Disappointment and Curiosity

It’s been a little over a year now into this new adventure I call “Mary’s Pilgrim Soul Photography,” and I’ve run the gamut of experiences from thrilling to disappointing in launching a startup. Learning designing, marketing, shipping, and logistics has been both delightful and challenging.  I love the experience of taking raw images and developing them into works of art to inspire hope in this crazy world. The rest is gravy.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this business is marketing my artwork at Art Festivals. I love setting up the displays and tweaking the layout to make my little shop inviting to customers. Once the setup is complete, prior to opening for business and the arrival of customers, I take a few minutes to think about the day and say a little prayer for the right customers to find my booth. I’m always hopeful that I will sell enough artwork to make my space rent and then some extra to put back into the business.

Results have been mixed this past year as I learn which shows best reflect my niche in the market. When the shows have been a good match, I’ve done well.  When the shows are not a good fit, results have been disappointing. When this happens, I’ve reflected on how I handle this disappointment.

I’ve learned that if I approach disappointment with curiosity, it makes the experience less biting. I reflect on the experience as a whole, as I did with a recent show that just didn’t pan out well. Although I didn’t sell as much as I’d hoped, I met some amazing people. There is a culture in art and craft fair vendors, and I’ve found that by the end of most shows, I’ve gotten to know my fellow creatives almost as a family. During one particular show, we met a delightful couple who do relief and infrastructure work in Africa, a doctor that gave us information about nutrition that has proven very helpful to optimize our health, and artists from Colorado and Utah that advised me on more effectively finding shows for my niche in the photography artwork market. What I learned from these fellow creatives more than compensated for the shortfall in revenue.

I think this is a metaphor for life.  When I am disappointed with any life experience, I find that if I step back and look at the experience in its totality with curiosity, I see that there are lessons learned and overall good that comes from having gone through it.

So stay curious, my friends!

The best so far. I need more grids!