Amy L. Frazer Blog - Amy L. Frazer

HER STORY: CHELSEA INGLE OF BRIDGE CITY KID

Amy Frazer — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 19:55:00 +0000

One of the things I love about Portland is that there are so many ways to meet people through art. Making art, selling art, talking about art. Meeting Chelsea Ingle of Bridge City Kid in the St. John’s neighborhood is no exception. Bridge City Kid is an amazing outdoor retailer dedicated to kids, and participates in the St John’s Art Walk Art Burst program. The Art Walk, started in 2017, pairs local artists with selected St. Johns businesses to serve as mini-galleries. With these quarterly events, they hope to 1.) increase access to and appreciation of the arts; 2.) support and strengthen the artist community in St. Johns and North Portland; 3.) engage the St. Johns business community; 4.) celebrate the diverse cultural communities in North Portland and; 5.) build community by facilitating conversations and connections.

I moved to North Portland this past summer, so I wanted to get involved in the art scene here and in St. John’s. I was partnered with Bridge City Kid for the September Art Walk and my work (prints, original thread paintings, cards..)will be there until next week. There is a new show going up for the March Art Walk, Friday March 2 from 6-8pm. Chelsea has an amazing story around her business and I want to share it with you! I love Chelsea’s enthusiasm for her community, her customers, the product she sells and her commitment to supporting non-profit charities.

Here’s her story…..

Amy: Tell me about how you got here? What was your path to Bridge City Kid?

Chelsea: My retail began as a member of the Nordstrom Fashion Board - a research study group & apprenticeship program. After graduating from Grant HS and a year at PSU, I studied in NYC to major in Fashion Merchandising Management at FIT & complete my Associate's Degree. I held a retail sales job during this time for a swimwear designer named Malia Mills. After two years, I transferred to the Polimoda International School of Design in Florence, Italy; however, my student visa was never acquired so I instead spent the Summer traveling abroad and returned later to finish my Bachelors Degree at Oregon State. Before graduating, I completed an internship in Seattle, WA; volunteering for a non-profit called the Sustainable Style Foundation. After a few months, I left this to open a new shop for Ed Chalfa called Tiger Tiger Clothing Exchange (new name: same owner as Red Light Clothing Exchange). Once I had completed my degree at OSU, I managed ZAZEN; a boutique and Saturday Market booth selling imported women's wear from Thailand. Later on, I held more Management positions in Seattle, Santa Cruz & Portland. Before resettling in Portland, I partnered with a Distribution Company serving Kombucha at music festivals up the West Coast. My final retail position was well-positioned at Portland Store Fixtures that allowed me to conceptualize my store design and prepare for my transition as a business-owner.

Amy: Why are you so passionate about kids and the outdoors?

Chelsea: As a mother of a young boy; I have seen myself wanting to spend as much time as possible outdoors given the health benefits & happiness that it brings. I tagged along with my son as he explored new activities such as skateboarding, learning the sport myself. I feel that this is the most inspiring aspect of parenting; trying new things together. When I was a kid, I enjoyed hiking with my family & time playing outside with my friends. Our children these days have been marginalized through over-stimulation along avenues that do not afford them the simple freedom of being able to regularly play outside. Being playful & free in nature is what brings me the greatest peace in my life and I deeply feel we need to make this more available in the way we raise our children. Having the right gear is essential in overcoming the hurdle of staying comfortable outside by keeping warm and dry, regardless of the weather. Fashion has always gauged my interest as a consumer and this avenue is starting to become more available for children in the outdoor industry. Most outdoor retailers have not offered enough to help families shop with ease and find affordable items for recreation. REI recently chose to remove baby & toddler items from their retail outlets given the issue of too many worn item returns, paving the road for the first outdoor retailer dedicated to kids to open in Portland, OR.

Amy: What’s this about donating all profits to charity??!! That’s incredible. Tell us more about this concept and why you are doing this? What charities do you support and how can we support them too?

Chelsea: Originally inspired by Stephen Green (co-founder of the first non-profit pub called the Oregon Public House) and then seeing Ex Novo open as the first non-profit brewery; I decided that it was possible to make my shop the first retail establishment that donates all profits to charity. We plan to open a non-profit organization once profits are available and can be given to charitable organizations. The outdoor industry is known for its ability to serve non-profits that are aligned with the same values of protecting the environment and affording youth the opportunity to access the outdoors regardless of income. I will be supporting the same organizations; elevating their impact as well helping to fund smaller non-profits that are local to the Pacific Northwest. A few examples are Oregon Wild (protecting public land as designated wilderness areas), Surfrider Foundation (volunteer-led cleanup & advocacy for healthy city streets, oceans and mountains), and well as sponsorship for outdoor camps like ReWild & NW Nature Partners. A link is available on our website that lists organizations that we have already partnered with to learn more and support individually. https://www.bridgecitykid.com/service/all-profits-to-charity/

Amy: How can we find you and buy your amazing products?

Chelsea: We are located in St Johns of Portland, OR or online with free shipping available at www.bridgecitykid.com.

Amy: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a small business owner? What are some of the rewards?

