Opportunities to Learn: How to Prepare a Table to Showcase Your Work

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of showing my lettering to a group of folks, IN-PERSON. 😱

Do you know what the beauty of being an artist is? Your stage is the canvas…or whatever surface you’re working on. That’s where you display your showmanship and your style. You don’t even have to be there on display with it. You can see it’s impact on others from afar. You never have be be present to see the critics…You get to perform and show from the near anonymity of your studio. It’s safe.

But, not all forms of showing work are like that. This past weekend was definitely not like that. This past week, I was present with my lettering work and had an up-close and personal look at reactions to my lettering work.

And everything was fine.

Now, to be clear, there were still people there (lol, introvert here), it still rained, and there were a few hiccups we’ll get to. But all in all, it was a great day!

For those who are late to this story, I have been sharing that I was asked by a friend to participate in an event she was putting on at a local, state park.

Sherita Sparrow of The Feather’s Touch is a Delaware artist, author, and businesswoman. We’ve known each other for over 20 years. This was the first time since college that our work was shown together again. It felt great to be part of her vision for her “Off the Canvas” collection-a series of clothing and apparel designs based on her colorfully, lush paintings.

Side note, that fact that after all these years the graphic designer is now painting and the painter is now lettering is hilarious to me! Also, it was interesting to see her completely saturated and expansive patterns and designs (see the sneakers and purse in the invite below) in contrast to my own subdued, minimal pieces.

Sherita has always been a confident, young lady and I love that she went all out to rent out a state park for her event. Check out her invite below.

For myself, I barely get out let alone attend fashion shows…And Lord knows I wouldn’t ever throw one! That’s no reflection on the pandemic either. Not only am I an introvert, I’m a homebody too. So, going out to an event is usually the last thing I want to do.

But, there are times in every introvert’s life where they must weather the storm that is people, be awkward, and get it over with. This was one of those occasions for me. It was also an occasion where I had to put nearly everything I’ve ever had to learn “on the table”, so to speak.

And it wasn’t even so bad! I actually enjoyed myself!

So, what did I learn about this opportunity? Quite a bit, actually. Take a look at my list.

If you choose to participate in an event where you will have a table showing your work, do not wait until the last minute to start working on your presentation. While it all makes for an interesting share, it will wear you out! Ask me how I know?! Take it seriously from day one.
Plan your presentation from the finish line back. Figure out what you’d like it to be and do, and plan backwards from that. What do you want it to be or look like? What goals do you have for it? As for what I wanted it to be or look like…I knew that there was only so much I could get done in a week. So, I planned a small table featuring a short range of items I felt I could pull off in that time. What I wanted it to do was collect email addresses for my newsletter.
After you have an idea of your overall goals, make a list of what all you will need-and don’t forget the basics like business cards, table liner if you need it, a way for folks to pay you should they want to take something home with them, etc. So, for the two goals I had, I had to basically make stuff and find a way to collect emails like an email sign-up sheet, etc. One thing that I didn’t think of was signage that lets people know from a distance who I am and what they will likely find on my table. For that I have to again thank Sheena of @shemazingsdesigns who encouraged me to get a banner. I wasn’t prepared to get one turned around in a week…But, I made a chalkboard sign instead and that worked out….which brings me to my next point…
Budget your time and money for what you want to do. Granted, I began at the last minute, but I definitely figured out an amount I was willing to spend for a one-day event that made sense for me. I also figured out the kind of time I could devote to the projects I was going to complete given my lifestyle. I could not afford to outsource everything and have it back within the week. Not only did I not want to chance it…the investment just in a rush delivery wouldn’t have worked for my budget. But, if I worked hard, I could conceivably complete two kinds of projects a day (except stickers…they are a whole other ball of wax 😳).
Enlist support if you need it. I have a whole built-in support in the form of my husband. But, if you don’t have a significant other, you may need to find an extra set of hands and brawn somewhere. At this point in my life, the check knee light and the lower back indicator just keep flashing like there’s no tomorrow. If it wasn’t for him, that stuff wouldn’t have made it to that table!
Execute. Gather everything you need and work your plan, adding to your list as necessary. For instance, I didn’t think of adding in a way for folks to pay me until the end…I had to set up a Square account and wait for a device to be delivered. Fortunately, they were awesome and it arrived in about two days from my order. But, your results may vary, so, refer to my first point on that. Also, side note: make room for multiple forms of payment.
Get to your event early enough to set up and review your goals to present for success. That way, if you’re missing anything, you may have time to run and get it (be sure to have a trusted friend/employee staff your table in your absence).
Be prepared to talk about your work. It’s even great to have your elevator pitch practiced just in case. At one point, I was given the mic to talk about what I do. I had not expected it. But, I had been changing my online descriptions and pondering my why enough to be able to speak to those things effectively.

So, let’s move on to recap what went right and what I’d do differently next time.

The Good
- My table looked great! I met my goal for that and I got a lot of compliments that day for presentation.
- My family could be present during the entire event! In my former side hustle, that would have been too awkward.
- I had some folks ask me about my work. This was that awkward bit I anticipated where I start going on and on about paper and pencil and what all it can do to someone who could not care less. But, it didn’t come off as awkward at all. I was just passionate and it showed.
- I got some really great feedback on the items I made and sold some stickers, a plaque and a mug! Some folks could see themselves contacting me in the future as well for other items. It was really nice to see how people were enjoying the items I made and the stories behind them. 🥰
- I got some folks that went to my website and/or followed my IG account from there so they could follow my progress for anything else they might like later.
- I won a painting, took home a couple parting gifts, and got to put a brush to canvas during the community painting segment of the show! See below.
- My lettering was exposed to a group of folks I did not know, I didn’t die from it 😂, and I have a small inventory of items I can add to my shop to sell online or in-person. I’ll be adding those things in the next few days if you’re interested in anything you saw!
The Bad
- I had two goals. I didn’t deliver on one. I didn’t get those emails I wanted. So, that was a goal fail. For one, although I had bought the Square device and had the account set up so it would collect emails for sales, I didn’t get to add inventory in time (again, refer to the first point in my list of things learned). I had to take payments in cash (annnnnddd I had no receipts because I had only planned for contactless forms of payment…sigh). I also neglected to put the email sign-up sheet out because I was later than I wanted getting there. I got a 16 year old who likes to sleep in these days….it is what it is…I was also fulfilling another role during the event and just wasn’t able to get back to my table before the show was over. Meh. You live and you learn. Next time, inventory will be added to the website as it gets done to prevent that…Also, I put a clipboard in my box for email sign-ups so that it’s not so out-of-sight-out-of-mind when it’s go time. And next time, hopefully, my child will be awake on time.

Now, that I’ve bit the bullet, so to speak, I think if an opportunity came along like that again, I’d be way more okay with it and confident that I could add value to the event. That’s not a bad trade-off! And my husband, Rod liked what he saw so much, he’s interested in me participating in more like opportunities.

So, all is well that ends well and now that life is getting back to normal, I can start making things again at a more reasonable pace…because…