I shouldn't even be taking the time out to write a blog post. I'm getting all sorts of anxious about July and the 6 craft shows I'm participating in. Yikes!
Those of you who don't know me personally, let me let you in on a little secret. I can be a total control freak. Mix that in with a side of OCD and I pretty much have myself a recipe for a month long heart attack in July.
There are lists and lists of things to do and buy for the coming shows, which means time is of the essence. Because time is of the essence, I have no choice but to curb my OCD instincts of wanting to do things in a certain order and actually do them in the order that best suits the tasks at hand. It goes against everything I have taught myself over the last 32 years, but my will to succeed is stronger than my OCD urges.
Speaking of which, time to get a move on, gotta take advantage of the longest day of the year...
I am totally taking a (half) day off today. Screw the consequences, I need 'me' time.
I really got a ton done yesterday. A couple of my friends came over and helped me crank out about 30 more spoon rings. Usually I average about 6 a day. I have never had anyone in my shop help me before, but the extra hands were a welcome surprise and a saving grace.
115 rings total
Today is a great day for a day off. Bruce Hornsby is playing for free down at the Party in the Park later on. I am a huge Hornsby fan. He played keys for The Dead in over 100 of their shows in the late 80's and all through the 90's. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to shake his hand a the show in Chatauqua a few years back. Softest. Hands. EVER.
1991
Plus this weekend (starting tomorrow!!) is the 3 night Phish run in Atlantic City. Just did the final prep for the spoons I want to sell there. All I have to do is pack for the weekend and I'm done!! I have been working so hard the last couple of months. This mini vacation is coming at the perfect time. I could use a few days to let my hair down. I will definitely be dancing like nobody is watching.
Yay!! This weekend is going to be the BOMB! The perma-grin is already in place, I'm ready to rock!
Yikes! It's the middle of June already!! What the heck happened to May?
I'm getting a little nervous because I have 6 shows on the calender for July. Being a 'one man band' it's a lot of pressure to get the work done. It seems although I work all week just to replenish the stock I sold the weekend before.
Allen West: June 9-10th
My spoons take about three days to make each. I can make them in batches of 10 or so, but I compromise quality if I try to 'mass produce' them. For the last month or so, I find myself working 12-18 hour days during the week and then off to a show on the weekends. I feel like there is no room for error or time to deal with unexpected problems these days.
I am kind of glad it's raining outside. Makes me not feel so bad for missing out on a beautiful summer day and I save an hour by not having to walk the dogs. Maybe I actually WILL catch up on work today!
The thing that I am most concerned about is the All Good Music Festival that I was accepted to. It is a HUGE foot in the door to this and other music festivals and it is right up my alley since I got my start selling my necklaces at music concerts. Thing is, I don't know what to expect as far as foot traffic and sales. I have never done a show of this caliber before. Am I going to sell $2000 in merch in the 3 days or $10,000? If it's closer to the latter then I am not even close with what I have made in stock! Will the 4 shows I have before All Good deplete my stock before I can make enough for that weekend? What supplies will I need for that weekend that I don't already have? Extension cords, lights, fire extinguisher, new signs, more business cards? (...and the list goes on and on) Will all this stuff fit in my little Honda Fit?. Oy, it's too much too think about. (although I was up from 1:45 am to 4am doing just that)
Honda Fit trunk. I may need a roof rack!
Well, I guess the only thing I can do is keep truckin' and doing my thing. Only time will tell how much stock I will need and if I do a little at a time to prepare for All Good, then it wont seem like such an intimidating monster of a show. I guess I'm just humbled that they even picked me to be a part of the festival and I want to make sure I do it right. I have sold my wares in the parking lot of many a concert and this is my first time as a 'legit' vendor. I'm psyched!
I'll try not to let this photo from last year's All Good freak me out too much ;)
A few days ago I found out that one of my best friends from high school suddenly passed away in her sleep. I can't stop thinking about it. I keep asking myself how this could happen to such a young, vibrant woman who was so clearly in love and happy with her life. It's just not fair.
Emily was born to be in the spotlight. In high school, she taught me how to play guitar. I was the rhythm guitarist along with our friend Donna on bass, in our garage band the " Hell's Hussies" (yeah, you read that right. We played a lot of Hole and Nirvana covers. Hey, it was the mid nineties, what did you expect?)
Emily, Donna and I spent our formative years together, so needless to say there was a bond formed that could not be broken by time.
After high school, Emily and Donna stayed in touch, but I sort of drifted off in doing my own thing. Recently we had all reconnected when Emily got engaged. At Emily's bachelorette party we all got to hang out and it felt like not a moment had passed since high school. Brought me right back to those days. She even got up and did a little Beatles karaoke.
from left to right: Me, Donna, Emily, Amy (my sister) and Claire
I was fortunate enough to see her one last time when she came to visit me at the Lilac Festival just a few weeks ago. We got to catch up a little and she showed me the beautiful Marilyn Monroe style dress she was going to wear when she and her husband renewed their vows in just a few short weeks. She would have looked gorgeous in it.
Now back to the reason why doing craft shows sucks sometimes. Her funeral and viewing is on Sunday. I'm brokenhearted that I have a craft show to attend all day Saturday and Sunday all the way out in Buffalo,NY (about an hour and a half from where I live) I have been trying to get into this show for a few years now, and if I cancel at such short notice, I risk not ever being invited back and because this is my primary source of income now I cant really afford to drop out. I have tried to contact other friends that I trust to run my booth for the day, but so far have had no luck. My mom even lives in Buffalo, but has to work all day Sunday. There is no way out of doing this show. I am sure I will be less than chipper all day Sunday knowing what is going on at home. Probably wont help my sales much to be down in the dumps either.
Wish there was a way around all of this. I should be there. Lord knows my thoughts will certainly be with her.