Chelsea: My biggest challenge has been the amount of time it takes to complete a remodel and fill my shop with customers. There is an arduous process of starting a business that I didn't realize would be so time-sensitive. It just takes a long time to build-in the ease for a new shopping environment. There is a common hurdle of trying something new that most people feel uncomfortable with where only time can heal this through engaging more customers to enter the door and make a purchase. Regardless, the most rewarding aspect is that I am selling items for children to engage more with the outdoors and share with my community the vision of a brighter future given the altruistic nature of each purchase.

Amy: What do you love about St John’s neighborhood and community? PNW?

Chelsea: For a long time, St Johns has always been quoted to be a "up & coming" neighborhood. Gentrification is never a good thing, however, the situation is clear that Portland has become so desirable that all areas around the city have been changed to accommodate a growth in population. We were given this location through a good friend of mine who owns the building next door and I moved in at the same time as both of my neighbors (Sabatino Scooters & Bernstein's Bagels). Yet to be fully realized, we share an outdoor space that can really exemplify the strong community that we share as business owners in St Johns. Affording new gear in addition to expensive school registrations can be burdensome for most and I hope to facilitate more ease in participation by offering a discount to participating families. Since the beginning, I have been inspired by the women-owned businesses here - namely Salty Teacup and Anna from ROM shoes; supplying me with fixtures & newbie "sage" advice. The community of new families with interest in the outdoors is strong in St Johns with many schools influenced by nature including the Portland Village School (a Waldorf-inspired Charter school). I hope to continue building my relationship with local schools that encourage year-round outdoor play. Affording new gear in addition to expensive school registrations can be burdensome for most; I hope to facilitate more ease & interest in these programs by offering a discount to participating families.

Amy: What is your favorite camping snack?

Chelsea: My favorite camping snack is cracking peanuts with a cold beer, at the campsite or backyard fireplace.

And there you have it! Go visit Bridge City Kid and all of the amazing shops and restaurants in St. John’s! It’s fun to explore new to you neighborhoods!

Bridge City Kid is located at 8402 N. Lombard St. in St John’s, Portland OR, 97203.
www.bridgecitykid.com

Here are some links to learn more about St John’s and Bridge City Kid:
www.facebook.com/bridgecitykid/
www.instagram.com/bridgecitykid/
www.stjohnsopportunity.org

HUDSON VALLEY SEED LIBRARY COMMISSION: THE STINGING NETTLE

Amy Frazer — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 07:35:40 +0000

WHO DOESN'T LOVE SEED PACKETS? I MEAN EVERYONE RIGHT?! WELL, IF YOU LOVE THEM AS MUCH AS I DO, THEN CHECK OUT THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED COMPANY!

Photo Credit: Kayley Hoddick

EARLIER THIS YEAR IN MAY, I WAS COMMISSIONED TO DESIGN ONE OF THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED LIBRARY'S 12 ART PACKS FOR 2017. OVER 400 ARTISTS FROM 48 STATES AND 7 COUNTRIES SUBMITTED PROPOSALS, AND AFTER DOING A FEW ROUNDS OF SKETCHES, IT WAS DECIDED THAT I WOULD DESIGN THE STINGING NETTLE PACK! KEN FROM HUDSON VALLEY THOUGHT THAT MY EMBROIDERY TECHNIQUES WERE PERFECT TO TELL THE STINGING NETTLE STORY! THEY WERE SO EASY TO WORK WITH TO GET INPUT, APPROVALS AND PAYMENT. THANK YOU KEN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS AMAZING PROGRAM!!

NOT ONLY WILL MY EMBROIDERY BE USED ON THE SEED PACKET, BUT IT WILL ALSO BE FEATURED IN THE SEED LIBRARY 2017 CALENDAR, AVAILABLE AS FINE ART PRINTS AND THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK WILL BE IN A TRAVELING ART SHOW AROUND THE COUNTRY! I'LL POST THE LOCATIONS AND DATES WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE.

THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST COMPLEX EMBROIDERY I'VE DONE TO DATE. IT WAS REALLY SPECIAL TO WORK ON BECAUSE IT BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD WHEN I HAD A SMALL GARDEN PLOT IN OUR BACKYARD, I GREW GREEN PEPPERS, CARROTS, GREEN ONIONS AND SOME OTHER THINGS I DON'T REMEMBER!

BELOW ARE SOME OF MY SKETCHES AND IMAGES OF MY PROCESS.

I BASED THE CONCEPT OF THE STORY OF THE 6 SWANS. "THE SIX SWANS" IS A GERMAN FAIRY TALE COLLECTED BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM.

PLOT: SIX BROTHERS FROM A KING'S FIRST MARRIAGE HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO SWANS BY THEIR STEPMOTHER. THE BROTHERS CAN ONLY TAKE THEIR HUMAN FORMS FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES EVERY EVENING. TO FREE THEM, THEIR SISTER NAMED ELSA MUST MAKE SIX SHIRTS OUT OF NETTLES AND CAN'T MAKE A SOUND FOR SEVEN YEARS OR THE SPELL WILL NEVER BE BROKEN.

THE KING OF ANOTHER COUNTRY FINDS HER DOING THIS, IS TAKEN BY HER BEAUTY, AND MARRIES HER. WHEN ELSA, NOW QUEEN, HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO THEIR FIRST CHILD, THE KING'S OWN WICKED MOTHER TAKES AWAY THE CHILD AND ACCUSES THE QUEEN OF DESTROYING IT. UNABLE TO DEFEND HERSELF, THE QUEEN IS SENTENCED TO BE BURNED AT THE STAKE AS A WITCH.

