's people there, there is opportunity. Even if, even if, say you go to a show or whatever and your sales are really bad, there's still so many things that you can bring out of that.

And with festivals like both of you are saying, there's so much built in that can be beneficial to you. As far as cons, what do you think? And Kasie, we'll start with you on this one. What do you think are the cons of doing art festivals?

Kasie Sallee: 00:14:05

It's a lot of work.

At least I know that this one that I mainly did the one big in Oklahoma City, I've done a few others small, but I could count on at least six months of work preparing for that show. And so it is a lot of work towards one thing.

So if you're not someone who wants to have like that, that really specific deadline, that could be difficult. And then the unpredictability of things like the weather, it's an outdoor festival, you just don't know.

Or different things like that, that could be a con. Also just the, the time that it takes and if you have to stay in a hotel or anything like that, that could all add up.

And so I would say that would be what I would think.

Megan Wimberley: 00:14:54

Yeah. What about for you, Lauren? What are the cons that stick out in your head?

Lauren Florence: 00:14:58

Definitely the weather. I had to set up in the rain Friday before last in Richardson, which was not any fun, but I learned I can do it, which was kind of emboldening.

And, and sales were amazing. The next day the sun came out and I just had an incredible day. The next day everyone was so happy.

It had been raining for about 10 days down there and suddenly the sun was out and everyone was in great spirits and it turned out to be a wonderful festival.

I think also time I don't do the Oklahoma City show anymore because I have learned that I prefer a two to a three day festival rather than a six day festival like it used to be. Oklahoma City is now a four and a half day festival. But they require the artists to be there until 10 o' clock at night for what, three days? Three.

Three of those four days. And that honestly is just too much for me. Sales are unbelievable. Sales were fantastic for me the last two years that I did it.

But I also don't want to have to spend a week recovering from the show.

And I've learned that driving to Texas, just a short drive down I35, setting up, doing a quick two day festival, grabbing my money and going back up to Oklahoma City. It's easier on me. Like that's my threshold and I can bounce back. And so I'm not quite making as much money.

But I hit the ground running when I get home and I can do everything and prepare for the next festival. I've got another one a week from Saturday over Memorial Day weekend. That's in Oklahoma City as well. It's just a smaller festival.

So, you know, you kind of learn what works for you and what's a good fit for you. And also, if I could do one more pro for festivals, sure. I absolutely adore the artist community at the festival.

You get to know your neighbors, you get to know people from all over the country. In fact, I know Carol. Carol and I met at Granbury at a small invitational show that we did at Granbury.

I don't know if you're doing Granbury again this year. You are good. Okay, me too. And anyway, it's so fun to travel and meet people from everywhere and then you end up running into them again.

When I was in Dallas, in Richardson a couple weeks ago, I had a couple of other artists I had not met before. They saw us from Oklahoma City. They said, oh, well. And I saw Kristen. Kristen came and saw me. Yes.

But a couple of the other exhibiting artists saw us from Oklahoma City and they're like, oh, are you doing the Paseo Art Festival? And I'm like, yes, over Memorial Day weekend. See you there. I mean, it's just like instant bonding and it's. I just love it.

And I'll tell you, people are so generous with their tips and tricks. Every time I do a festival, I learn something new. You learn about the equipment, you learn about hacks, you learn about where to stay, you learn.

I mean, it's so great. People are so amazing. They're like, oh, have you tried? Whatever? And I swear, it just.

You feel like walking into it, you have no idea what you're doing. And then in 48 hours, you have learned so much just because you were willing to show up and people will help and it's amazing.

And your booth setup gets better and better. And the way you pack your car gets better and better. It's just, you know, it's so intimidating that first time. But it is doable.

I do it by myself because my son is 13, so he's at school and my husband works and so we do all the coordinations with the logistics. So I go and set up my tent all by myself and pack my car by myself, all of that. And. And I can do it. And so it is possible.

Megan Wimberley: 00:19:16

Yeah, that's great. And I. I agree because I just did the Oklahoma City Festival and all of my neighbors, I just loved them. We had so much fun.

And I know all of us artists, we tend to, like, be in our studio by ourself.

And honestly, I mean, I was really thankful for the cells, for sure, but, like, I think the thing that made me really happy was just getting to spend time with other artists and get back out in the community because, sorry, I think a bird just, like, flew into my window, shocked me. Oh, but that was so, so delightful. And also, we always feel so much more encouraged whenever and inspired when we get to engage with people.

So that's great. As far as deciding which shows to do, what factors do you think are the most important? You already kind of touched on that a little bit, Lauren.

So do you want to keep building on that? You're talking about for you, timeline and closing, you know, what other things do you consider when deciding what's a good fit?

Lauren Florence: 00:20:18

Well, I like to watch, you know, with Instagram, it's so fantastic. You can see what other artists are doing, right? So you can kind of get a feel artists that you admire, what shows are they doing?

And make a note and keep an eye out for when or get on the newsletter for that show organization, and then you'll get notified when applications are open for next year. But that's. That's good thing. But you.

And also, once you get in and start going to these shows, you ask other people what shows work out for you, what shows do you like? Where are, you know, which shows have terrible setup processes. Like, every show operates differently. And so you'll start to get a feel for.

Main Street. Fort Worth is known to be a total headache when it comes to loadout. You know, like, you start learning these things now.

It's also great for sales, though. It's one of the top shows in the country. I've not done that one. But anyway, you just talk to people and see. I mean, there are some artists here.

I do maybe four shows a year, festivals a year.

There are artists that do 40, which I cannot imagine the amount of strength and mental fortitude that it must take to do that, be on the road all that time. I will never be one of those people. But four or five festivals a year, totally in my wheelhouse. And I Look forward to it now.

And honestly, because of the community, I sometimes that Monday, Tuesday after a show, I miss it. I'm like, where is everybody? You know.

Kasie Sallee: 00:22:01

But yeah, and also a lot of the shows don't. Most of the shows uses application, the website.

