2011 Photos

Our 2011 Indie Craft Parade Flickr pool is filling up fast with great photos! Have you added yours yet? Here's some of our favorite photos so far...

VIP Gala attendees shopping, photos by Metromix's Angela Cox.  See their full slideshow here!

VIP Gala attendees entering the giveaways, photo by Metromix's Angela Cox.  See their full slideshow here!

ICP exhibitors MaieDae, photo by Metromix's Angela Cox.  See their full slideshow here!

Local bluegrass band, The Bent Strings, photo by Peter Crane.

Parachute Clothing, photo by Peter Crane.

Leslie DeRose, photo by Peter Crane.

Lily Pottery, photo by Peter Crane.

ICP attendees shopping, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Free photobooth in use, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Owlette Collective, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Fox to the Opera, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

Caleb Chancy, photo by The Greenville News' Heidi Heilbrunn.  See their full slideshow here!

ICP sign, photo by Jennie Raff Photography

canoo, photo by beautifulspoonjenni

Check out the rest of the 2011 Flickr pool and add your photos!

Indie Craft Merchandise

Photo by Heidi Heilbrunn, The Greenville News

We had so much interest in the goods at our Indie Craft Parade booth that we've set up a (very) temporary online store for a few of the most popular products. Since we sold out of the red Indie Craft Parade shirts on day two, we'll be printing more for those who missed them. The two Indie Craft Parade tees pictured above and our Buy Handmade totebag will be available to order online, but just until next Sunday, September 18th!

Note: If you pre-ordered your shirt at Indie Craft Parade, you don't need to submit another order. You should have already received an email from us detailing the completion of your order.

Sneak Peek: Giveaways!

We've mentioned the fabulous giveaways that will take place on Friday night at the VIP Gala, but here's a sneak peek at some of the items that you could win!

Isn't the work just wonderful? And that's just a sampling of the prizes, there will be lots more that our VIP guests will be eligible to win.

The exhibitors have donated these items, and we'll be bundling them into groups. Each VIP ticketholder can choose which group they would like to win, and we'll announce the winners that night! Since attendance is so limited that night, the chances are great! You could be walking away with some fabulous prizes worth much more than your ticket price. If you want to get in on this action, make sure you get a ticket to the Gala!

If you can't make it Friday night, don't worry... Saturday and Sunday will be a blast too!

Featured Sponsor: Ribault St. Catering

We are so excited to have the support of Ribault St. Catering! This local independent catering service provides the ultimate culinary experience for corporate and social events. Their restaurant, Two Samuels, is located in Spartanburg, SC and serves upscale offerings of American cuisine.

Ribault St. will be providing the food for our VIP Gala, which means this is a night your taste buds won't want to miss! You can purchase your gala tickets right here, or enter to win them in our giveaway.

All photos courtesy of Ribault St.

Be sure to check out Ribault St. online or in person at our VIP Gala!

Making the Sale: Interview with Katie Coston

For many artists, creating great work is the easy part. It's selling their work that gets difficult. So we asked Katie Coston, a professional, full-time potter, to share some tips for increasing your sales at Indie Craft Parade or other venues. Katie's one-of-a-kind pieces sell extremely well at her shows. But it's not pure artistic talent that's brought Katie and Illyria Pottery success. Her winning personality and experience keep her customers coming back. Indie Craft Parade: How do you first engage people when they come to your booth or to a show?

Katie: Engage customers just like you would engage with anyone anywhere. Be friendly and genuine. If they are coming to your booth, remember that something has drawn them. Maybe it's you. Maybe it's your work. If they seem like a "leave me a alone, and let me shop" kind of person, I usually tell them to let me know if they have any questions, and I get busy doing something else.

Katie's Booth at 2010 Indie Craft Parade

Indie Craft Parade: Generally people don't like being pressured into buying things, but as the artist, you have to make the sale. How do you convince people they need your goods without being too pushy?

Katie: I strongly dislike pressure from sales people. Actually, if a sales person is hovering, I tend not to buy. Since that's how I feel, I assume others are similar. I like to welcome people, and then let them shop. If they seem interested in something, I'll often come back and mention an alluring feature or interesting fact about the piece they're holding. Micah (my husband) and I work as a team, and he can get away with "chatting people up" (as our British friends would have it) more than I can. He knows about the process and has been involved enough to have a connection with each piece. His personality is naturally social, and it works for me to have him talk about my work, since I don't want to sound like I'm singing my own praises. If you're on your own, I guess you'll need to find a middle ground, and/or bring a friend along who loves your work. It's better to not make the sale the first time around than to give your customers a reason to not come back.

