Sacred:  Queen of Cups, 23.5"t x 12.5"w x 4"d, hand-made, one-of-a-kind clay/ceramic wall sculpture, with detachable necklace (worn as belt), $1000.00 by Tammy Vitale

Today started with a great conversation with Jennifer Abernathy, President/Chief Sales Stylist of the Sales Lounge, whom I met at the last EWomen Network function (along with Ellen Kaminsky who I wrote about yesterday).  Jennifer was the main speaker and shared some outstanding networking activities to help us understand how networking works best.  I contacted her because I am working on how best to present myself and to sell in my booth at the Philadelphia Buyer’s Market. 

Jennifer first reminded me to congratulate myself on getting juried in (and don’t we forget to do that in the rush of things?!).  She noted this is my first time and I’m going to learn new things and also make mistakes (oh my – I’m not perfect?!!).  She suggested thinking through a system for capturing information during the day, reviewing it at night, and, if possible, preparing cards (in my case postcards) to folks I’ve talked to, and dropping them in the mail to meet the prospective clients when they get back to their shops.  She suggested a review of each day to look at what worked, who the best potentials are, what didn’t work, what I might change and try out the next day (I like this:  try on different things and see how they work.  A 4 day show can do that for you!). 

Jennifer said #1:  make it easy for your clients to be your clients; pay attention to them and don’t get distracted:  eye to eye contact.  Hopefully I’ll get time to take up her suggestion on touring other booths while I’m there to see what looks like it’s working, what catches my eye and learn just by looking.

What I’m getting from everyone as I talk to them is this:  I know how to do this.  I’ve been doing it for years as a community-based organizer.  This is no different.  All I really need to do is RELAX, be myself, acknowledge my limitations, be gentle/kind/friendly, and mostly be myself.  I can’t go wrong that way! (Christine Kane writes in her blog:  most people assume you know what you’re doing.  Let them!)

I also want to send along a huge "THANK YOU!!!" to Michelle at Artventuring who shared this great link with a very comprehensive check list for big shows – I can’t possibly forget anything if I use this list!  Don’t you just love the way the web works?

Here’s an interesting article I found while looking for something else yesterday (who know what the was, that was yesterday). Titled Objects of Lapsed Desire  it attempts to answer the question about what happens to art work that "has outlived its appeal."

The rest of today has been cleaning the studio so I can dry run the booth setup (it’s going to be truncated, but I can do it); writing the stories for the new pieces and, go lookie here, getting all the new pieces up on the website.  I’ve combed through my masks and picked the ones that are going, and spent hours trying to figure out how to make a nice looking tag.  Yes, I finally managed, but it should be easier.  And I sent in Heather Bartlett’s and my submission to Target Gallery in Alexandria based on our work for Body Politics.  In order to do that I had to relearn how to get pictures off my computer and onto a disc.  Thank goodness Heather’s husband, Robert, is a computer guy and could talk me through it.  Now I have it all written down for next time.

Things continue to move right along. 

You know, last fall, when I started working with One Coach, I started chanting:  things happen fast.  and yes they do!

thought for the day:  A recent national poll revealed that more than 80 percent of North America’s working population do not enjoy the work they do.  This is a profoundly tragic statistic, considering that work consumes so much of our lives.  Nor is it a good formula for success, because when you study closely people who are successful it becomes abundantly clear that their achievements are directly relationed to the enjoyment they derive from their work.

…"People whose whole objective is making money, usually don’t," says Jerry White, professor of entrepreneurial studies at the University of Toronto, Canada.  he should know.  He’s made it his business to study successful entrepreneurs and to teach others their winning ways, and the one message that came through loud and clear in his research was:  Find a product or service you can believe in passionately…"

…Everyone has his or her own specific vocation or mission in life.  It cannot be replaced by something else, nor can someone else do it for you.  Everyone’s task is to discover his or her uniqueness and find an opportunity to implement it.  John Kehoe.  Money Success & You