And if you get on their newsletter, you will be sent, you know, different show deadlines coming up, which might be a way to even start knowing which ones to research.

Megan Wimberley: 00:22:22

Yeah, that's a great.

Lauren Florence: 00:22:24

Definitely you'll want to look at the shows that are closer to you. Yes, initially. And most of us have, you know, shows that are not too far away.

That's, you know, that's a great way to get your feet wet is to do something that's close to home first.

Megan Wimberley: 00:22:41

What about you, Kasie? What's important for you in a festival to make it a good fit?

Kasie Sallee: 00:22:48

But I think I'm not the best for that advice because I literally did this one show every year. And the reason that I chose that was because like Lauren said, they don't require a tent. They already have everything set up.

And I knew that, you know, at the time especially my daughters were still in high school and I didn't want to travel. You know, it might be something I would do in the future.

But I thought, well, I knew I could do this show without having all of the setup and all of the expense that you need for that.

So for me I just plan for this one show or maybe sometimes smaller little, you can find smaller little pop ups near you sometimes that don't need a lot. I have a small tent. But when you're traveling to those bigger shows like Lauren, you definitely have to invest in, in all of the equipment.

Megan Wimberley: 00:23:38

Yeah.

And I think, you know, I don't think that's bad advice because I think probably the majority of our members who would be considering doing festivals are considering, you know, a few a year. They're probably not going to be doing the 40 a year.

And not to say that we don't have any members doing that, but I think that a lot of artists, they're just looking at opportunities that are going to be the right fit for them.

And so it's great to be able to say, hey, you might find one festival that you want to do and it's a great fit for you and that's the only one you do. And it takes that headache off. Or you might be like, learn where you find a few that are close that you really love. And so that's okay.

There's not any right or wrong way to do it. If you want to do 40 or you do 40, message me, because maybe we'll do another interview with you.

Because I just can't even wrap my mind around doing that many shows in. In a year.

But also something to think about, you know, like, if you are traveling, you've got to make sure you have a car that's going to hold all of those things, or you're going to have to rent a little U Haul or whatever.

And so there is a lot of logistical components to if you have to go very far, whereas if you're closer, if you forget something, you're not far away, or you maybe you can take a few different trips if you happen to have a small car. And so there is a lot into that. Let's talk about also, because something that's important for deciding what shows to do are the rules.

And I'm going to get on a soapbox for just a second, because as an artist and as an event organizer, it is so frustrating whenever I hear artists complain about the rules of something, because at the end of the day, you chose to apply, you chose to accept the invitation, and you agreed to those rules. If you disagree with the rules, then simply do not participate in that festival, that show, that whatever it is. Otherwise don't complain about it.

Like, it doesn't. It doesn't look well to other artists. And it's.

It's just silly because the organizers really put in a ton of time and effort to put on something good, hopefully. And if they're not, then don't do that show again, you know, don't take that opportunity again.

But for the most part, they're working really hard to bring thousands of people in. You know, a lot of these festivals or shows, hundreds of people in.

But when you agree to participate in something and you sign a contract, that really matters, and you really need to be a professional and abide by those rules.

And some of those rules we, you know, involve prints, for example, like at the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts, you cannot put reproductions on your panels. And so as an artist, you need to know that that's the rule, you know, and so you don't do that.

But sometimes that might mean a show is not a good fit for. Based on the rules of the show.

Besides prints, can y' all think of any other rules that artists might want to consider before deciding if something is a good option for them?

Kasie Sallee: 00:26:38

I'm thinking a lot about, and I don't know whether it would be considered a rule or just something that you need to know. Is that. I know maybe Oklahoma City is probably not. I don't know.

I could, you might say Lauren, as strict on this, but your booth shot that you use to apply for a lot of these shows, that is a very important thing. You will apply with a shot of what your booth is going to look like and they expect it to look like that.

You know, that you don't want to show up and have a different.

And it doesn't mean the way you display your work, but like you don't want to show up with entirely different setup because that's something that they chose you because they knew your booth looked that way and was professional. But you might have more thoughts on that, Lauren.

Lauren Florence: 00:27:21

No, I agree completely. And the booth shot is, is key for some of the higher end shows.

They really want you to look like, you know, they would like for your booth to look like a mini gallery. They want it very clean. They want it. They don't want stuff on the walls and then three tables that are just piled with note cards and whatever.

Okay, so there's my booth shot that I just took this booth shot a couple of a few weeks ago in the Woodlands, Texas. I did the festival down there in April and so this minus that. Well, I'm seeing some imperfections. But they don't want signage in your booth shot.

They don't want price tags in your booth shot. They don't want print bins in your booth shot.

You can have print bins when you show up to do the festival, but they want, I don't know, 75 to 80% of your booth to be original work. And they want it very clean. And of course, when you show up to do the festival, you can also put price tags on the walls.

This booth shot was the shot I took last October at the Richardson, Texas festival, Cottonwood. And I used this booth shot to apply to the festivals for this spring. And I got into three of them, three out of the four that I applied to.

So you can see how almost spare it looks like. There is a print bin in this, but it's very clean right, right there in the middle. And now my tent is not what they want, but they did overlook that.

So that's good. My tent is a nice sturdy pop up tent. They would prefer for you to have a professional grade artist tent that has a much taller canopy.

It just, it just looks nicer. But the pop up tent is all in one piece and the professional artist grade tents come in 30 to 40 pieces. And so the setup and tear down is.

I don't know, three or four times as long. And I'm just not willing to do that in my career right now when it's just me moving all this stuff and building it all by myself.

The pop up will go up in five minutes and comes down in maybe 10 minutes. But anyway, it's just easier for me to handle when I'm doing all this myself. So so far, the shows that I've.

The festivals I've applied to are overlooking the fact that I have a pop up tent rather than a $2,000, you know, artist canopy tent. But this is what they're looking for. They do not want a cluttered look to your tent. They do not want for anony during the jury process.