ON THE DAY OF HER EXECUTION, SHE HAS ALL BUT FINISHED MAKING THE SHIRTS FOR HER BROTHERS. ONLY THE LAST SHIRT MISSES A LEFT ARM. WHEN SHE IS BROUGHT TO THE STAKE, SHE TAKES THE SHIRTS WITH HER AND WHEN SHE IS ABOUT TO BE BURNED,THE SEVEN YEARS EXPIER AND SIX SWANS COME FLYING THROUGH THE AIR. SHE THROWS THE SHIRTS OVER HER BROTHERS AND THEY REGAIN THEIR HUMAN FORM. THE QUEEN, NOW FREE TO SPEAK, CAN DEFEND HERSELF AGAINST THE ACCUSATIONS. HER MOTHER-IN-LAW RETURNS THE BABY SHE STOLE, AND IN ANGER SHE FALLS INTO A FIT AND DIES.

ICONS IN MY SKETCHES ARE PULLED FROM THE STORY CONCEPT:

NETTLES REPRESENT THE CHOSEN VARIETY. ALSO THE SISTER, ELSE MADE THE SHIRTS FOR HER BROTHERS OUT OF NETTLES.
THE NEEDLE REPRESENTS THE SEWING THE SISTER HAD TO DO TO MAKE THE SHIRTS.
6 SWANS REPRESENT THE 6 BROTHERS. THE CROWNS REPRESENT THEM AS PRINCES

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SURTEX 2016: THE AFTER PARTY

Amy Frazer — Mon, 23 May 2016 04:34:36 +0000

"It's not about how long you live, but how you contribute. It's about doing your best and doing the right thing. It's about recovering from your mistakes and not giving up. It's about the baton pass to a new generation. It's about the realization that you can not go it alone. It takes a team." -My friend Geoff Hollister (1946 - 2012)

Wowza. I'm unexpectedly exhausted after THE SURTEX SHOW in NYC! Anyone else out there feeling this way? Someone in one of my Facebook groups said she had a Surtex hangover! I probably should have expected this given the months of intense preparation, both physically and emotionally demanding. So for all of us who just came out on the other side of Surtex 2016, let's take a moment to celebrate our tremendous accomplishments, pat yourself on the back for having the COURAGE to put yourself out there and be gentle on yourselves for a few days. We did it! For those of you that are dreaming of going someday, know that it is entirely within your reach. Assemble your team, knowing that you can not go it alone. This blog post is going to be a lot longer than usual, so grab a coffee, tea or glass of wine. But I wanted to share my experience and hope to hear back from others on what they have learned as well. So many generous people along the way have shared their insights and tips with me and I am truly grateful for that!

First, a little about my journey. I was a product designer at Nike for the past 11 years and left in September of 2015. Before Nike, I was a designer at Old Navy for 3 years and before that I designed candy and packaging for Galerie Au Chocolat for 6 years. I want to see if I can make this thing work. Pattern Design, Ilustration, painting, etc. I decided in October to do the show and officially got my booth in November. From then on out it was a mad dash to figure this out! It was challenging and fun to go from working at a corporation everyday to being on my own. Setting my own schedule, making my own art, being my own boss. I'll probably write about that in another post sometime, but I figured it out and made it to Surtex. I joined a few amazing Facebook groups including Jennifer Nelson's Advice for Artists, Surtex Before and After the Show, Khristian Howell's Trade Show and Tell, Anne Blankman Bollman's Heart 2 Art and a few others. Surrounding yourself with a supportive team is so important on this journey. We're all in it together and there is plenty to go around.

Andy J. Miller has a great podcast that I just love. I've listened to it a couple of times in it's entirety. It's Episode 70 of his Creative Pep Talk Podcast series called "SEASONS". He takes about the rhythm of our career by using the analogy of a farmer and his fields. Our career revolves around different seasons from planting to growing to harvesting. Our motivation is destroyed by misunderstanding which season we are in. What are you supposed to be focusing on? Planting? Growing? Harvesting? Ding Ding Ding!! Go Listen to it NOW.

Andy J. Miller's Creative Pep Talk

So, I've been in the planting season for the past 8 months. I've been working on new artwork for the Surtex Show this past week as well as new work for potential gallery shows, contacting galleries, creative directors/ buyers, creating online workshops, and lots of other things to create diversity in my income. For me it's about creating different streams of income, not just licensing my art.

Here are my thoughts looking back over the past few months and looking forward to the next year. This is just my experience exhibiting at this particular show as a first timer. You may find it helpful, or not, and I look forward to others sharing their experiences too!

I'll start out with a fun story. It was day 2 of Surtex and a young woman practically came running up to my booth saying " I found you!!" She was an exhibitor at the National Stationary Show which was adjacent to the Surtex Show. As it turns out, she found my postcard mailer in the recycling bin at her office. She rescued it and tracked me down at my booth! (Jennifer Nelson you were right, they do end up in the trash!) Hopefully we'll work out a deal to get my patterns on her products, but how cool is that? Well, not cool that my postcards ended up in the recycling, but that she found me! Below is the mailer I sent out. It went to all registered attendees of the show. Many of them came up to me saying they received it.

