Sunday, July 25, 2010

Exploration - My Art Bead Scene Blog Carnival Topic

: the act or an instance of exploring
: to travel over (new territory) for adventure or discovery
Exploration has many definitions.  For Chris and I, this year has found us exploring new venues to sell our beads and in doing so, exploring new customers that haven't seen our beads and jewelry before.  We have added several new shows to the other shows we have become regulars at over the last couple years.  We did the Omaha Bead Show for the first time this year in April. This was our table at the Bead Show.
 Chris has been enjoying his adventure into the Farmer's Market venue on Saturday mornings this summer.  We get set up at the Highland Park Farmer's Market in Hastings around 7am (when not at our other summer shows) and then I head for work downtown in Hastings at Julie's Xpressions.  When he is finished, he runs errands or comes down to the shop to hang out until I am finished with work.  The Farmer's Market has opened our business up to a whole bunch of new customers, and brought in a BUNCH of special orders!  We also get to see and visit with friends and customers who have seen us at other shows.  These pictures are of  the Farmer's Market set up.


We also did a new show in Geneva this year.  Art on the Green, on July 3, was a great show for us.  New customers and it was a beautiful day for an outdoor summer show!  This was our set up for that show.
This summer also finds us adding the Nebraska Entrepreneur show at Kool-Aid Days, August 14, to our list of summer shows.  We will be in the old Middle School building from 8-5 and Chris will be doing bead making demos all day.  Stop by if you are in the area!
For me, exploration also involves finding new materials to work with, finding new ideas, and new sources for ideas.  One of my favorite places to explore is Etsy and other jewelry, beadmakers, and glassworkers on Facebook.  I LOVE beading magazines.  They are a great source for ideas, techniques, and new supplies and suppliers.  I live in Central Nebraska, work at the only local bead store, and don' t have access to classes without driving an hour and a half to Lincoln or two hours to Omaha.  So beading magazines and the internet work great for me to get ideas and network with beaders I have met, and those I know only through the internet. These are some of my favorite bead magazines. 


I have become fascinated by British beading magazines.  I don't subscribe to them, but I pick them up anytime I am near a Barnes and Noble.  While they are just another beading magazine, I look at it as a exploration in beading anthropology!  They use different terms and have different display styles than the US magazines, and it is interesting to see how our bead trends compare to their bead trends.
While this post isn't especially about art beads, it is about our exploration to expand our art bead business, and to find new ideas and inspiration for art beads in jewelry..

8 comments:

Pretty Things said...

I just want to dig into those beads!

Thanks for sharing your set-up -- I always like to see how other artists show their work.

Unknown said...

I am always interested in that too! When we are thinking about our displays, we always look for everyday items that can be turned into bead items. The wooden bowls are serving bowls from Wal-mart, with lentils as a base to cushion the beads/marbles. We have had tons of compliments on the lentils and they cost like a dollar a bag! I also like to use spring/summer tableclothes on top of our cream clothes for brightening up the displays, I change them again at fall and Christmas. Christmas adds twinkle lights to our big apothocary jars that hold our glass shelf. I think of it as setting the table for company!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your Exploration post! The jewelry design publications you listed really caught my eye because I too love to venture out and see what's published outside of the US as well. They do have a bit of a different slant and I always find great inspiration and projects in them.

Jeannie said...

I know the beads shows are a lot of work to set up and take down. I wish you two the best and lots and lots of sales

Leslie Lemke said...

Your set up looks great! Glad this summer has gone good for you guys! Good luck at Kool Aid days!
Blessings~
Leslie

Unknown said...

Thanks! We enjoy shows, but they are a ton of work!

Nicki said...

I am a little jealous, as you guys have so many cool art shows in the US. We have flea markets here in Germany , but this is not the same. People sell new stuff often, but if you want to address certain clients, the flea markets are not the right place to be. The beads are looking really yummy.

Unknown said...

Thanks Nicki! Yes, flea markets are definitely NOT the market you want for art! Here, flea markets are like garage sales, that people think they can bargain with you on the prices or pay next to nothing for items. We avoid those. We are very fortunate to have so many shows that are local and close to home. It is nice to have a customer base of people you recognize and can chat with!

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