They don't want any signage in your tent in the booth shot and not having price tags up. So I've just gotten in the habit when I set up my booth at a new. At the next festival, I take a booth shot at this stage of setup.

And once I've got that shot, then I put my price tags up, I put my print bin, print bin in and you know, get ready for the festival. But it's just an easy thing to do during your process of getting set up for the festival to stop at this point and take your boost shot.

And that is the shot that you will use for the next round of festivals that you're going to apply to.

Megan Wimberley: 00:31:56

And Lauren. So Lauren's using pro panels, but there are other options that we won't go into all those.

But there's all kinds of other options, you know, that people can look into. Pro panels are one of the nicer looking ones. These are the kind that break down.

So those of you that are looking at the video, you can see this little seam right here. So these panels actually totally come apart in two different pieces each section.

So it makes it a lot easier to load it into a smaller car and things like that. But you really want to make sure everything looks clean and tidy. Are you done with this picture? This Lauren?

Lauren Florence: 00:32:31

Sure. Y.

Megan Wimberley: 00:32:32

Okay. See if I can. They moved all the things on me, so it may take me a fig second to figure out how to exit.

Lauren Florence: 00:32:37

There we go.

Megan Wimberley: 00:32:42

Okay, so were there any other rules that y' all think people should pay attention to?

Lauren Florence: 00:32:47

They prefer for you to. If you have prints, they want your prints to be signed and numbered so that your prints are limited edition 250 or less.

And I find that pretty easy to comply with. I know some artists don't like the hassle of that, but I don't find it a hassle at all.

I mean, it's just part of it, and it's just more professional to do it that way. And it can feel a little limiting to think that once you're mine are all editions of 100.

And it can feel a little limiting to think, oh, once you sell 100 of those, you can't sell it anymore, but you will have been working and creating new work.

And so way before you get to a hundred, way before you get to a hundred sales of any particular image, you will already have paintings that you love more that you want to offer prints up. So it really, it's fine, you know, it's. I think I've only gotten to 100 on one image in seven or eight years. So, you know, it's. It is what it is.

And I only order 10 at a time. I order from a company out of San Antonio called Finerworks. They're online, they've got a great website. They've got great paper.

You can order a whole pack of stuff. Paper samples. So you can choose. I think Megan and Kas both use spiner works for their prints. And it's really easy.

I will order five or 10 images at a time and not all 100 of anything. And so, you know, it makes it really manageable from a financial standpoint, too.

Megan Wimberley: 00:34:36

Yeah.

And just so you know, too, if you have already started making prints of something, you cannot turn those into a limited edition if they didn't start out as a limited edition. So keep that in mind.

If you, like, apply for a festival and they have this rule, and you're like, oh, I have this longhorn that's really popular that I've been printing, but they want it to be limited edition. So I'll just sign a number of these. No, like, that's lying to your collectors, and that's not an ethical thing to do.

Limited edition literally means you're only printing those.

The only exception is you are allowed to have a couple of artist proofs, you know, which is what you kind of do beforehand to make sure that everything looks good. And I've also made additional artist proofs when I've had to switch a printer to make sure that the new printer is printing things correctly.

But you can't. Don't. Don't try to find little workarounds because that's undermining your collector, and it's. It's really. It's dishonest.

So make sure you don't do that. A limited edition is a limited edition. You can do multiple sizes too, on additions, but that's something to keep in mind.

Any other rules that y' all want to mention to keep an eye out for? Okay, cool. If y' all think of any, let me know and let me check the chat. And if we don't have any questions so far.

So let's just talk about kind of preparing. You know, Kasie,

Megan Wimberley: 00:35:55

you mentioned that preparing for the Oklahoma City Festival. You're spending six months preparing when you're doing that.

That festival. And Lauren, you're talking about, you're doing these smaller shows where you feel like it's a little bit more manageable.

Can y' all kind of speak to what. What artists need to keep in mind when they're thinking about preparing for a festival? And I don't remember who went first last time.

So, Kasie, we'll start with you because I mentioned you first.

Kasie Sallee: 00:36:23

Yeah, it's. It was a lot. It's a lot to prepare for because I always.

So with a festival, I always wanted to have something that could fall within different budgets all the way from something the lesser priced all the way up to the very, you know, my higher end. Because my goal was to have anybody who connected with my work be able to take something home. And because.

Because so many times you would have somebody who one year could only afford a print or something smaller, but then next year they would come back and they had saved their money. And. And it. I felt like them being able to have something gave, you know, them something to think about for the next year and save up.

And so I just would plan, you know, about six months before the festival to start working, set, like, goals for different sizes that I wanted to have of different things. Like Lauren said, ordering your prints, you'll want to get them with their, you know, packaging. And there's. There's a kind of a list.

You want to sit down and make a list of the things that you want to get done. And it is. It is quite a bit of work to be ready for that. But like I said, it always felt good to know that I had that one thing to prepare for.

And for the rest of the year, you. You kind of had more free freedom to do what you wanted to do. So. Yeah.

Megan Wimberley: 00:37:45

What about you?

Actually, Lauren, before you start, I did want to mention, because I forgot if you're a member and you're thinking about all this print stuff, we had a whole meetup about prints.

Megan Wimberley: 00:37:53

And so if you go to the.

Megan Wimberley: 00:37:54

Member space, to the replays, you can find that meetup and get lots of info because I know People always have lots of questions about limited edition and all that stuff. But, Lauren, for you, what are you thinking about when you're preparing for a festival?

Lauren Florence: 00:38:09

I definitely want to have enough paintings to fill the booth space and to have a few left over, like, to fill holes as things sell. Not a lot, because you can start spreading things out as. As you sell. I want to have two or three large pieces in the booth.

I never think they're gonna sell, and they usually don't, but they bring people into the booth. I have prints.

Megan Wimberley: 00:38:47

Have.

Kasie Sallee: 00:38:48

Are.