Postcard Mailer Front Postcard Mailer Back

So this brings me to a very important part of exhibiting at a trade show. Marketing. These are the things I did to market myself before and during the show.

1-MARKETING: SOCIAL MEDIA ( Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook)
I used the hashtag #ROADTOSURTEX consistently to show progress I was making on my work. It was a hashtag not many people used so it felt like mine. I feel that it gets people invested in the work and process you're doing up until the show. They want to see what you're working on! Other hashtags that were used were #surfacedesign, #patterndesign,#surtex, #surtex2016. Anything you want to tag that will bring attention to your pages. I can certainly do a better job of curating my content going forward. I use the same Twitter and Instagram account for my business and personal. It's just easier for me that way. Except for Facebook, I do have 2 separate accounts there. I've seen other artists do this more seamlessly, offering a glimpse of personal life/ inspiration stuff sprinkled in between art. Some artists have separate accounts for Instagram and I may do that someday for but now, you can fine me at the following sites:
INSTAGRAM: @AmyLFrazer
TWITTER: @AMLFRAZER
FACEBOOK: AMYLFRAZERDESIGNANDILLUSTRATION

#roadtosurtex

2-MARKETING: BLOGS/NEWSLETTERS/ FREE EXPOSURE
There are quite a few amazing bloggers out there that are willing and wanting to share your work with the world. I was honored to have my work featured on the following blogs and newsletters. FREE. OF. CHARGE. It did certainly take an extra bit of work on my part, but when people came up to me at the show and said " I saw your work at such and such site" or "Oh, I recognize your work from somewhere..." it was totally worth the extra work to write up the blurbs and bios and reformat images for them. You can also set up a free Lookbook on Issuu.com. Included in your Surtex online package, you can post one press release on the site. I paid for an additional press release too.
Here is the free exposure I was able to get before the show:
Feature in P attern Observer Blog
Surtex Newsletter: Testing the Waters: F irst Time Exhibitors Plunge Right In.
Feature in UPPERCASE Magazine's "All About You" Weekend Newsletter
Surtex 2016 Brochure (ok maybe not free, but included in your package)
My Surtex 2016 Lookbook on Issuu.com
MATS Home Decor Alumni Showcase (Scroll Down)
Art and Design Licensing Sourcebook PAGE 33

Pattern Observer Blog post Pattern Observer Blog post

3- MARKETING: PAID ADVERTISING
Of course there are a lot of other ways you can market yourself besides free exposure. I paid to send out my postcard mailer to the attendees of Surtex. (photo above in story about the recycling ) Quite a few people at the show came up and said they received it. And remember that woman who found it in the recycling bin? This isn't for everyone and is on the expensive side, but it's a decision I made and just bit the bullet. There is also a list of attendees that is posted on the Surtex.com site. You can look at the company names and then do some digging to find art directors, buyers, etc that you want to connect with. Again, extra work, but may be worth it in the end.
I received quite a few e-mails from outside companies offering to sell me their e-mail lists. I wonder if anyone at Surtex has bought those lists and was it helpful? It's hard to track your ROI on these things.

Surtex Directory Half Page Ad Postcard Mailer Front Postcard Mailer Back

4-MARKETING: PRESS KIT
I decided to put a press kit together to hand out. There was a press room on the 4th Floor (not really easily accessible or easy to find). But you could put your press kits on shelves for the press to take. The first day I put mine up there on the top shelf. There were only 2 other kits, there at the time. The next day I found that other exhibitors had rearranged things and pushed mine to the bottom shelves in order to perhaps give themselves better exposure. You know, we're all in this together. I believe in playing fair, so if that's what people want to do, have at it. Not my game. If someone wants to find your work, they will.
I also had press kits at my booth and gave out quite a few each day to people that seemed genuinely interested in working together. It had a Lookbook, mini notebook, 4 postcards, stickers and 2 business cards. People love free stuff and hopefully this will be a reminder of my work when they get back to their office. Or perhaps it will end up in the recycling bin.
These are the resources I used for my printing needs:
East Side Printing: (Local Portland printer) Lookbook, postcards, mini notebook
Moo.com: Lux business cards and square business cards, stickers
ULine and Clearbags: Envelopes

Surtex Press Kit Contents Press Kit Packet Front Press Kit Packet Back Postcards front Postcards back

Sooo, I had to ship some things to my hotel and used Fedex. They have a Pack and Ship option, and promised me they would take good care of my press kits and pack them with care. They promised me several times. I had them in a box already, they just needed to be put into a larger box with my postcards, which were also already in a box. I also shipped my banners. Below are photos of how they were packed. I got them on Friday before the show and almost cried when I saw how they were packed. I was able to salvage plenty to use at the show, but some of the kits were crushed or ripped. The banners were just put into the box I gave them, no extra packing material around them except for a tiny bit of paper at the top. Note to self, PACK IT MYSELF NEXT TIME!! I am writing a letter to the manager of my Fedex shop about the need to train their employees on proper packing techniques. Here are some photos:

