So You've never had a Stall Before - Tues, Wed, Thursday

Oh Dear.

Been having problems with my modem over the last few days, so havn't been nearly as organised as I would have liked. So here's the three tips from Tuesday to today, all in one hit!

Tuesday's Hint:
Stand Up and Smile.
This is standard knowledge amoungst the market regulars, but unless someone had told me, I would still have no idea. Standing up for as long as you can, instead of sitting in a chair behind your stall, as well as looking happy to be there and NOT letting on you've sold two things all day is one of the MOST effective way to increase sales. We're not 100% sure of why, but we KNOW it works. So show those pearly whites and wear comfy shoes folks.

Wednesday's Hint:
How Much?
Imagine you've got a shy, unassuming customer at your stall, who LOVES handmade but simply can't bring yourself to ask a seller how much that beautiful notebook is. Sure, if she REALLY wants it, she'll ask, but if she's maybe tossing that up with something also pretty cool, and she can't compare prices easily, she'll just go with the one that the other seller priced clearly. So make sure prices are large and easy visible, or each item is tagged individually so that if they pick it up, they know how much that item is. You'll also not have the challenge of having to know the prices of each one of your one-off, seperately priced handmade bags. Which has to be a good thing, right?

Thursday's Hint:
Love Yourself.
Have you ever gone into a phone shop and been thinking about what phone you're going to get, and the assistant comes up and recommends you a phone, and assures you that its the best one, and that she uses it all the time, its her favourite phone to date? Only to see her later on her lunchbreak chatting to her boyfriend on a completely different phone? Sure its great to talk about your items to buyers in a positive way, but if it's not the truth, people can smell insincerity from a mile off. And I for one would not want to buy handmade from someone who I don't believe or who doesn't believe in what they've made. I want to buy from someone who wears their work everywhere if they're a jewellery-maker, or who has her couches smothered in her custom-made cushions whenever I go over their house. So love what you do, and wear/use/show it, not just as advertising, but because you want to!

p.s. this hint was inspired by Sarah G (oddgirlout/MOTLteam member), who is always sporting her black polyclay earrings whenever I see her, and forgets she even has them on :)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's hint, the second last one for this series. Let us know if you have a request for something we should write about net, or even if you have an article you wrote and want to share.

Poster for our 2010 Winter Market!

Hello Everyone!

Today is our "launch day" for the new July Market Poster image. As always, we have commissioned an up-and-coming Made on the Left illustrator who takes part in our markets to design something that really sums up what Made on the Left is, all in an awesome drawing.

This time around, we enlisted the help of Samantha Hughes! Keep your ears to the ground for an "about the artist" post later next week.

Arn't they adorable yetis? Look at their little crafty bags and knitted scarves!

Big thanks to Samantha for her hard work, and also to our sponsors for advertising, venue and printing; City of Stirling, Etsy, and The Saint Hotel.

xx The Team

Miss Johnson's Vintage and Handmade Market

We love to share news about upcoming markets, so when Phillipa contacted us to tell us about one coming up, we couldn't wait to write about it!

Its called "Miss Johnson's Vintage and Handmade Market" and will be held at the Guildford Town Hall friday 25th June from 6pm to 9pm and on saturday from 9.30 to 4pm. Its the corner of James St and Meadow st Guildford. This is a unique kind of market for all lovers of vintage and handcrafted vintage inspired items. The Guildford Town Hall is such a neat hall and just right for this event as they try create the atmosphere of a by gone fair. Their first one was last October and was a great success.

Visit the blog - http://missjohnsonsvintageandhandmademarket.blogspot.com/

See you at the market!

AbAF Artists Workshops & More

Resources for visual artists

A number of free workshops for visual artists are coming up in Perth and regional WA.

• Grant application writing: Perth, 23 June. Learn about available grants for visual artists and tips to improve your application. Presented by Carol Whish-Wilson. Book online here.
  