Lauren Florence: 00:38:49

ntial. I think I can count on: 1500

Two weeks ago in Richardson, Texas, I sold 71 prints, which just blew my mind. So that was $3,500 in print sales. So that was incredible. You can't predict because that was 71 prints.

That weekend, three weekends before in the Woodlands, I only sold 27 prints. So it's like, you never know what's gonna happen.

So a range of sizes in your paintings, Definitely some big ones to bring people in and some good options with your prints. I have started, and this may have had an impact on my print sales In Richardson, I've started displaying my prints along the bottom of my pro panels.

That tends to be dead space anyway. And my larger prints are backed with foam core.

And I bought these little sticky hang tabs, these clear plastic hang tabs, and I just hung them on pins all along the bottom of my pro panels. And that really helped alleviate the bottleneck at the print bin.

Like, I've watched festival after festival people walk away because somebody was taking way too long looking at prints, and they just. They weren't willing to wait until this other person was done looking. And so. Thank you, Kristin. So it's real.

It's kind of like the way gift shops display T shirts. Like, they'll have the T shirts all folded nicely, and then they have the T shirt fronts displayed up top so you can see what you're after.

You don't have to unfold every T shirt. So that is kind of where I've gone. And I think I just saw the effect of that 71 prints in two days at Cottonwood. So that is.

God, I feel like I've already. I've forgotten the question, and I've gotten off track, but.

Megan Wimberley: 00:41:16

No, you're good. It was about strategy, how you prepare.

Lauren Florence: 00:41:20

Right? Okay. So just making sure I have enough. Another thing from the Woodlands.

I took a ton of prints with me, figured out how to stuff them all in my car, and I only sold 27. And so when I was preparing for Richardson, I was like, I am not. I do not need to take 200 prints with me. That's ridiculous. And so I took.

I took, I don't know, maybe 150, and then I sold out of several images on the first day. And I. Anyway, so it's.

So it's impossible to know what's going to happen, but just make sure you have four or five of each of whatever you have to offer.

Megan Wimberley: 00:42:03

Yeah. What about, like, do y' all strategize as far as takeaway? Like, takeaways or promotional materials, your tags, things like that?

What's going through your mind when you're thinking about your booth and preparing?

Lauren Florence: 00:42:18

I always have a stack of postcards, and those cards have several small images on the front, and then my information along with that, on the back, I will write my booth number because you always have those people who are like, we want to come back. You know, we just got started. We want to. Okay, here's my booth number. Sometimes it works. I mean, most times people don't come back, but.

But I will give away 150 to 200 postcards in two days. And sometimes it feels a little bit like wasted money, but you never know. Somebody emailed me.

Oh, somebody emailed me a couple of days ago and asked about a painting that she saw at Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson last year in the spring. And she said, I so regret not buying it. And so, anyway, we've talked about a commission.

I don't know if she's going to do it or not, but, you know, for some people, it just takes time. And the more often they see you, the more they're like, oh, yeah, I liked her stuff. So, you know, you never know what's going to stick with people.

But, yeah, I like.

I prefer the postcard rather than the tiny business card because it's prettier to look at and it doesn't get lost in the bottom of a purse or something, so. And you can write stuff on the back. I had another lady I talked to in Richardson, and she was interested in a commission.

Don't know, you know, if that's ever going to happen, but she was really interested in one colorway of one painting that I had. And so we kind of wrote down all the information, and then she's got that to take with her.

If she ever does decide to contact me about it, I'll know what she's talking about.

Megan Wimberley: 00:44:12

What about for you, Kasie?

Kasie Sallee: 00:44:13

So, I mean, I. I Love Lauren's postcard idea. I've seen them, they're beautiful. I didn't do postcards, but I did.

I did business cards, but I ordered through moo moo.com and what I love about them is that you can put, I can't even remember how many. It's a. It's a huge number of different images on. So you can order one order but have min.

So I would put my artwork on them and instead of saying would you like a business card? I would say would you like a bookmark? And people held onto them because I would get the ones that were rounded corners and looked really pretty.

Oh, would you like a bookmark? And I don't know why, just that thought in their head of like it's a bookmark, people would hold onto it longer.

And then another idea which a friend of ours has done is getting now this would be more expense, but if your work could be something that you might think like a interior designer might would use, she had a catalog made sort of like a mini magazine with her work and with it shown, displayed and kind of the. About just some samples of her work. And she has mentioned how she's gotten interior designers to call her from that and get commissions and things.

So that's another idea. You always want to be, I think with any festival or anything mindful and keep track of your expenses because there are so many things you could do.

And so it's like you kind of have to weigh what is the best for you. And you test that with each show. Like do I feel like I got a return on this or not?

Because there are a lot of things that really are neat but probably won't give you a return. So it's kind of important to keep track so that your expenses don't. Because festivals can be expensive.

All of the materials, you're having to order multiple prints at once or you're having to order the backing or all these different things. You want to have bags that they can carry, things like that.

So you want to really keep track of that and gauge what you think will give you the best return.

And if you're going to be doing them, you know, if you plan like Lauren to be doing several, it's good idea to try to order things in bulk if you can. And so yeah, that's an important thing to remember.

Megan Wimberley: 00:46:27

That's great. Speaking of bags, branding is so important.

And so as I was at the Oklahoma City festival and I have to acknowledge that Kasie saved me because I like hand make bags for my Originals. But then I did not even think about needing bags for my prints.

And as I was watching people walk by and there was these beautiful, clear bags where you could see the print as somebody walked by, you know, And I was like, oh, my gosh. I texted Lauren and Kasie, and Kasie had some on hand that I could buy from her that were clear, so she brought some up to me.

But I also saw things that were not very beautiful in terms of packaging, like trash bags and cardboard. And I know, to be fair, cardboard can be great to help protect something.

And so sometimes you do need to, you know, package in a way where something's protected. But, you know, I.

I would want to encourage everyone to really think about, like, if somebody spends, you know, several hundred or thousand dollars on an original and you shove it in a trash bag, what are you communicating to your collector about the value of your art?