2-DO YOUR RESEARCH
In addition to making as much quality art as I could before the show, I did a LOT of research and consulting with people. Here are a few of the things I did to educate and prepare myself.
2- RESEARCH: CONSULTATIONS
Consultations with Ronnie Walter and Jennifer Nelson. These 2 ladies are amazing. Amazing. And they know their shit. Ronnie and her husband hosted a webinar called Monetizing Your Art Through Licensing. Ronnie is first of all a sweetheart, a crack up, and a very, very smart woman. I also did a phone consultation with her about my art/ website, etc. Highly recommend her. Ronnie it was so so nice of you to stop by my booth to say hello!! Loved meeting you in person and chatting.
Jennifer Nelson, an absolute sweetheart and another very, very smart woman, offers 1:1 consultations as well. (Skype call was amazing!) I also took her webinar "How to get an Agent and Do I Really Need One?" through Modern Thrive I believe it was.
I met with my friend Clay Walsh (marketing guru turned real estate agent) and her wife Lisa Congdon who live in Portland now. They offered me practical advice and support before the show, such as expect to get connections not necessarily jobs, follow up and play up your experiences. Thank you Lisa and Clay!!
I have a monthly meet-up group here in Portland (MATS after MATS Portland) with artists where we share experiences and ideas about the business of art. I met these incredible women in Lilla Rogers MATS classes.
Before I left Nike, I hired a life/ business/ career coach, SHEROLD BARR. She literally helped me change my life and the direction I wanted to take it in. She picked me up off the ground and taught me that I could soar. I'm forever grateful to her for her wisdom, kindness and advice.

2- RESEARCH: ONLINE CLASSES
I enrolled myself in classes at Atly.com, Skillshare.com, ModernThrive.com, Textile Design Lab, MATS and others. I worked hard to educate myself about the tools of making art as well as the business of art. Podcasts are also a great way to learn about the business of art and the journey other artists have taken. A few of my favorite Podcasts are: ANDY J. MILLER'S C reative Pep Talk, D esign Matters with Debbie Millman and The Jealous Curator: Art for Your Ear with Danielle Krysa.

3-THE SHOW
OK, let's talk about the nitty gritty of the show itself. Before the show, I wasn't actually sure if I could or would have enough work to fill an entire booth. So I went with a booth in the Design District. There is a lot of conversation and controversy going on around the Design District right now. This was sold to us as an area where first time exhibitors could get a smaller, discounted price booth and have the same great experience as other exhibitors. Smaller. Check. Discounted price. Check? The booth was definitely smaller and cheaper than the next size up for the price per square foot was even beyond NY standards. I have no regrets about the show, but if I could go back and do it again, I would get he larger size booth for sure (8x10 I think it is). I can't change the fact that I went with a much smaller booth, which was a lot smaller in person than I had imagined. Despite this, I feel as though I did make a lot of contacts. For those of you at the show you saw the booths and where they were located. Very back of the venue. I've heard a few comments about the spaces including, "they looked like half of a telephone booth" "people thought they were students" " it looked horrible." Ouch.
I think the success of my first show lies, not not in the fact that I was "showcased" in the Design District" but in the fact that I did a LOT of marketing and hard work before the show. I don't feel that Surtex did everything they could to promote us as new talent. So this is a lesson learned. However, other than the location and size of the space I had a great time in the DD. I met some amazing artists, who worked just as hard to get to Surtex as people who had a full booth, or had been there for years. The support from Surtex certainly could have been more substantial, but the support amongst the exhibitors couldn't have been greater. I'll write a note to John Erich, the Surtex Salesman, to give him my feedback and ideas to improve this concept for next year. I think it was something they tried out this year to attract new artists to the show. In the end, they had to juggle the space around, perhaps due to lack of participants, and some of us found out very late, if not at the show, that our booth locations had actually changed to the end of the row, or that their booth number had changed! WTF? I looked at the show floor map 2 weeks before the show started and found out I was now on the end. I was able to quickly have another banner printed, but no one communicated this change to me. Communication to exhibitors regarding booth specs and other things could have been a lot better. If you have constructive feedback on the Design District, I'd love to hear about it. Here are a few photos of my Booth 565! Click to scroll though...

Oh, hello. Booth 565! Setup with a migraine is no fun. Look at all that space behind my booth! Cramped space. Tiny counter space. Design District friends! My dream team! My team rebelling during the breakdown.

3- THE SHOW: BOOTH SETUP
Again here, do your research. Most of the measurements were in the exhibitor manual, but some of them for the Design District (counters especially ) were off or missing. I e-mailed John Erich and another guy Travis, who were both very helpful in finding the missing information. But that should have been included in the manual. At times it felt like a goose chase and frustrating to have to keep emailing people about measurements and details. My banners were pretty much the correct size except for part of the counter was slightly off due to wrong measurements. The counter was also supposed to have 3 sides and when we got there it had a 4th panel on the backside which we all had to have removed in order to be able to store things under the counter. GES tried to charge a few people $200 to have it removed too!
I also did a lot of research on line looking at people's booths from past shows, what worked, what wasn't so successful, etc. There was a series of Webinars hosted by Surtex which were actually helpful! I believe Nicole Tamarin Leone presented in one of them ( Set Yourself Up for Success) that I found to be very helpful in putting up banners using the hooks and sticky strips.
Below are photos of a toolkit I put together and had in my booth ( stapler, Post it notes, pens, markers, extra sticky tabs, etc...)

