Every town, city, or village has some kind of festival that usually revolves around something the area is known for, or a harvest, or some kind of historical event. An increasing number of places have a farmer’s market of some kind (hooray!), and let’s not forget the art fairs! All of these events can be fun for everyone, usually with some games and really good food. Most people view it as a nice outing and others see them as an opportunity to sell some of their handmade goods. We pretty much looked at it from the consumer’s point of view but this year things are very different and not just because I am trying to sell the beanie hats I crochet in the evenings. Let me explain. 🙂
Every August, we have the Blueberry Festival. “It is a celebration of the summer months and the bounty of blueberries that are ripe and ready to eat,” or so I thought. While that is certainly part of it, the festival was started 39 years ago so artists would have a place to showcase (and hopefully sell) their work. It has morphed into so much more! Like I said above, this year I will be selling (well, hopefully) some of the beanies I crochet and that has given me a different perspective on not only this festival but ALL of the annual events we have around here. Mash this new perspective together with a homesteading angle and these local events turn into a serious treasure trove of ideas, inspiration, and networking possibilities!! These people have resources, knowledge, and skills that a newbie like myself could really benefit from. I find myself getting more excited about attending this year than I ever did as a kid. This year, I will not focus on the insanely delicious blueberry crepes and cotton candy. This year, I am more interested in “how did they do it and can I do it too?” In years past, the main question was always, “Can I afford that?” The downside of these events are the costs of handmade items can be prohibitive but if you head into them with a “What can I learn?” attitude, money doesn’t matter. Inspiration, ideas, and networking can be 100% free if done right!
Inspiration. Inspiration comes from all over the place and is different for everyone. I hope to get inspired to make more, learn a new skill (or three!), and experience new things. How often do you really look at the stuff these folk have around their table or booth? If you really take it all in, you may discover something wonderful! A couple years ago at the festival, I was walking around and came across an artist who was selling these funky stands to keep your earrings on. The ones shown were too expensive for my pocketbook. As I was getting ready to leave, I saw another one of these cool tabletop stands kind of hidden in the back and asked about it. She said she took it down because it had been knocked over. I couldn’t even see where it may have been damaged and she sold it to me for $10! Fast forward a year. A friend of mine saw it and loved it, then started making earring racks too, with her own twist!
Ideas. I am always on the lookout for new project ideas. When you live in a place that only gets about 7-8 hours of daylight in the Winter, projects help keep you sane. There are an incredible amount of artists on this island and the mediums they use are limitless. Carvings, painting, drawing, crafting with thread and cloth; those are the norm and we have them here of course but then there are those who create things from various bits and bobs of ‘junk’ to create something useful and aesthetically pleasing. “Scrap Art” is a big thing here and I love to see what new things people have come up with. The ways they put things together is a talent to be sure and can actually come in very handy should you need to ‘slap something together’ to help you survive, be more self-reliant, or just to make life easier or more pleasing to the eye. There is knowledge in the oddest of places.
Networking. This is the BIG ONE to me. The people who are usually at these type of events are dedicated crafters and know their trade well. What better place to learn a new skill, or at least get information on how to start, than from a person who does the activity daily? There is also the bartering potential. Say you have chickens and would like to be able to feed them some fresh greens and treats but do not want to spend a fortune on it? Head over to the Farmer’s Market and see if you can strike up a deal with the people selling produce. At the end of the day, you may be able to buy the leftovers cheaply or even make a trade for some fresh eggs. Perhaps they need some chicken manure to put into the compost for next year’s soil and fertilizer and are willing to save their scraps for the chickens. The people who work the woodturning tables may be willing to let you have all of their scrap shavings and chips for mulch in exchange for some of the herbs you grow and dry up. The possibilities are endless!
Do you regularly attend events like these? Are you a seller or a consumer (or both!)? Have you gotten great ideas from the experience? Drop us a comment below, we would love to hear about it!