Surtex in Review

I am back from my information gathering trip to Surtex! I had a blast, meeting friends from Facebook....seeing all of the talented artists and their artwork at Surtex and talking with a few art agents. I must have gathered a hundred business cards and given out just as many. The artists and agents that are setup there are very friendly and so willing to share information. All you have to do is ask. I was bowled over by the sense of community and the creative energy that was pulsing throughout the place. I think it has stoked my ever growing ember deep within me, that keeps pushing me forward. I must say that Surtex is spectacular. I joked the whole time while I walked the show with fellow artists Jessica Sporn and Pam Varacek, that I must look like a deer in headlights. It is not everyday that you get to be in the presence of such talent all lodged under one roof.

Just to drop a few names we saw Lilla Rogers, Jessica Swift, Kim Gann, Monica Lee and Stephanie Ryan.

Pam, Kim Gann & Me

Me & Monica Lee from Smart Creative Women.

This trip for me was the laying of a foundation....the beginnings of a fantastic journey that I have dreamed of for many years.

From left to Right....Me, Jessica, and Pam.

 

Surtex is the place to be if you want to become a licensed artist. Now, as I only walked it this year the plan is to set up there next year. I have a whole year to design a fabulous booth and I am ready for the challenge.

I learned so much from Jessica Sporn who acted like my tour guide. She is a seasoned pro who is a licensed artist and has been showing at Surtex since 1996. To see more about Jessica go here.http://www.jessicasporn.blogspot.com 

My gears are in motion and my plan is starting to take shape. Nothing is going to hold me back!

If you are thinking about Surtex and have any questions please ask I would be glad to give you more information.

I wanted to add Pam's Website info too.....www.pamelavaracek.com

 

 

Challenge Yourself

Everyday I learn something new.....everyday I overcome a challenge. I think life is all about learning and growing.....being able to rise to the challenge and push forward.  If things didn't work that way, I think life would be pretty boring. Now don't get me wrong some challenges and stresses are not fun and when life throws  you a curve ball it can get rough. I have been fortunate to have lots of friends and family members who have been there for me when things have gotten tough, but they have also been there to share in my accomplishments!

This Friday I will be traveling to NYC to the Surtex show to walk it as an attendee. I am so excited, I haven't been able to sleep! My challenge with this trip is to overcome my fear of being overwhelmed by the talent that I will see at this show....to let it motivate me to grow professionally as an artist and not to look at what they have accomplished and become judgemental of my own work. I think we all feel a bit intimidated at times and this will most certainly test me, but I am ready for the test. I am giving myself the pep talk everyday that we all create in our own way and that there is room for all of our work in the market place. I will also be meeting with some super talented artists while there and hope to glean a bit of their knowledge on setting up and selling at such an important show. I mean come on 7,000 manufacturers and artist agents will be attending this show to discover and license artwork for their home decor products.....this is just huge!

I am so glad I am sharing this with you. My level of anxiety and stress have already come down a notch or two....don't worry I am doing some meditation and deep breathing as well.

So if this wasn't enough excitement to throw out there....I have just applied to Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search. I am totally excited about this as well.
 On July 1st, I will get an email from Lilla Rogers with an assignment that I must complete and submit to her studio by July 22nd. If Lilla and her team like what they see, I will make it to the short list of artists that will be in the running to win a 2 year licensing contract with her studio. This is where I need your help! People will be able to vote for their favorite submissions. This is the people's choice on this short list and I will need all the votes I can get. To give you more of an idea of what will happen check this out.....
www.lillarogers.com/global-talent-search
I know the competition will be steep, because there are so many wonderfully talented artist applying, but I know that if I didn't accept this challenge I would always be saying to myself " I should have or I could have.... if I only would have"....... I am not going to be that person!

I will give you notice as to when you will need to vote.....and I promise I will update you on the Surtex Show and my experiences. If you have any questions....please ask me by leaving me a comment. I love to hear from you:)

I am writing this today, hoping your Mother's Day has been full of happiness and gratitude. I know I enjoyed spending part of this special day with my Mother and Grandmother. Time spent together is the most precious....it is time that you can never retrieve, so spend it wisely with the ones you love!

 It seems as though I haven't written a blog post in quite some time and I thought with the rest of my Mother's Day, that is exactly what I would do.  So here I am, sitting at the computer typing away with the house all to myself and the quiet stillness that rejuvenates my spirit. I enjoy writing these blog posts and sharing with you some of my thoughts and feelings. It is almost like a cleansing that I need periodically to wash away the debris that is my busy life.