And so you want to really be thinking about that and then maybe have things that you can pop in there, because this person's already somebody who's bought from you, which means that they have a higher likelihood of buying from you again. So a little promotional thing or, you know, whatever it is that you can pop in the bag. But don't.

Don't let any part of what you do say this is not a valuable piece of work unless it's not. Right. We talked about.

We've talked about a lot of things, and one of the things that I think about as I'm listening to y' all talk is just that there's no way. And, Lauren, you kind of touched on this already. There's no way you're going to get it all right the first time. It's a learning experience.

Every time you go, you're going to learn from yourself. You're going to learn from the people around you. You're going to talk, like, the three of us, we talk a lot about strategy and things like that.

So you're going to have your friends that you can strategize with. So if you're thinking about doing a festival and you're. You're overwhelmed, that's okay. You are going to be probably several times that you do it.

And anytime something crazy happens. And so it's just about diving in and being, you know, aware that it's normal for you not to have it all figured out and.

And to do the best you can and you'll get better. I see. We have a question. How do you manage all the. How do you all manage packing a piece of artwork when it sells?

Where do you keep your bags boxes in your booth. Do most of your customers walk away with them or do you mail it to them later? I think the last question is all of the above, right?

We sometimes they walk away, sometimes they come back, sometimes they mail it. I always offer free shipping and that sometimes is the deal for people when they are like oh really, like I don't have to worry about that.

I can just pay you today. And then, and, and they're super happy about that. Bags and stuff, you know, I think it depends on the booth setup.

But what are yalls advice about storing packaging?

Lauren Florence: 00:49:30

I have two different things that I do and it's based on size. My smaller pieces I have through a. There's a website called canvas.com and I order tote bags from them and I paid about $210 for 20 tote bags.

So they're like 11 bucks a piece for me and they will print whatever I want on there.

So I have made, I have these darling print tote bags for my small paintings and they have some of my best selling prints on them with all of my information at the bottom. And there was a lady last fall who was interested in three of my eight by eights.

And before even talking to me, she said, how am I going to carry those? And I was like, what are you talking about? I think I missed the first part of our conversation.

And she said I'm interested in those three little paintings, those bird paintings, but I don't know how I would carry them to the car. And I said well, have a tote bag for you. And she said sold. So that was amazing. And so it's a cheap, cute way to send home some small paintings.

Now for the larger ones I go to Home Depot and I buy these giant rolls of silver bubble wrap insulation. I think it's for water heaters. I'm not sure what it is, but a lot of artists use this silver bubble wrap looking but stronger.

Megan Wimberley: 00:51:09

Lauren. It's just for. So people will know it's roofing material actually because I just went and looked at it and you'll find it in the roofing section.

Lauren Florence: 00:51:17

Okay.

Megan Wimberley: 00:51:17

The other kind is like a smaller thing, but yeah, the big rolls are the roofing stuff.

Lauren Florence: 00:51:22

Okay. So I make bags out of this silver roofing material apparently. And you just cut it to size, tape up the sides and they last for a really long time.

In the middle of the open part, I use a hole punch and I punch holes in the middle of each bag and that way I can hang them on the back Sides of my pro panels, so they're always there when I need them.

Now, depending on how much space you have around your booth, you might not have access to the backside of your booth or just a, you know, you might have limited access, so you have to plan for that. But it's worked for me so far.

So when I do sell a medium to large size painting, I kind of reach between my pro panel and my tent wall, pull out the size that I need because I've written the size on the corner so I can clearly see the part of the bag that is visible to me, and I grab the one I need, stuff it in there, and they walk away with the painting. I've never offered to share ship paintings from festivals.

I do know that artists will offer to deliver like the day after the festival if the person is local. So I've never done that either.

But I do get where that is attractive to people, especially if it's a large piece that they don't really have any interest in carrying all the way to their car. Sometimes parking is really hard at these larger festivals and it can be hard for people to get there.

With that said, though, festivals usually will have a pickup system where you can give your, your customer a claim ticket and there will be a spot near the entrance where they can drive their car right up and get the painting there. So you just have to, you know, learn how the system works at whatever festival you're at.

Megan Wimberley: 00:53:31

Kasie, did you have any thoughts about that?

Kasie Sallee: 00:53:34

No, I think those are great ideas. My work was a bit different in that it was resin and scratchable, so I had to wrap it in like a white foam to protect the scratching.

But I think for canvases, I've seen the bags and I think they're really amazing. Yeah. And then, I mean, storage is going to be tricky at a lot of the shows.

Depending on the space, you kind of have to get creative on whether you have a podium or something you can hide them or like Lauren behind your walls or you. I, I know that there are, I've heard of, like Facebook groups online that are for festivals specifically.

A lot of the times they will give tips on things like that, on where to store things.

Megan Wimberley: 00:54:16

Yeah, yeah.

A lot of times figuring out two things that you can multitask are, you know, like, maybe it's some sort of a bucket, but it has a pretty tablecloth over it and you've got stuff stored in there, but maybe there's things sitting on it so you can kind of get creative with it depending on the way Your booth is set up. Let's. We're really at an hour, but I would like to ask a few more questions if y' all are up for it.

And if anybody needs to, like, hop out because they're running late, feel free to. Like I said, this will be recorded. But one of the things that we haven't really dove into yet is weather.

And I think weather is one of the scariest things for me, personally, about art festivals. And.

And I had an experience where I was with another artist, and we were doing a booth together, and we did not realize that we couldn't put stakes in the ground, and we didn't bring any weights. And so, you know, at the time, one person was like, oh, you know, I think it'll be okay. And I was like, oh, I just. Like, that's really scary to me.

And luckily, they went and got sandbags, because as they were at the place getting sandbags, me and the other person were literally holding our tent in place because this wind just whipped out of nowhere. And. And so that. That sort of thing is scary.

But are there ways that y' all have found to help mitigate some of that, the things with the weather or, like, good ways to weigh things down or anything like that?