• Artist Business: Perth, 16 August. Strengthen your business skills and learn how to build a sustainable art practice. Presented by Andrew Gaynor. Book online here.
  
• Exhibition Planning and Budgeting: Geraldton, 18 August. Covers the process of planning and budgeting for a successful exhibition. Presented by Andrew Gaynor. Book online here.
  
• Seeking sponsorship: Perth, 15 September. How to prepare a business case seek support from a business. Presented by Carol Whish-Wilson. Book online here.
  
• Building a website: Perth, 17 September. Find out what’s involved in developing a website to promote your art practice. Presented by Jeremy Smart. Book online here.

New fact sheets have also been added to the website on:

• Documenting Artworks - tips and techniques on how to record and represent your work
  
• Social Networking - information on how to incorporate social networking in your next marketing or promotional strategy
  
• Selling your artwork at an art or craft market – things to consider if you plan to sell artwork this way

For tips, advice and insights on how to succeed in the visual arts, check out AbaF’s podcast interviews with visual arts professionals at http://abaf.org.au/index.php?pageID=4477

Upcoming AbaF workshops

AbaF is the Australian Business Arts Foundation. They offer a great wealth of information. Visit their website here.

Upcoming AbaF workshops
Update your skills at an AbaF workshop. Places are limited so book early to secure your spot.

• Managing Effective Partnerships: Perth, 6 June. Acquire the knowledge and skills to manage, evaluate and review partnerships. Presented by Carol Whish-Wilson. Book online here.
• Board Development: Perth, 18 September. Maximise your board’s performance with this practical and interactive all-day workshop. Presented by Sylvia Langford. Book online here.
• Applying to Foundations: Perth, 12 October. Increase your chances of success when approaching trusts and foundations. Presented by Vanessa Meachen. Book online here.

Check out their website for plenty more workshops including grant applications, artist business workshops, exhibition planning 7 budgeting, seeking sponsorships, websites.... and so much more! Best of all? Most of the workshops are free.

So You've never had a Stall Before - Monday Hint

Hello Again,

Just a quick one before I hop off to bed!

Mondays's Hint:
Height, height, height.
Cast your mind back to the last car boot sale or swap meet you went to. As you were walking around, did you stop at some vendors more than others? Bets on you did. And bets also on the probability that they either had their stuff elevated on boxes or a table, rather than spread out over the ground.

Presentation is everything. We as humans like a little bit of interest in our visual world, and we also like to be close enough to things to be able to see clearly. You can capture the attention of "walker-bys", and turn them into "lookers" and maybe even change them to "buyers" (ka-ching!), simply by adding height to your display. As we've all got our trestle tables at Made on the Left already, you've already gotten to hip height with most of your customers, which is a great start. Below are a few starting ideas for adding even more height and visual interest to your display, which we've purposefully kept relatively inexpensive and easy for you, because not everyone can afford to outlay a massive amount on specialised stands and displays. And lets face it, something already pre-made and mass produced isn't always the best way to present your one-of-a-kind, amasing handmade items!

These ideas are just from looking at the last MOTL in November 2009!

1. Arranging covered boxes in cool ways and putting your stuff on them:

This can also be a space saver if you've brought your stock to the market in those same boxes!


2. Picking up some picture frames and making a stand or two, either vintage ones or some that caught your eye in a shop:

If you make clean/classic items, go for a clean/classic frame. If your items are wild and kooky, look for a frame that will complement (not compete with) your items. Dont forget spraypaint is your friend, and to take the glass out, as market stuff gets dropped ALL THE TIME. I will never forget when I held up one of my stands with a jar of tiny buttons... and I knocked it over and they tipped out all over the pub carpet! Eww!


3. Using things that wern't originally meant for display purposes in a cool and quirky way:

Heaps of things here, a covered box, a corkboard, a dish-drying rack, a chair, and a little suitcase!

