Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Fired Up at Oregon Craft Shows

By Rick Amorey

Crafting is an amazing hobby. Have you ever wondered who made those trinkets, baubles, or statuettes that you find in the streets? Chances are, you could have met these talented people without even knowing it. For you see, craftspeople are a sentimental lot; and they usually man their own booths just to see the people who buy their works.

But then, you may well be too aware of it already. Perhaps you've been into crafts as well, and you just showed your work to those that are closest to you. This is okay; we all started out as closet craftspeople. But if you want to get better, if you want to get recognized, you would have to go out there and show your stuff to the people of Oregon.

I know what you're thinking; you probably think that you are not that good, and that your work will only get criticized by the public. Am I here to tell you that such a thing, such a negative criticism is true? No. I am here to tell you that everybody must go through a trial of fire to get better. you see, when you show your work to people you know, they will try to hold back in criticizing your work. They wouldn't want to hurt your feelings.

But the harsh words are what you exactly need. While these comments are mostly venom and envy, it is also true that their dislike reflects on something that needs to be improved upon in your piece. Do not worry; in the end, you will be the one deciding if something that they see as ugly is indeed so. In time, you will crave all the negative criticisms as you realize its value to your work.

Eventually, you will learn to become like the other craftspeople; yearning for criticism, but staying anonymous just the same. You see, the people of Oregon are naturally nice; if they know that the maker of the craft is around, they'll hold back on the negative criticism. So go ahead and attend one of the many Craft Shows in Oregon!

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