BMAC Day 1

Coffee in the Starbucks go-cup, the hum of artists and buyer voices for music. I have been lax in posting the past first of days--first due to lightning, then travel, then set-up for the summer Buyer's Market Show. Now the booth is done (I actually had everything priced and the lights adjusted *before* the show opened for once!

So what's been happening the past few days? Oh boy. We had a severe thunderstorm in Atlanta on Tuesday night. We had 2200 lightning strikes in a half hour in a very small area. It was exhilarating, and I didn't know enough to be afraid. It's not like I went and stood outside in it or anything, but I did sit right by the window on the second floor working on my laptop. I was lucky. The alarm system in the house and the studio and the new 3-in-1 fax machine were not so lucky. I spent over two hours on the phone with alarm company and ended up replacing the panel in the studio (for over $300) because the dialer was fried, and then rewiring all three keypads in the house system. Then the phones worked again--but the DSL did not so I had to completely reboot the modem and router (and I recabled the whole system). It was exhausting, hot stressful and took forever so I did neither glass nor web work the entire day.

Then I left for Philly and had the first day of set-up. I thought I'd have either the time or the energy to post, I was wrong. It was 91 degrees and humid the first day of set-up and it was all we could do just to get through it and collapse at the end. the second day of set-up (yesterday) was a bit cooler outside, but still stifling in the convention center hall. I managed to do price tags for the show after a room service dinner (with white wine) and during Con Air on TNT. They're showing True Lies tonight and I have to say it's more appealing than going to the Museum of Natural History for the Buyer's Market party. On the other hand, it would be a good business move to go to the party and mingle with fellow artists and buyers. I just don't think after the week I had that I have the margin to spend on my business.

And speaking of business, this afternoon I am on a panel of speakers for the Arts Business Institute Visiting Artist Program discussing The Impacts of Wholesaling. I am really looking forward to it. Becky the assistant is participating in the visiting artist program except during the panel (someone has to mind the booth) and I am looking forward to picking her brain on everything she heard after the show.

It's the middle of the first day. I've written two orders--one new gallery put a toe in the water for three pieces and one repeat customer filled the empty stock spots. Time to get selling and come back to write more later.