3-THE SHOW: ARTWORK PRESENTATION
Again, through a lot of research in asking other artists how they presented their work, I found that for me a Blurb book worked best. The quality of the books are amazing. I had some extra artwork that didn't make it into the book due to time constraints, so I printed those on 8.5"x11" thicker paper and put them into a presentation folder with clear sleeves and that worked well. Since I know my counter space was limited, I put them into the binder instead of having them loose. Next year in a bigger booth, I can have them loose and print out 11"x17", my Blurb book(s) and my iPad with my art loaded onto it. This seems to be the magic combination. Be sure to number each piece of artwork you show for easy reference later. I built my Blurb book using the InDesign Plug In they offered and it was really easy to use.
BLURB.COM I used a Photo Book

Forgot to put my logo on the front! Ooops. Number each piece of art. Tab dividers. About me... Portfolio with clear pages. Brought some concept sketches...

A lot of people were of course interested in Holiday, but I think what helped me was that I brought so many different types of my work I've done. I had my collections, but also brought some sketches of things I'm working on, watercolors, children's book illustrations, embroideries, etc. I feel as though I have a lot of different techniques that I do, so thought why not bring them. Every exhibitor has a different take on this and some artists have a very specific style that works for them. I like to do watercolors and use photoshop and illustrator and do embroideries. So that is what I brought to show and people responded to all of it. Lilla Rogers says, "People buy your joy!" and I really think that is true. Over the next few months and year, I'm going to continue to hone in on my style, but I think it will still be multiple styles and techniques I am showing.

3-THE SHOW: BOOTH ETIQUETTE
One observation I had is of artists in their booths. I observed quite a few on their cell phones, or 2 people in the booth on the phone texting or surfing. This was my BIG pet peeve ( besides eating) for people working in my booth. How can you make eye contact or say hello to someone who glances at your booth for 2 seconds when your head is buried in your phone? Stay alert and be ready to greet anyone who walks by. My team was amazing and very welcoming and I trusted that they were making great contacts while I was away eating or bathrooming. They did think I was a bit strict with my rules and in the end wanted to unionize and overthrow me. Ha! I would sneak up behind them to see if they were texting. Lol. But in all seriousness, if you have a booth, you paid a lot of money for that space, so be warm and welcoming when people walk by and get as many contacts as you can.

4-CONTACTS
So who did you meet at the show? How did it go? These are questions I'm getting from friends and the answer is it was awesome! On the advice of some trade show veterans my expectation was that I was going to come away with connections, not necessarily jobs. This really helped me to set my expectations at a realistic level. I met people looking for art for the following: Bakery items, children's book illustrations, ribbons, greeting cards/ stationary, food items/packaging, table top, coloring books, scrapbooking, fabric ( quilting) and more! The range of things that people were interested in was amazing. I had the following tools in my booth to gather contacts:
INTAKE FORM: Each contact gets their own sheet. Staple or tape the business card to it. Have areas where you can record any follow up info. Super easy for me and for my booth helpers to have consistency in what we were asking.
SCANNER: I rented a scanner from the show to be able to scan in people's badges. It was an experiment to see what worked best. I am able to take my scans and download them into an excel spreadsheet that is populated with all their info. I'm not sure if I'll spend the money next year, but I did like have this option of gathering people's info.
PHONE: Some people said they were on their last business card, so I just took a photo of it if that was the case.

5-FOLLOW UP
Now the fun part begins! The follow up ! I'm so excited to be writing back to all of the people I made connections with. An exhibitor at the show, who shall remain nameless, told me she didn't follow up with anyone. I nearly fell over. She said that people contacted her after the show. Which is great! But for me just starting out, I don't have that confidence that they will call me. I'm going to do everything I can to reach back out to my connections. Has anyone else had that experience?

NEWSLETTER: Among the amazing pieces of advice that Jennifer Nelson gave me, one of them was to get my newsletter set up before the show! I did it! It's not perfect and certainly needs to be tweaked, but at the show I asked everyone if I could put them on my newsletter. I think this is a great way to reach out to people as a whole , but during one of the manufacture roundtables I attended, the advice was also to send personalized e-mails to them. For example, if they make rugs, send them some art saying I saw your rugs in Home Depot and thought this new art I made might work for a new concept. They like to see mockups, but don't necessarily want you to deck out an entire room.
Click here if you'd like to sign up for my newsletter.

I've got a lot more notes from seminars to dig back into, but for now this is what's in the front of my mind. A few last thoughts:
SELF CARE: It's so important to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually. There were weeks when I just kept working and working and then ended up with a migraine or just exhausted. Take time daily to get some exercise and down time from the computer. Get outside, meditate or do what works for you to take care of yourself. We're in this for the long run so let's not burn out in the first round!
ABUNDANCE: I love the Facebook and art groups in Portland that I belong to. There is such a sense of camaraderie ( and yes this is spelled correctly! I checked!)I There is enough for everyone. I love that we can share ideas with each other with the knowledge that we will be respected and honored. I have found my tribes!
FOCUS: It's so hard to focus sometimes and remember that the most important thing is to make art. The more we make the better we get.