Lauren Florence: 00:55:46

No.

I mean, all the festivals that I have participated in, they have very strict requirements, and it tells you up front that your tent needs to have at least 40 pounds of weight on each corner, on each leg. And, you know, Amazon and everywhere sells these canvas bag.

White canvas bags that are not unattractive that you fill with sand, and you just haul them from place to place.

Megan Wimberley: 00:56:18

And.

Lauren Florence: 00:56:19

But, yeah, they're. They're critical because those tents will leave the ground. I. In fact, I. This is what I learned at Richardson this last weekend.

I was setting up in a lightning storm, and there was one other guy that was just as stupid as me on the same row, and he. He was holding this. This metal thing. And so I said, what is. As we were talking, and he said, it's a tent hook for your propanels. Do you not have it?

I'm like, what? And he comes in, and he shows me how the tent hook. This hook hooks into your propanel and, like, clamps down on your tent.

And so it effectively uses the weight of the pro panels as an additional weight to weight down your tent. And my tent has survived some weather already without that. And he says, you just got lucky. And so I'm like, okay, maybe. Maybe. Maybe I did.

I don't know. And we. Anyway, I now have I got on the pro panel website. I found the tent hooks. They're $10 a piece or whatever. And I ordered two.

So, you know, from now on I will have the 10 hooks. But it's like you don't know until you have the conversation. And, and it's a question I didn't know to ask.

I just ordered the panels and nobody told me there were these other safety things that I can have. So it's just like you build your setup with every, with every little thing. And it's hard at first because it is an investment. It's. It's expensive.

But I, you know, you know, I think I made my money back in with the first two festivals that I had. So it's all, it's all good. Yeah.

Megan Wimberley: 00:58:19

Do you have any thoughts on that?

Lauren Florence: 00:58:20

Oh, you know what also saved me during that rainstorm two weeks before the Cottonwood Festival? I bought some new rain boots and they saved my bacon because my. The whole floor of my tent turned into a swamp.

And while I was setting up and it was gone the next day, it was fine the next day, but I was setting up, standing in water. And if I hadn't had decent rain boots, I would have been miserable. And so anyway, yeah.

Find out, you know, for your festival, are you setting up on concrete, which some of them are, or are you setting up on grass? And if you're setting up on grass, you might want to invest in some decent rain boots.

Megan Wimberley: 00:59:10

Kasie, did you have any thoughts about that too?

Kasie Sallee: 00:59:13

No, I mean, it's just, it's one of those. I guess it's a character building thing about festivals is you're going to deal with all kinds.

You'll have a lot of stories to tell, I'm sure afterwards. And yeah, I would say make sure that. One thing I learned was make sure your. Everything you have to store things in is waterproof.

One year I lost some prints because my bin had a little hole in the bottom or whatever. I didn't know the water was leaking in. So just make sure everything's. But yeah, it's just something. Be prepared with your.

Especially if you're traveling for your clothing. Lots of different weather. You never know, especially Oklahoma. We deal with having a cold day and then a sunny day and then a rainy day.

So it's just one of those things about festivals that you have a story to tell.

Megan Wimberley: 01:00:00

Yeah. And it may be one of those things that it means it's not a good fit for you. Right.

Like if that's going to cause you crazy anxiety, that's Why I don't do many festivals.

And honestly I like, I liked Oklahoma City because they have that really nice tent and they already have the panels and I don't have to worry about it. And after the first day of rain, I went in and I double checked everything that everything was good and dry.

And so after that I was just like, okay, I'm going to let go of the stress, but my little tent is like yours, Lauren. And you know, like, I think that would scare me for sure. And so I'm kind of hesitant.

So as you're thinking about if it's a good fit for you or not, think about are you going to be able to manage that stress? The other thing I would say too is don't only rely on the tent hooks.

Like, if you're thinking, oh, I'll just do that and that'll be my weight, don't do that. That's not a good idea. Your panels can get wonky and knock your tent over and all kinds of things.

So you really want everything very as secure as you can get it. What are a couple of random items that you think should be in everybody's bucket that you have found so helpful?

But maybe, maybe people have thought of them or maybe it's just kind of like your tent hooks. Lauren, you know, what are some things that. And we'll go. Kasie won't. We'll start with you. So that since Lauren went first last.

Kasie Sallee: 01:01:18

Time, trying to think of. I feel like, I try to think, I feel like I almost over prepare sometimes.

But you know, in my podium I would always have a little cup with, you know, you've got pins and scissors and safety pins and just you never know what you're going to need. And that's one of the things about being at a festival is you unless you have a helper, you're usually out there a lot by yourself.

And so you kind of just want to. That's not, that's not a very helpful tip, I guess. But you know, I would make sure I had just little random things.

And then like we said before, make friends with your booth neighbors because they probably got the thing you don't have and you have the thing they need. And so, yeah, it's. Don't be afraid to reach out to your community because like Lauren said, I've just never seen such a helpful group.

Everybody seems to want to help everybody else. I remember my very first festival. I was just such a newbie and so green at it. And I came totally unprepared in some ways.

And my booth neighbors, both of them were really nice gentlemen. And they're like, no, no, no, don't. Don't do it that way. And they shared this, and they shared that. And by the end, we were really great friends.

And we still keep in touch. So don't be afraid to. To reach out and learn from your neighbors.

Lauren Florence: 01:02:37

Yeah.

Megan Wimberley: 01:02:37

And, Kasie, you and Lauren, both of you told me, but Kasie, I think you told me, like, multiple times, get a little wagon for the festival.

Kasie Sallee: 01:02:45

I would say that's a good one.

Megan Wimberley: 01:02:46

And I really almost didn't do it because I carry stuff on my back all the time. Like, whatever. I'll carry my backpack. It's going to be fine. I. I ended up. It happened.

I ended up buying two because I realized one would perfectly hold all of my prints. And so in case something didn't fit or I needed to move things, I wanted to keep one available for my print. So I ended up buying two. And I.

