Expose yourself

     I love this time of year. The kids in the neighborhood are back in school. They are off the streets. I can't hear then complaining of nothing to do. They seem to have a sense of purpose, things to do, places to go. The soccer moms are out in full force. There are high school football games and bands playing marching tunes. It's the Sousa time of the year! I was raised a Midwesterner so sound to the rustling leaves beneath my feet is a pleasant memory. Our Florida home doesn't see the foliage change color. We are however beginning to see the snow birds arrive. But the best thing of all are the festivals. My up north days this time of the year had pumpkin patches, corn mazes and hay rides.  Harvest festivals and great big picnic type parties fill the weekends.
    My role as one of those back stage makers of stuff people was often to be part of the group that organized these kinds of events. Quite often these events were things I did to expose myself, or my work to a larger number of people. Artists spent time exposing themselves. To hear some people tell it we do quite a few events for the exposure. Exposure is very different from cash flow.
    It came as no surprise as I walked a local side walk craft show this weekend to find out  most of the vendors at this two day event were doing the show for exposure. It was a nice show with some very nice product for sale by some very good people, It is a juried show. What we call a white tent affair here.  What did surprise me, or rather made me smile was the comment from one of the jewelers. What she said was. She does this show every year. It's a time when she gets together with other crafts people and  a few established customers. She's been doing this show for the exposure for several years.  She doesn't care if she breaks even at the event. Her sales in her Esty shop have been real good, her website is seeing increasing traffic, her search engine optimization is working and the street team marketing is kicking in. She was quick to give people her card with her web site on it and an invite to her newsletter.
    I'm going to write more about the exposure issue this week.  I'm gong to type about trebuchets tomorrow.