For just funnin' around, I think you done good, Ken. I'll also echo the suggestion to consider making things like this for sale at street fairs and such. But...only if you can make them profitably. You don't what to use up $75 worth of materials (not even counting the time) on a $50 item.
...Funny thing what Brent said i thought heck make a dozen of those send them to Vaughn and have him put them in his booth next time he does a market. Bet they sell like hotcakes...
I haven't done a show yet this year.
The profit from last year's shows for me (in this market) was somewhere between slim and none. I've netted more in sales in the first half of this year by word-of-mouth than I did in either of the past two previous years at the show booth. I'm still planning to do one or more shows this fall, but I'm still watching the economic situation (mine and the country's) before committing to anything yet.
[threadjack]
Also, I'm not sure something like this would be a good mix with my stuff in a show booth. Before I go any further, I should explain my marketing viewpoint. In the "small wood pieces" market, a finished piece is seen by customers as an art piece ($75+) or a craft piece ($20 - $100). Some pieces could go either way (a turned bowl or fancy cutting board is a good example). Presented in one way, it's a $100+ piece to look at and show off to your friends. Presented in another way, it's something you buy for $20 - $50 and admire for its uniqueness or utility (and sometimes whimsy, as in the case of Ken's peace flower).
I'm in no way saying that art stuff takes any more skill (or is more difficult to make) than craft stuff. It's all about how it's marketed to the public and how they perceive it. I believe Ken's flower would be seen as a craft item, at least in my market. Especially if there were a dozen of them in the booth.
I've learned that when there is a mix of art stuff and craft stuff in a booth, neither sells well. The art customers see some craft-like pieces, and in their minds, they figure the seller is no artist, and they mentally downgrade everything else in the booth to a "craft" price range. The craft customer, on the other hand, will see a $300 hollow form, and figure the seller is high on himself and should no way be asking such high prices. Then they see a $40 pen and automatically figure it's overpriced. too.
To be fair, I'm only talking about my local market. I know other guys around the country who have a different kind of customer, so they have a different approaches to sales and do very well at it. Bernie is a good example. He's out in the middle of nowhere Kansas, selling art in a gallery and crafts at small shows, and kicking tail at both. He's got Kansas farm wives paying more for a potpourri bowl than I can get from a Malibu millionaire.
Of course,
Goodland Kansas is quite an "art" town.
From what I've seen, the guys who do the best at the outdoor fairs in my area are those who stick with either art stuff or craft stuff. I also believe that's been one of my problems in this market. I've typically had a mix of both art and craft items. I usually don't end up selling an even mix of the two. Some shows will see more art stuff sold, and at others it'll be mostly craft stuff. I think I'd do better if I'd display only one of the two. To have a profitable show around here, a seller either needs to sell a lot of craft pieces or a few art pieces. Since I don't usually enjoy repetitive, production-style turning, my preference is to make bigger, more time-consuming pieces and promote my work to the art crowd. Of course I have a lot of improving to do before that's a slam-dunk, though.
I see a lot of what I'm making now as practice on my way to the types of pieces I'd like to be able to make (and sell) in the future.
And I don't mean to imply at all that either an artist or a crafter is better than the other. Sometimes they're even the same guy. Heck, I'm one of them, and it looks like Ken's on his way, too.
[/threadjack]