As I cherish these quiet moments, I am reflecting on what has been accomplished these last couple of weeks. I am happy to say that I finished 4 paintings,taught a private jewelry making workshop,helped my daughter get ready for prom and am getting ready to make my trip to NYC for the Surtex surface and design show. It has been a busy couple of weeks and I am patting myself on the back for all of the things that I started and finished!


Here are a few of the things I created these past couple of weeks!

 

When my life gets this busy I can't get enough creative therapy.
Creative therapy is the best therapy in the world because I can loose myself in my art.....nothing else matters while I am creating! It is the time I need to connect with myself  and rebuild the parts of me that have been sucked dry by the everyday stresses of life.

I always encourage my students to try and create something at least once a week. Once you tap into that creative energy it begins to heal you from within. Even surrounding yourself with other people's art and creations can be healing. Make or purchase one thing this month that makes your heart smile and you will begin to feed your soul.

Humans were meant to create....even if you only create ideas, or generate inspiration for others to create....this is your way of creating and contributing. So go into your creative zone and produce some of your own creative therapy.
Again, I hope your Mother's Day was filled with joy....I am pleased to say mine was!

Ready Set Go Fund Me

I have been, as usual, working on a lot of this and a bit of that and then a lot more of everything else! Even if the day had 36 hours instead of 24, I still probably wouldn't have enough time to get it all done. There are just too many things that excite me and when you have a curiosity like I do, you seem to want to learn and know all that the universe has to offer. Well my adventurist spirit wants to fly even further out this time. I have begun designing home decor products, that I think I showed you the last time we talked. I re-opened my etsy shop and there you will find some of these new home decor products!www.etsy.com/shop/shannontcrandall 
I moved into another shop last week called Arfully Yours, which is located in Hamilton, NY and I am going to my interview tomorrow at a third shop in Skaneateles, NY. Cross your fingers that I get into the Skaneateles co-op!
Now to raise the bar a bit higher....I am shooting for the stars. I applied on a whim to the Surtex Show in NYC and was accepted. Now if you are not familiar with the Surtex show, it is the grand mother of all of licensing shows. It has been going on in NYC for 27 years and this is the place to be showing your work if you want to get licensed. They have an attendance of about 7,000 buyers from manufacturing companies and licensing agencies. This is my goal to become a licensed artist...to have my work on home decor products...so you are thinking well this is great, you applied to the show and you got in, so what is the problem you say? Well, I really didn't think I would get in first of all , but then I did and that's when the trouble started. I saw the booth fee that I would have to pay to set up at the show. I knew at that moment that my hope had just crashed and burned. So, you say the booth fee couldn't have been that much....well it is $3,600 for the smallest booth they offer and obviously there are other costs involved in such an adventure. I knew at that moment that Surtex was out of the question. The excitement that had just started to bubble and rise made a rapid decent into disappointment and sadness. I shifted gears and resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to Surtex this year. After thinking and dreaming about it some more... I put out a message to friends, family and fellow artists on Face book and got a few interesting suggestions.......and out of those suggestions I came across "Go Fund Me".
As it turned out this is just one of the many crowd funding sites that you can set up yourself on your own page to help you fund your plan.... or in my case to fund my business growth. Now, I have started getting donations, but still really need your help. There are a couple of ways you can help me with my business growth.....obviously donating money is one, but even if you can only share my "Go Fund Me" page that would be awesome.
As you read the details on my "Go Fund Me"page, you will see that this plan of mine has been in the making for years. This is not a crazy whim, this is my life and my livelihood! I have building up to this level and need to move forward. I live to create and work hard at it everyday! Even if you can only spare $5, know that you will be helping me achieve my goals. The gratitude I have for all of you out there who have already helped me....or plan to help me is limitless. I want to share my work with the world and you can help me do it! Be a part of my journey. If you have a dream, never stop following it!

Mohawk Valley Living Interview

I am excited to share my debut on Mohawk Valley Living with everyone! Please check it out and don't be too critical of my interview...I have to admit even though I am extroverted, I am seriously camera shy. If you are local and want to be interviewed by Sharry Whitney follow this link. www.mohawkvalleyliving.com

The Short List

Today, I thought I would just share a hodgepodge of interesting things that have been going on in my busy life. I know your life is just as busy and I totally get that and appreciate that you all take the time to check in here and read my blog posts.

