Craft Fairs Need Feedback! Your Fear is Killing Them

Craft Fairs Need Feedback! Your Fear is Killing Them

Ok I'm feeling frustrated right now, so I guess I'll rant a little bit. Just Idk, about how powerless fear can make us! And it's so easy to get fearful sometimes. Ugh, ok start from the beginning. 

A concern I see expressed often in many artist groups I'm in, is how they *must* keep out the show promoters from these groups, so we can freely speak about our experiences at shows. I get that, I do. In my own groups, I have that rule as well. *Unless* it's an artist who is also involved in running a show. I feel like we can trust our own people, artist to artist, and I don't think I could regulate that very easily anyway. I've gotten some flack for it too. 

But honestly, even though I understand the desire to feel comfortable expressing opinions freely, I don't worry too much about who's listening. Even if the organizers walked into my booth in person, I would absolutely give them my honest feedback. Positive as well as negative.

I guess because I don't see them as my employer, or some all powerful vengeful being. We are co-equal, they need me as much as I need them. Actually, I *pay* them to be there, in that sense they work for me. Yes I need a place to sell my work, but they need to have artists buying space at their events. It benefits both of us if they value my input. I just assume they also see it that way.

Here's the thing... shows need feedback! These same artists are constantly discussing how terrible the whole show scene is becoming, because the promoters start to care more about filling booths than hosting an artisan showcase. As they add more and more non handmade booths, the audience changes away from people who want to buy quality handmade works, the artists leave, and it's a whole downward spiral from there.  We're all seeing it, everywhere. And I think we agree there are basic things organizers could do to make events better for artists. Why can't we just TELL them???

Because nobody wants to speak up out of fear. It's making me nuts.  If the show goes down the drain, what difference will it make if they blackball you?? 

So one person is scared there will be consequences if they give constructive feedback to a show. Imagine if 50 or 100 artists gave the same feedback. Wouldn't they start to pay attention and consider changing things? Who knows? We may never know. And that's what frustrates me so much. 

Like I said, I do understand wanting a safe place to talk openly. I do understand fears, I have them. I don't understand staying quiet in a situation you want to change, where your input might help to change it. 

Fear is a killer.