Thanks to everyone for reading this to the end! I'll have more shortly, but I gotta go make some art!
Lots of love, Amy

THE DOODLE DIVISION

Amy Frazer — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 20:42:00 +0000

PRESIDENT OBAMA DOODLE

THE RECENT CALL FOR SUBMISSION BY UPPERCASE MAGAZINE HAS CAUSED ME TO TAKE A LOOK AT DOODLING A LITTLE CLOSER. I THINK MOST ARTISTS DO IT. I CERTAINLY DO. THERE ARE SOME VERY FAMOUS BUSINESS PEOPLE AND PRESIDENTS WHO DO IT. BUT WHAT IS A DOODLE? AND WHY DO WE DO IT? FOR ME IT HELPS ME FOCUS. IT'S MEDITATIVE. USUALLY IT'S JUST FOR MYSELF. SOMETIMES I USE IT TO WORK OUT QUICK IDEAS. THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN DOODLING AND SKETCHING.

THERE HAVE BEEN ARTICLES WRITTEN ABOUT DOODLING PRAISING THE EFFECTS ON US. HERE ARE A FEW THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL WROTE ABOUT THE POWER OF THE DOODLE. NPR WROTE ABOUT USING DOODLES TO STAY ON TASK. PSYCHOLOGY TODAY WRITES ABOUT DOODLING YOUR WAY TO A MORE MINDFUL LIFE. AND IN HER TED TALK, SUNNI BROWN SAYS "DOODLERS UNITE!"

SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS CEO'S ARE DOODLERS. THERE IS THE DAVOS DOODLER, BILL GATES AT MICROSOFT. MARK PARKER AT NIKE DOODLES IN MEETINGS "BECAUSE I LISTEN BETTER WHEN I'M SKETCHING." THERE ARE PRESIDENTIAL DOODLERS INCLUDING OBAMA. HERBERT HOOVER WAS A CHRONIC DOODLER AND MOST OF HIS WERE "GEOMETRICAL". IS THAT A WORD? A LINE OF CHILDREN'S CLOTHING WAS ACTUALLY PATTERNED AFTER SOME OF HIS SKETCHES.

BELOW ARE DOODLES BY HERBERT HOOVER, RONALD REAGAN AND MARK PARKER.

DOODLING CAN HELP YOU FEEL BETTER TOO. FOR ME IF I'M DOWN OR NEED A MENTAL BREAK DOODLING CAN HELP. I'VE HEARD AND READ THAT CANCER PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM "CHEMO BRAIN" CAN HELP EASE SYMPTOMS BY DOING PUZZLES, DOODLING, TAKING CLASSES OR LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE.

SO WHATEVER REASON YOU HAVE FOR DOODLING, KEEP DOING IT! IT'S REALLY, REALLY GOOD FOR YOU!

BELOW ARE A FEW OF MY DOODLES.

MY WORK IS OUT THERE! A FOLLOW UP….

Amy Frazer — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 00:45:29 +0000

GREAT NEWS TO REPORT TODAY! THE SUBMISSION THAT I SENT TO UPPERCASE MAGAZINE IN APRIL WAS ACCEPTED AND IS NOW IN ISSUE 26 OF THE MAGAZINE! I'M SUPER THRILLED TO BE A ART OF IT! THE STORY IT IS FEATURED IN IS ALL ABOUT DOILEIS AND LACE. CHECK OUT PAGE 91 FOR MY TINY ARTICLE. YOU CAN VIEW ISSUE 26 ONLINE HERE ALSO. ENJOY! NOW I HAVE TO FIND AN EXTRA COPY TO SEND TO MY MOM!!

YOU CAN SEE MORE OF MY SNOWFLAKE PAINTINGS HERE.

Getting Your Work Out There…..

Amy Frazer — Wed, 06 May 2015 20:20:40 +0000

Sometimes as designers or creatives, it's tough to put your work out into the world. THE COMMENTS AND CRITICISM CAN BE DAUNTING AND DISABLING. WE ARE PUTTING A PIECE OF OURSELVES OUT THERE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. But recently I've decided to share more of my work and myself with the world. Brene' Brown talks about this idea here with chase jarvis: Daring greatly to unlock your creativity.

a few years ago I discovered UPPERCASE magazine and am totally in love with it. "uppercase publishes books and magazines for the creative and curious: products that spark the imagination and inspire creativity. the eponymous magazine was founded in 2009 by publisher, editor and designer janine vangool who continues to wear pretty much every hat imaginable."

THE UPPERCASE WEBSITE HAS AN INTERESTING FEATURE CALLED "PARTICIPATE" WHERE THEY FEATURE DIFFERENT WAYS FOR READERS TO GET INVOLVED IN THE MAGAZINE AND COMMUNITY. IN APRIL THE CALL WENT OUT FOR READERS TO SUBMIT PERSONAL STORIES OF DOILIES AND LACE. WE WERE ASKED TO SHARE HOW LACE OR CROCHETED DOILIES OR OTHER SUCH DELICATE HANDCRAFTS CONNECT US TO THE PERSON WHO MADE THEM ADN WHY ARE THESE CRAFTS IMPORTANT TO US.

A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO SHARE MY WORK AND GET IT OUT INTO THE WORLD. OR AT LEAST PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING IT OUT THERE. IT'S NOT GUARANTEED THAT THESE SHARED STORIES WILL BE PUBLISHED IN UPPERCASE MAGAZINE, BUT IT IS FUN TO PULL IMAGES AND STORIES TOGETHER TO SUBMIT.

HERE IS WHAT I SUBMITTED.

"YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS LIVING IN NYC, I FOUND A TUTORIAL FOR CROCHETED SNOWFLAKES IN THE MARTHA STEWART LIVING MAGAZINE. KNOWING THAT MY GRANNY MADE ALL KINDS OF CROCHETED ITEMS SUCH AS DOILIES, ORNAMENTS, AFGHANS AND DOLL OUTFITS, I SENT HER THE ARTICLE AND ASKED IF SHE COULD MAKE ME A FEW OF THESE SNOWFLAKES TO HANG ON MY TINY TREE. SHE CROCHETED AND STARCHED THEM WITH SUGAR WATER, EVEN MAKING ONE THAT WAS 3 DIMENSIONAL! I HAVE CHERISHED THESE FOR MANY YEARS AND BRING THEM OUT EVERY CHRISTMAS TO DECORATE MY HOUSE.
LAST YEAR, inspired by the snowflakes, I INTERPRETED THEM INTO A COLLECTION OF WATERCOLOR CARDS. I BROUght OUT the CROCHETED SNOWFLAKES AND THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MY GRANNY MADE THESE WITH HER HANDS. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, SHE LIVED WITH US AND WE'D HIDE OUT IN THE BASEMENT "Studio" FOR HOURS MAKING THINGS. I THINK ABOUT THOSE TIMES OFTEN AND AM INSPIRED TO KEEP MAKING THINGS THAT BRING ME JOY. DURING THOSE YEARS NOTHING WAS IMPOSSIBLE. SHE TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPERIMENTING, PLAYING AND JUST TRYING THINGS. I'D SAY, "GRAM, CAN WE MAKE (…FILL IN THE BLANK…). SHE'D RESPOND, "WELL. HONEY LET'S FIGURE IT OUT. " AFTER ALL THESE YEARS I'M STILL JUST TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT."

thinking back, I'm so impressed by my granny in that she put her work out there. she made so many types of things- crochet, sewn, wreaths, etc. She would enter them into contests and show them around to friends and family.

SO THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS TO UPPERCASE MAGAZINE WAS APRIL 15TH. I'LL WAIT AND SEE IF WHAT I SUBMITTED GETS INTO PRINT, BUT IN THE MEANTIME I THOUGHT I'D SHARE IT HERE.

BELOW ARE IMAGES OF THE SNOWFLAKES THAT MY GRAM CROCHETED AS WELL AS SOME OF THE WATERCOLOR CARDS THEY INSPIRED.

click images to enlarge

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Houston, we have a website….

Amy Frazer — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:00:00 +0000

oh geez. Finally. Launching my official website! It's a work in progress and always will be. I've been waiting for the perfect time to launch it out into the world. waiting until I have every page and piece perfectly populated. Waiting for many reasons. but I finally realized there will never be a "perfecT" time. Yes, I know, there are still some of the squarespace template photos in there. Yes, I know, there is some greeked text still in there as a placeholder for great things to come. YEs, I know, there are probably typos. Yes, I know, lots of my pages are still empty. And yes, I know that all of this will get populated and filled in at some point. But for now, I hope you enjoy what I do have on the site. It's taken a long time to get to where it is now, even using Squarespace which has amazing templates. I took a class at OCAC with David Greenhill who was a great instructor! If you've ever put together a website, or any type of presentation, you know it takes time.

Please check out my Keller/ Thread Painting page for a project that I've been working on FOREVER and finally finished it last week.
click on the link below. ( I can't figure out how to change that font!!)

EMBROIDERY

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Amy L. Frazer Blog - Amy L. Frazer

HER STORY: CHELSEA INGLE OF BRIDGE CITY KID

HUDSON VALLEY SEED LIBRARY COMMISSION: THE STINGING NETTLE

SURTEX 2016: THE AFTER PARTY

THE DOODLE DIVISION

MY WORK IS OUT THERE! A FOLLOW UP….

Getting Your Work Out There…..

A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO SHARE MY WORK AND GET IT OUT INTO THE WORLD. OR AT LEAST PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING IT OUT THERE. IT'S NOT GUARANTEED THAT THESE SHARED STORIES WILL BE PUBLISHED IN UPPERCASE MAGAZINE, BUT IT IS FUN TO PULL IMAGES AND STORIES TOGETHER TO SUBMIT.

HERE IS WHAT I SUBMITTED.

thinking back, I'm so impressed by my granny in that she put her work out there. she made so many types of things- crochet, sewn, wreaths, etc. She would enter them into contests and show them around to friends and family.

SO THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS TO UPPERCASE MAGAZINE WAS APRIL 15TH. I'LL WAIT AND SEE IF WHAT I SUBMITTED GETS INTO PRINT, BUT IN THE MEANTIME I THOUGHT I'D SHARE IT HERE.

BELOW ARE IMAGES OF THE SNOWFLAKES THAT MY GRAM CROCHETED AS WELL AS SOME OF THE WATERCOLOR CARDS THEY INSPIRED.

click images to enlarge

click images to enlarge

Houston, we have a website….

Please check out my Keller/ Thread Painting page for a project that I've been working on FOREVER and finally finished it last week.click on the link below. ( I can't figure out how to change that font!!)

Please check out my Keller/ Thread Painting page for a project that I've been working on FOREVER and finally finished it last week.
click on the link below. ( I can't figure out how to change that font!!)