Well thats Monday's hint. Let us know in the comments of any tips you have for sellers, or ideas for adding height, or maybe even you have a "oops" story like my jar of buttons! Do share, everyone loves a laugh!

xx Lauren & The Team

So You've never had a Stall Before?

Hi Folks,

Well it's that time again, when we bring out the trusty old favourite; the How To Set Up Your Stall post.
With pretty much the most new stallholders we've had since our first market way back in June 08, we figure you freshers might need a little bit of a hand, and seeing as we live to launch Perth's newest creatives, we thought we could be the ones to do it.

Its quite a feat to have a "finished" stall setup, everyone I know or see both here in Perth and elsewhere around the globe are continiually tweaking, adding and refining their stall setups and displays... we can always see room for improvement. So if you're a veteran, read ahead, you might find something to help you out!

Now we're going to stick with the basic trestle-table setup for these daily posts, as thats what we have at Made on the Left. Some of the more elaborate, larger markets can end up with stalls that look like mini retail stores, and require a lot of effort and imagination, not to mention set-up and pack-up time!

If you're just starting out, this week I'll be posting one top tip a day right through until Saturday, so make sure you come back here or add us to your blog reader to get the rest of the hints!

Sunday's Hint:
Clean, white, ironed tablecloth.
Some people love the look of black, but it's a lot harder to keep clean and most peoples products dont "pop" enough out from a dark background, and with our notorious Made on the Left lighting (yes, I can hear some of you sniggering), its best to keep your displays light coloured. Also notice I stated that your table cloth needs to be CLEAN and IRONED. Its actually best if you can get a tablecloth that doesnt need ironing, as it saves a LOT of work and effort (its really hard to keep it crease-free from your house, into your market gear, and then out onto the trestle-table). There is nothing more off-putting than a hairy, stained, wrinkly tablecloth touching jewellery that you might be putting in your ears or around your neck.
Except maybe if its smelley too boot.

Added bonus points if the tablecloth is floor length on three sides so you have a hidey spot for all your gear during the market under your table.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for our Monday Hint, and please comment us with any questions at the end of this post, or you can email lauren[at]madeontheleft[dot]com if you're shy :).

Alternatively, you can let us know one of YOUR top hints that might be useful to newbie (or veteran!) sellers. Check out previous posts on stock levels and what-to-brings HERE.

xo Lauren & The Team

WAMi 2010 most popular music video

We love creative people so when one of our previous stallholders contacted us with some news we just had to share it with you all!

Blac Blocs - NVDA , won this year's WAMi 2010 Most Popular Music Video

A stop-motion animation music video by Perth filmmaker, Richard Eames and Made On The Left artist, Helena Tay Eames.

Shot on a DSLR (Canon 350d) it tells the story of a young suburban couple dutifully enslaved to debt and the assembly line worker punished by others’ lust for cheap commodities. An exploration of the inherent and displaced violence of our domestic lives. The video comprised from 10,100 still images.

Check out the video on youtube or via the embedded video below!

DCA Arts Edge E-News #3

E-News#3 contains a collection of stories to inspire and inform arts educators and teaching artists.

In the Feature Article find information on the AIR Grants Program. Briefing sessions have been held however details are all available online.

In the Spotlight on Success story you will find a review of the 2010 Performing Arts Perspectives and advance news of next years dates for this popular performance.

There are a range of exhibitions, performances and events highlighted in this edition which will be of interest to teachers across a variety of art forms. In E-News#3 find information of competitions, education resources, professional development, performances and, incursions which are available in the coming months.

Click on the link to download the latest edition of the ArtsEdge E-News http://www.artsedge.dca.wa.gov.au/e-news3_000.htm

Applications Open - Craft Thyme

Applications are now open for stallholders for Craft Thyme's Winter Gift & Craft Fair

Admission - $4
Children - Free
Held - Saturday 24th July 9:30am - 4:00pm

Held at the Cannington Exhibition Centre. Showcasing a huge variety of stalls, but concentrating more on country style.

Check out their website for all the information you need.