Today is day 1 of the first of the last three craft fairs I will do on my own.
The universe (or whatever) has made it abundantly clear that I need to stop. I need to transition over into a new way of living. A new life.
Apparently I'm not doing this quickly enough.
Yesterday the van started dinging - the tire pressure alarm was going off. Doug assured me he'd just checked the tire pressure and while it was a wee bit on the low side, nothing to worry about. Nothing to be (heh, heh) alarmed about.
It continued to ding every time the motor was turned on, so Doug decided he'd better take the van to the shop and see if the alarm was giving a false reading.
This morning we got up with the (very early - for us) alarm, and slowly started getting ready for the day. I still had some last minute tweaks to make to the display and get Square set up. Something I knew would take me some time, since I'd not used it for quite a long while.
Doug headed out to the van and came back in. Oops. Front passenger tire on the van was pancaked.
No worries, I'd simply take the truck and go on up while he dealt with the van.
Erm, completely frozen truck.
Doug managed to get the truck open but while I waited I thought about the fact that it really is time for me to stop. I just have a few more things to get done. But if ever I had doubts about quitting? The universe reminded me again this morning that nope, I do need to stop.
I had kind of agonized about posting a 'farewell' notice in my booth, wondering if people would accept that it wasn't meant as a sales pitch, just a sincere desire to thank all those people in the community who have been there for me. In the end, quite a few people have come to talk to me, to say they own my work, how much they have enjoyed having my textiles in their lives, their homes. Several have expressed the opinion that I have given it a good run and it's perfectly fine for me to 'retire' even if they will miss me - and my work.
So, my day is going ok. Now. How's yours?
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2 comments:
It is a good number of years since we decided that shows were simply not worth the cost and effort.
True, we probably do not make personal contact with a few customers, but eh time and cost is now invested in internet marketing and careful price management, so make many more contacts.
I doubt you have made a mistake!
You're not giving up ... you're moving on. Old doors get squeeky and it's time to find that new door to open. Shows have been my life since '73, but when it takes two days to recover, it's time to stay away! Advertising in different formats will work .... or not ...... and you'll have the time to try new ventures. New loom ... new ideas ... you're out of the box already! Enjoy!
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