Behind the Booth

So, it has been almost a decade since I last had an art booth, and the scene has definitely changed a lot. Starting again meant I had to do quite a bit of research—looking at what’s out there now, what could work, and what might not.

From what I learnt in the past and knowing my own capabilities, I knew I couldn’t simply mass produce items for the fair without having a direction or confidence in what I was doing. There are many things I want to try, but at the same time, I feel like I need to understand the market better before jumping into everything.

I had to think about branding, what would be sustainable, and most importantly, what I still enjoy creating.

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Honestly, thinking about all these gave me quite a headache. It felt like my left brain and right brain were constantly fighting with each other, and at some point, I got really lost. So many questions felt like a chicken-and-egg situation—how do I know what works without trying, but how much should I make when I don’t know what works?

In the end, I decided not to put so much pressure on myself. Just face it head-on, lower my expectations, and treat this fair as a chance to learn. Preparing for it was another challenge. I put aside time after work to draw while making sure the quality was still at a level I was comfortable with. It really felt like I was racing against time.

There were also errands to the printer and things to get for decorating the booth. I wanted it to look presentable and not too boring, while also trying not to buy too many things that I probably wouldn’t use again.

By then, my mind was quite drained.

Fast forward to the actual event day. I had to arrive early to set up, get everything ready, and finally face the public after all those weeks of preparation.

The overall footfall at the event was pretty good, although my booth was located quite far back in the event hall, so the crowd around my area was a little lacking. I was already slightly disappointed about the location to begin with, and after the first day, I started preparing myself mentally to go home with quite a lot of my prints. I also assumed the first day would usually be the busiest and that the second day would have a smaller crowd.

Surprisingly, the second day turned out to be better!

More people stopped by, looked through my work, and bought pieces they liked. Some chatted with me, some considered for a while and walked away, and a few even came back later to make their purchase.

I’m really grateful to everyone who took the time to stop by my booth, whether it was to look through my work, have a little chat, or bring something home with them. Seeing someone connect with a piece that I created and decide to purchase it still feels quite special to me. After spending so much time preparing and wondering how people would respond to my work, these small interactions gave me a little more confidence that perhaps there is a space for what I create.

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I also took the opportunity to observe how visitors reacted to my prints. What caught their attention? Which pieces did they pick up? What seemed to resonate with them, and what didn’t?

It was interesting to observe because these were things I couldn’t really learn while sitting at home preparing for the fair. I also had some time to walk around the event hall and noticed how much effort some artists put into decorating their booths. There were many interesting ideas and really well-presented setups. I guess some of them are seasoned booth owners who have been doing this for years.

Seeing their booths made me feel a little motivated too. Hopefully, one day I can reach a point where I know what I’m doing, have a setup that feels like my own, and most importantly, make it sustainable.

Would that day come true? At this point, I honestly can’t imagine it yet.

But throughout those two days, from interacting with neighbouring booths to chatting with visitors, I had a very eventful experience and learnt a lot. I could also feel how much passion many of the artists had for what they were doing and how hard they were working towards what they wanted.

Through some of these conversations, I also started to sort out my own thoughts about what I could do with my art and the different possibilities I could explore from here.

There are still many things I don’t know yet, but I think that’s okay. This fair was a chance for me to step back into the scene, observe, learn, and see where I could go next.

For now, I’ll continue exploring and see where my art takes me.

While writing this post, I’m sitting at a café in my neighbourhood with an acai bowl beside me. Have a good weekend, take care and stay safe! ✨

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