"Good friends we've had and good friends we've lost along the way. In this bright future you can't forget your past. So dry your tears I say..." ~ Bob Marley
This festival is held at the same time (and around the corner) from the upscale Allentown Festival. Perfect if you like to spend the day admiring all sorts of arts and crafts. I will be in booth #52 which is between Mariner and College Streets. Both shows are free to attend and have many attractions including: live music, street performers and all of your favorite festival food!
In person - mention this word when you see me at the Allen West Festival of the Arts this Weekend and get $5 off of your $25 or more purchase and $2 under $25
Online - enter the word of the week in as a discount code at check-out to get $3 off of your total purchase at www.sunshynesilverwear.com
Just updated the artist bio page on my web site. Thought I would share it with you:
"Practical artist, grounded road-tripper, focused daydreamer, sociable loner, mellow control freak and MuSiC LoVer"
The journey that led me to this wonderful place in life that I am now, started one fine spring day after elementary school. I was a mere 10 years old when my older brother Todd introduced me to 'Ripple' by the Grateful Dead. My life would never be the same.
Surrounding myself with open minded people and creative types gave me a unique outlook on life and introduced me to some amazing experiences and wonderful adventures with people that I will always cherish.
Despite my love for travel, I have always held a 9 to 5. I am no stranger to responsibilities, heck, I was home owner at the age of 23! I figured that if I had to have a job, it might as well be something that interests me, so I tried to combine my love for the arts and music into my work. Two of my favorite places to work were: The House of Guitars, which is the largest music store in the WORLD, and Ticket Express which sold tickets to everything from Broadway musicals to rock concerts. Thank goodness all of my employers were very flexible when it came to my schedule. Somehow I always got lucky with bosses that understood my need for travel.
For as far back as I can remember, in my spare time I was always creating something. Painting, sewing, drawing, decoupaging, macrame, lampwork bead making and photography are just some of the creative outlets I have used over the years. For me, its a way to relieve the stress of everyday life. When I am in the zone, all worries melt away and I feel completely free.
It was not until 2006 when I finally merged my love for music, art and travel. While on the road following my favorite bands from state to state I started selling hemp necklaces to offset the cost of hotels, food, tickets, and gas. With more money in my pocket, it was not long until I realized that this was a great way to see even MORE shows!
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In 2008, Sunshyne Silverwear was born. Everyone always asks me where I came up with the idea for the spoon pendants so here is the story: I was working as a medical biller at an eye doctor's office. One of my co-workers came into work wearing a necklace that had the shape of a spoon. I loved the idea of making a necklace out of an actual spoon, so after much trial and error, I finally came up with something that worked well and looked great. I could not wait to get these necklaces out on the street! In early 2009. I debuted my spoon pendants at the Phish reunion shows at the famous Hampton Coliseum.
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After years of selling my spoon pendants at concerts and small craft shows, I decided that this was the life that I loved and the only way to pursue it wholeheartedly was to quit my day job and become the full time artist I longed to be.
In the middle of May 2011, I put my two weeks notice in at the eye doctor's office. Nothing could have prepared me for the unique experience of being a small business owner. While it is great to be able to play hooky when you want and to work in your PJ's if you please, you also have to make sure that you are on point with the MANY tasks at hand if you want your business to grow and be self sustainable.
Presently, my days are filled with new experiences and opportunities that I never would have had if I did not take the leap of faith. To be honest, I think I work WAY more per week that I ever have before, but it's true what they say about loving what you do.
I still live in the house in the city I bought almost ten years ago. I have two doggies that teach me daily about love, life and about not taking things too seriously.
All in all, life is pretty good, and I never would have gotten here if it were not for you. I owe it all to the people who appreciate my art and have helped me get the word out about what I do. You all are the best, thank you.
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To get the scoop on what's going on in my daily life, feel free to follow my blog or come out and see me at one of the many craft shows that I will be participating in year round. I love to meet the folks who have backed me over the years.
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"Life may be sweeter for this, I don't know. Feels like it might be alright." ~ The Grateful Dead
I have a feeling this summer is going to go by in a flash! I'm very excited about the many new crafts shows I will be participating in, but my favorite part will be the road trips and music concerts!!
Sunshyne Silverwear on Shakedown at Phish Bethel,NY 2011
Last year I spent weeks on tour with Phish and Furthur, this year I wont be seeing as many because of craft show conflicts, but the ones I will be attending are going to be amazing!!
First one of the year is in about 2 weeks. I'm traveling with some friends to Atlantic City,NJ to see a 3 day Phish run at Bader Field air base. The only thing that would make this trip even more fantastic, is if they let us camp right on the scene, unfortunately the old days are long gone and we must get a hotel room. My thrifty side would rather stick it out in a tent to save a few bucks, but my 32 year old rational mind knows that it will be nice to take a shower every day and sleep in a comfortable bed. Although, with casinos galore only miles from the concert site, I'm not sure if there will be enough time to sleep!
Phish Halloween in AC
I ended up going through Phish mail order to get tickets because Phish makes each show's ticket special. Different artwork for each date. They make great keepsakes. I also bought the parking pass so that I will have no problem scooting in there and setting up on Shakedown. (for those of you that don't now, 'Shakedown' is an area of vendors and artists in the parking lot of certain concerts where you can buy anything from T-shirts, pins and posters to food, drinks and other party favors. Vendors sell their wares to get from one show to the next. Concert tickets, tolls, food, hotels and gas are just some of the expenses we try to cover by selling 'on lot')
Mail order Phish Tickets
I have never been to AC, but hear that the Phish Halloween run there a few years ago was out of this world. I am looking forward to running into old friends from tour and hopefully meeting some new ones. Woot!! Let the summer begin!!!!
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