Every single day, I was just like, thank God I listened to all the people who told me to get this wagon, because I could not believe how much I was carrying back and forth. And so that little wagon. And the added benefit is that right now I literally have a big chunk of my festival stuff in the wagons.

I just push them into a spot, and now when I get ready to go, guess what? I could just grab those wagons, stick them in my car. And so thank you both for telling me to do that.

And Kasie, thank you for telling me I'm multiple.

Kasie Sallee: 01:03:37

I did think maybe a good chair, a tall chair with a. With a leg bar.

Although you probably won't get to sit a whole lot, but when you do, it's, like, nice to get your feet up off the ground, and you want to be up high so you can be eye level with people if you are taking a break. And so I would say that's another. That's something that's definitely worth getting. For sure.

Megan Wimberley: 01:03:59

Yeah, for sure. Lauren, what about you?

Lauren Florence: 01:04:03

I second the good chair. My. If you Google bamboo director's chair, you will find my chair. I bought mine used.

It is a little pricey new, but mine has a bucket, like a large black canvas bucket underneath the seat, which just stores so much stuff. I keep my purse in there. I. You know, it's like, huge storage, actually. And it's been. It's so convenient.

But also it's so important to be able to sit down in a comfortable chair. A lot of just director's chairs will, like, cut your circulation off at the thighs or something. I Mean, it's just, like, you need to find one that.

That is helpful, especially if the days are really long. But also one of my favorite toys that I have in my booth setup now is a chargeable clip fan.

So I show a lot in Texas, and it's crazy humid there sometimes, and inside the booth, it can get to be, like, a little sauna oven type of situation. And so this is a. These fans don't have to plug in. You charge them at home and bring them in and clip them wherever you want.

And you will even see artists, like, literally carrying their fans around, just, like, fanning themselves, because the festivals get hot and it's hard to get out of the sun sometimes. So that is one of my favorite things. And I carry it back and forth each night and charge it at night and take it back. But there's.

There's so many contraptions, like, so many cool gifts you can get to make these situations a little more comfortable.

Megan Wimberley: 01:05:45

That's awesome. Yeah.

Lauren Florence: 01:05:46

You need a hat. You have to wear a hat.

Megan Wimberley: 01:05:49

And your hat is so cute. Every time I see your pictures, I'm like, that hat is adorable.

Lauren Florence: 01:05:53

So you know where I got it? Where? I got it in Queen Creek when.

Megan Wimberley: 01:05:58

We went to Art of the Cowgirl.

Lauren Florence: 01:06:01

Yeah. Remember? Because the sun was so crazy strong.

Megan Wimberley: 01:06:06

Yeah.

Lauren Florence: 01:06:06

Anyway, I love that hat. Yeah.

Megan Wimberley: 01:06:09

That's awesome. Kristin asked, how do you handle payments? And that really depends on what festival you're at.

So sometimes that, like, the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts has, like, a payment system you have to use. Sometimes they don't. And another thing to keep in mind is that some places have commission, some places don't.

So that's something you want to make sure you're reading in the rules and making sure that you're okay with. So I've got just a couple of more questions. One of them is there's a lot of high emotions, and there can be letdowns.

There can be, like, y' all said, big wins and really low lows. Do you have any strategies for just, like, how you deal with all the emotions around an event like this?

Kasie Sallee: 01:06:52

I would say community. Lauren was so awesome to gather together a group of the women artists who had been in the Oklahoma City Festival after that first festival, and.

And just having people to talk to who understand what the week was like, because, you know, it's hard to explain.

So I would think just reaching out to your artist community, and we always tend to have a lunch afterwards, and we just kind of hashed over what happened and the goods and the bads and tips and all the things that we learned. So I would say just leaning hard on your artist friends, I think, is one of the best ways to.

Megan Wimberley: 01:07:30

Yeah. What about you, Lauren?

Lauren Florence: 01:07:33

To get through the slow times, it can be really defeating when you're just. When people are just walking by and it. I have gotten to this sort of mantra or.

Or thought process during times like that where I just look at my work and I think to myself, I am so stinking proud of what I've got here. I love this stuff, and it just helps me so much because, you know, you're not going to have a steady stream of sales. You're just not. And we're so.

We're all makers where we don't like to sit idle. And when you're at a slow festival, it's like, what am I doing doing here? I could be doing eight other things.

This feels like a waste of time, and it's not. You know, you just have to breathe deep. This is where you are. Time will pass, and somebody sometime is gonna come and buy.

And I also really try to appreciate the compliments because people are sincere. Not everybody has an art budget. Very few people have an art budget. And people are sincere when they tell you they like your work.

What other occupation in the world is there where others. Where strangers will walk by and see what you've done and gasp out loud? Right?

It's like, when I was in corporate, I never made a spreadsheet that made anyone gasp. Like, there just aren't any jobs like that, but hours. And it's not for everyone.

Not everyone will gasp when they see your work, but a lot of them will, and that's huge. You're doing something. You're, like, giving them endorphins. You're, like, making people happy just by walking by.

And so I focus on that stuff when the. When I'm sick of being there, I focus on that stuff.

Megan Wimberley: 01:09:51

That's such great advice. And you can also remind yourself that when people don't gasp, they're gonna do that for one of your artist friends. You know, like, it's best to be.

You're. You can't be everything to everyone. And that's great. You know, I. I agree, Lauren.

And, like, I had this really cool experience at the festival this year that I keep meaning to post something about, but I've just been so busy. But I. This lady came into my booth, and she was looking at one of the pieces, and she was just like, oh, this is so amazing.

And she was talking to Me and she lifted her hand up or her arm and she's like, it's making my hair stand up on my arm. And I literally saw the hair on her arm, like, stand up from looking at my work. And I was like, how cool.

Like, I would have not experienced that at a show, you know, Like, I'm not going to experience that from some. Probably nobody's arm hair is going to stand up from looking at it online anyway, you know, But I got that right. Really cool experience, you know.