So lets just dive in shall we?  The last couple of weeks have brought new opportunities for me and I have given myself permission to accept these opportunities and to say yes as much as possible!
Here is the short list:

1. Collaborate with other artists 
2. Sell my artwork in another local store in addition to Artisans' Corner, located in Clinton, NY
3. Re-open my Etsy shop
4. Design New products with my artwork on them
5. Apply to a few Art Shows
6. Be interviewed by Mohawk Valley Living....this will air on April 21st on WFXV 33@ 7:30am &11pm and on WUTR abc @ 11:30am and of course it will be on you tube.www.mohawkvalleyliving.com
7. An upcoming interview with a fabulous fellow blogger Kelly Diemond ( you can read her blog by going to www.haveallthis.com
8. Create and Teach Workshops.....just a note there are still a few openings in my workshops. Check out the schedule www.shannoncrandall.com
9. Painting a Rocking Chair for Art Rocks. These chairs will be on display in Clinton, NY from the end of June until August when they will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
10. Writing a blog

                        

Some of my new products! www.etsy.com/shop/shannontcrandall




As I mentioned this is just the short list....there are more things in the works.  I guess my message today is that there are going to be times when you have a lot thrown at you and you have to be up for the challenge. Never feel as though you are not ready to take on these opportunities because truthfully who is! If you let opportunities pass you by until you are ready you may look back and say why didn't I do that when I had the chance.
I for one, know that I am more of a risk taker than some.....and there have been a few times that I have jumped a bit too quickly, but I have to tell you that it has been my experience that most of my mistakes have taught me a great lesson and have helped me to build a better business in the long run.
The other piece I want you to get is that some of these opportunities have come my way not because I sat back and waited patiently like a meek wallflower.....of course that is not my style if you know me at all.....I have put myself out there by asking questions....volunteering to help with projects....writing a blog.......emailing potential clients....and  more!
I have realized that I am my best representative and to get to where I want to be, I must step up and believe in myself and what I have to offer.
Now is the time for action! I sure as hell don't want to look back at my life and say "I should have or I could have....if I only would have".......

What are some of the opportunities that have come your way? Did you take action? Have you put yourself out there to create opportunities and if so what have you done? I want to know....drop me a line in the comments section. 

Renovation

When was the last time you did a home renovation or any kind of renovation? Maybe you have never done a renovation at all. Well, we are in the process of a home renovation...our living room to be exact.  We decided about 10 days ago that enough time had lapsed since renovating our dining room and that we just wanted to get the butt ugly wallpaper off of our living room walls. The room is pretty large and we had saved it for last, as the task at hand seemed pretty daunting. I will have to say that I do enjoy ripping off wallpaper, especially when it is as ugly as ours was. Of course we were not the ones who made that bad decision to put it up in the first place....I am sure a previous home owner probably just "fell in love" with it and had to have it on their walls!  We are guessing that the wall paper dates back to the late 70's early 80's, so a change was most definitely in order. This old house of ours has probably survived many renovations as it was built in the 1890's. We are just updating it while keeping all of its charm and great bone structure.

We personally, have lived with this wall paper for 6 years and we decided enough was enough....the tobacco stained, water marked paper that was partially falling off had to go!  So with metal scrappers and our handy steamer we began the arduous removal. Just in case you really need to see what it looked like I snapped a few pictures.

Just for good measure I am showing some of the mess this removal made...and you have to believe me when I tell you that this isn't even a sixteenth of the miles of paper we removed.

The exposed plaster walls were in pretty rough shape in some spots. Next up.....patching, patching and more patching! I guess it's a good thing I married a man that can make the walls as smooth as butter, because so far every room in our house has needed his serious skills.

I really hate living through a renovation mess....it gets everywhere. Nothing escapes sheet rock dust! But folks you and I know this mess won't last forever and when the room is completed it will be fabulous. With that being said, I want to transition into a slightly different topic. This topic is about renovation, but not DIY home renovation...it is about DIY personal renovation. I think I have mentioned the changes that I personally have been going through with my creative business and I just wanted to express to you that although you may be afraid of the mess and what seems like unending chaos in your life....renovating yourself will give you a brand new outlook and help you in all areas of your life.

So, as I go through my home and personal renovation, I will keep you updated. Plus this is a great way for me to be accoutable for the actions that I am promising I will take during my renovation.

 

 When was the last time you renovated something? And if you have to really think long and hard about it maybe it's about time!

Feel free to announce some of your renovations in the comments below.....I would love to hear about them whether they are home renovations or personal renovations:)