Well I'm finally back into the groove in my little home studio after spending a week in NY for the Surtex show!
I know that many artists have done recaps of the show itself and what they say is true: You don't really know how the show went until you see what deals come out of it. And that could take months to see results or finalize contracts.
I loved doing the show and being in the company of so many other artists who are doing what I'm doing. They were all so generous and kind and I can't thank them enough for their helpful advice and friendship! The setup and tear down of the booth could not have been achieved so quickly without my good friends, Andrea and Bryan Ring (setup) and Bren Talavera and Taylor Koster (tear down). I tried to make my booth unique and show a bit of the 3D wire work that I also do, so booth construction took more time than most!
After the show had ended, I stayed for a couple of days in NY to do some visual research and what a place to do research in!! I highly recommend giving yourself some extra time to see the city after you do the show--you deserve it after all that hard work!
The morning after the show ended, we found this fantastic place called "Artists and Fleas" in the back of the Chelsea market. It's a pop up and will be closing soon so you have to hurry to see this one! Packed full of cool jewelry and unique clothing, it's a combo of the new, renew, and old.
And right down the street from that is a wonderful place for lunch called The Park. You feel as if you are actually IN a park, as it's built within an old parking garage structure and cute little birds (real ones!) fly overhead while you eat.
After that I headed to Fishs Eddy-the place for unique dinnerware, both new and vintage, then it was on to ABC Carpet and Home. ABC is always a must stop for me when I'm in NY. Even though the store has 7 floors plus a rug store across the street, I rarely make it past the first floor as they have so many beautiful goodies there! In Soho, one other store that caught my eye was Desigual. Beautiful patterning and eye popping bright colors drew me into the shop--and then I noticed the cool way their dresses and clothes are cut--so fun! Take a look for yourself--you'll see what I mean! These are just some of the places I went but there are many, many more.
And now--back to reality and it's time for the "real" work--the follow-ups after the show. This is where as they say the rubber meets the road. You can have lots of business cards and inquiries but the follow-up is where you actually start the conversations that may lead to a contract now or in the future. I personally try to contact everyone I spoke with within one week after returning from the show.
I like to do that first thing, then I feel like I can relax a bit. Also one thing I do is to contact the companies on my list that I may not have met at the show but have always wanted to work for. They are my bachelor number ones and it's always good to court from the top down, as my friend and licensing expert Cheryl Phelps says!
I have additional pictures from my trip that I will share in future posts that are beautifully inspiring! Until then . . .
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