And so, yeah, I don't really does mean a lot. And art, too. I think art is meant to be shared. And not everybody can afford to have our art on their wall.

But when you're doing these public events, it's such a great way. And I tell people that too. I'm like, it is free to look. Please come in and enjoy. It's meant to be enjoyed. So, yeah, I can't.

I mean, I'm adding to what you said, but really I shouldn't because what you said is just perfect. It's very true. Okay, last question for both of you is for an artist thinking, am I ready to do a festival or should I?

Megan Wimberley: 01:11:18

What would your just kind of find.

Megan Wimberley: 01:11:20

A little bit of advice be for artists thinking about doing festivals. Lauren, do you want to start?

Lauren Florence: 01:11:28

I mean, give it a try. Jump in. Do something small, you know, and maybe it's, you know, it could be that there's a small indoor show. Like, there are some.

There's a local Oklahoma City group that will organize an indoor show once or twice a year and, you know, volunteer and see what it's like to sort of hang out with all the paintings and deal with people who come by. You can do smaller things like that without committing to a whole festival, but yeah, you.

The best way to learn how to do it is to sign up and get in. The hard part at first is like, Kasie got thrown into the fire. She applied, got wait listed, and then found out two weeks prior that she was in.

That's really hard to do. But she just threw all her stuff, what she had made probably a few more things and showed up.

And, you know, compare Kasie, compare your first, very first setup with your most recent setup. Like night and day. Probably, yes. And probably you have three times as much inventory this last time than you did the very first time.

I mean, you just like your process will change over time, but you don't have to have it all worked out the first time. It will improve and get better organically. I think as you with experience, you're going to figure out what works best for you.

You know what, Amazon also or just the Internet.

I think if you have an idea of something that you think is going to help you, some little trinket or something that you think is going to help you google that. And I bet it's out there. Like the chargeable fan, right? Like I didn't know those existed.

I actually found out from a nine year old girl in Cottonwood last year. She walked in and was super mad at me that I didn't have a fan. She's like where is your fan? Like it was so gross and hot.

I'm like oh crap, I don't, I'm from the north, I don't know. And so I googled last, you know, chargeable fans and sure enough there's a.

Kasie Sallee: 01:13:58

Whole ton of them.

Lauren Florence: 01:13:59

They're for camping but you can use them for art festivals and whatever you want. So you know, it's, there's so many, there's so much stuff out there and if you think it might be helpful for you, I bet you can find it.

Megan Wimberley: 01:14:14

Yeah, another two just to follow on to. That is the member space. Don't forget to go in there and ask people questions. We have great forums.

Both Kasie and Lauren are members of Calgary Arts of America and you see how generous they are and I think most of our members are just like this and so they may not see your post but they might. It's a great way to get advice and connect or show a picture and be like does my booth look okay? You know those sorts of things.

Kasie, what about for you, for somebody who's kind of thinking about it but they're not sure what advice would you give them.

Kasie Sallee: 01:14:42

Agreed with all that Lauren said and I think you know I did that little one day show first and there are, there are lots of opportunities like that for maybe little like pop up type art events.

I reached out, it was actually Catherine, the same artist she mentioned was doing a little pop up at West Elm, you know and you just bring a table or have one table.

So maybe if the idea of a big festival is a little bit overwhelming, maybe start by looking for something a little bit smaller that allows you to sort of take away that anxiety of okay I can do this. And then you know, like Lauren mentioned, I only had two weeks to prepare but I had prepared for another one day festival before then.

That did terrible. Absolutely terrible. I think I sold one tiny little thing but I had the work left over.

So I think if you're going to be in Festivals, it is a good idea to just try to have a bit of inventory built up so that. Because sometimes you'll get accepted and sometimes you won't, or sometimes you'll be waitlisted.

So you just want to be prepared, but definitely just don't, don't let. And I am such a huge perfectionist. But you just have to not let that hold you back because, you know, just doing it is.

Is the way to learn, and you're always going to grow from it. So don't let that fear. Like Lauren said, my first booth, it's just I kind of cringe a little. Like, oh, my goodness. But, you know, it worked and I.

I had good sales and you learn new tips along the way and you can always improve on it.

Megan Wimberley: 01:16:19

So, yeah, that's great. Thank you both so much for being here. I do want to make sure everybody knows how to connect with both of you.

And I want to mention too, that Kasie is taking such a crazy leap, I feel like.

And I think we should all just, like, cheer her on because she had had tons of success with the Oklahoma City Festival and was doing this one type of art, and she just really felt called to do something different. She continued to feel that call, and we all know how scary that is to make a change. And so she's in the midst of that.

So just know when you're following her that you're following her on this super cool journey that she's on. And she is just creating beautiful stuff. And Lauren hairstyle is just so fun. Fun. I met Lauren online and now I'm so glad to know you in person.

But vintage cowgirls and just such a unique style. And so both of these ladies, for their art alone are worth following, but also just because they're great people.

So, Kasie, how do people find you online?

Kasie Sallee: 01:17:16

Right now it's mainly just Instagram. It would be Kasie silly art on Instagram because like Megan said, I'm kind of in between switching. So my website's empty right now.

But Instagram's a good place. Or, you know, through cowgirl artists or just, you know, feel free to message me or reach out if you had any questions. I'd be glad to help.

Megan Wimberley: 01:17:38

Awesome. Thank you. And we will drop these in the show notes too. But Lauren, go ahead and tell everybody also how to connect with you.

Lauren Florence: 01:17:44

Instagram is the primary one. I'm also on Facebook, but I. I don't interact as much there.

My website is lauren florence.com and yeah, I'm happy to answer any questions if you have some after this call or anytime. And it's fun to help people get along. And I'm, you know, so many people helped me along the last few years of this art festival journey, and I'm.

I'm just happy to pay it forward, I guess.

Megan Wimberley: 01:18:16

Thank you both so much for being here and for your generosity with your knowledge.

Lauren Florence: 01:18:23

Thanks for having us.