Diversify Your Portfolio at Non-Juried Craft Fairs

By Rick Amorey

A juried craft show is difficult to get into. Thousands apply for the limited booths but only a few hundred are accepted in some of the larger and more popular ones. But, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't get disheartened. If you hone your crafts as often as you can, and have a firm belief in your skills, there is no doubt that you will eventually get yourself featured in a juried craft show. You never know, maybe you can even win the category you're in.

Until then, do not be adamant against joining non-juried craft shows ?til then. They may not bring in as big a crowd, but all you need to join is a ready set of crafted items and to call them up to reserve a booth for yourself. You're done! You're all ready to set up a booth.

But do remember that not all of the non-juried shows are worth going to. Do your research and find feedback regarding the event in the past few years. If you know a fellow craftsperson that says that it's a bad place to show off your stuff, look into it some more so that you are certain. You'd want to be careful, but you wouldn't want to pass up some good opportunities either.

One event that you should enter with great caution is the untried and craft shows that are only in their first year. In general, the event organizers are going to by tackling many issues for the first time, and they won't be able to deal with them as adequately as their more experienced counterparts. In a nutshell, you'll be their guinea pig if you go to these untested shows. I do not recommend it.

So there: Even if you have great confidence in your talents, it is a good idea to have a portfolio built up first. Once you have an impressive collection of photos of your works and a decent resume of your past fair histories, then you can go play with the big fish. So start building up that portfolio!

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