Wednesday, June 24, 2009

From Career to Show

By Ian Kleine

So there comes a time in your mid-life crisis when you start questioning what your life is all about and where you are heading onwards. Did you do everything you have to do in this time of life? Are you enjoying every single day like it will be your last? Can you honestly say that you are satisfied and fulfilled with what your current career has to offer?

Millions of people would probably answer no. And it is not as if they can be picky about it. With the current depression and the broken economy, more people are actually being laid-off from their jobs.

With this kind of atmosphere, the best thing to probably do is to find ways to make money. and not the type where you have to be in a a successful career to earn loads of moolah. And that's where selling at shows come into the picture.

One, deduce that you are serious in this life-changing decision. If you have a family, talk it over with the persons that matter and would be affected by this decision. In any case, they could help you with this big project. Just make sure that you at least get their support in any case. Having your family's support is a good way to jump start.

Two, profitability is key. I'm sure that you would have a few good hobbies you indulge in. Think of the first one that you assume would rake in good money, EVEN if it isn't as much as enjoyable as the first one. Do research on the topic, how to improve your craft to consumer-levels, etc. A rule of thumb is to at least have a good amount of capital before indulging in your wants rather than your needs.

Three, research on the shows you would be joining. As much as possible, start with non-juried shows so you can get a good feel of when your work makes the cut for consumers or not. When you feel confident, go with juried shows. Gain experience, gain exposure, and I am pretty sure you will succeed.

And again, do not rush into things. Shift when you have good financial backing, when you have pension, or when you have an auxiliary income to depend on when things don't work out. You cannot expect things to go all flowers and rainbows at the first, second, or even third try. But what matters is your creativity, your initiative, and the will to go on despite failures at first.

Develop the mentality of being strong and believe in your work. A quality of successful entrepreneurs is their aggressiveness and their strong willpower. Temper your mind to not falter despite the onslaught of challenges you will face in this new lease on life.

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