Indie Craft Parade: You have a lot of repeat customers that come to your shows, visit your online site, etc. How did you develop that faithful following?

Katie: We try to always keep things fresh--our displays, pieces, and even venues. Certain things are standard, but we don't like to stagnate. If I have something that's been around, I get rid of it anyway I can. Who wants to come to your next show and see the same things you had last time? Be personal and real. Show genuine interest in the individual and not their wallet. Get to know your customers and find out what excites them.

Indie Craft Parade: Any other tips you like to share?

Katie: Selling can be difficult. A good solution is to be just as creative in your marketing and selling as you are in your creating! Have a wide variety of pieces in a broad range of prices. I aim to always have something available for that college kid who can only spend $10 or that mom who can't go over $20. I do have customers that will by $100+ pieces, but I try to be realistic and have options for various needs, tastes and budgets. With each item ask yourself, "Would I buy this piece for this price?." Be honest! Chances are a lot of other people think like you do.

Thanks, Katie! Be sure to check out her work and online shop at Illyria Pottery.

Our Mascot by Three Bad Seeds

You've probably seen our adorable mascot around, a happy little elephant named Hugo. We recently asked one of our fabulous vendors from last year, Three Bad Seeds, to bring him to life... er, plush. Amanda Weiss, felt hoarder and doodler extraordinaire, came up with four amazing versions of Hugo... and I can't keep from smiling when I see them!

Don't you just love Hugo! The red and white versions will be on display at the Indie Craft Parade booth, and we'll lend the black and white ones to the photobooth as props.

Be sure to check out Three Bad Seeds and Amanda's post about our little elephant friend!

Featured Sponsor: Coffee & Crema

We are so excited to have the support of a local independent coffee shop, Coffee & Crema. They, along with coffee experts Ben Szbody and a representative from Counter Culture Coffee in Atlanta, GA are sponsoring our VIP Gala. All VIP Gala ticket-holders will receive complimentary coffee prepared by their masterful hands.

While espresso bars are now very well known, much of the real attentive craft coffee movement is now gravitating toward simple brew methods that produce sparkling, delicious "black" coffee. Coffee & Crema will be showcasing three of these brew methods at the VIP Gala, along with 3 very special coffees.

One of the brew methods to be featured is the syphon method (pictured above). This set-up is certainly eye-catching, I'd never seen coffee brewed in such a beautiful way! Not only is it lovely to watch, the syphon produces a cup of coffee that is clean, crisp, rich, and smooth. Check out Coffee & Crema's awesome video below to see the syphon in action.

The Syphon Project from Jacob Forrest on Vimeo.

If you'd like to be one of the lucky few to partake in the coffee wonderland at the VIP Gala, get your ticket here!

Thanks so much to Coffee & Crema for their support of Indie Craft Parade!

Perfecting your Art: Interview with Cory Godbey

The world of arts and craft is competitive, and it takes a great deal of time and effort to make your work stand out. That progression can be long and difficult, sometimes fraught with criticism and even rejection. But for the people willing to stick it out, the end is rewarding. We've brought you an interview with Cory Godbey, a Greenville artist who's spent a number of years making a name for himself in the illustration community. Having experienced both the ups and downs of perfecting his art, Cory understands the dedication and perseverance required of a professional artist. Still on the journey (but having come a long way) he has shared some advice and encouragement for artists who are continually striving to improve their work.

Indie Craft Parade: As a professional artist, you've worked for a number of years on perfecting your techniques and personal style. What do you think was the most important thing to focus on during those growing years?

Cory: For me it's always been a matter of working hard. Working hard and wanting it. It's also competing with yourself, I believe. Of course you can get discouraged looking at all the awesome things everyone else on the internet is doing. But remember to keep your head down, be professional, and work at it like nothing else matters. I'm still growing, I'm able to do things now that I know I couldn't a year ago. Same for last year and the year before. I don't think any true professional "arrives." They're constantly pushing themselves; they don't sit back and coast.

Indie Craft Parade: Your work seems very popular and well-received. Have you always enjoyed that success? Can you describe some of your experiences before your work was accepted at the level you wanted?

Cory: Well I don't know about that! That's very kind of you to say. With my personal work I can never gauge what will be popular. For example with my prints or with a show, I can never tell which will be the best received or most popular. I just do the work I like. I'm my only guideline, if that makes sense.

One of my biggest hurdles was being declined to a certain annual of illustration. I had already made it into more "prestigious" books, but that didn't matter to me as much as being accepted into this particular book. I applied for the last 4 or 5 years, rejected each time until this past year. You know what? Each time the rejection only made me better. I did my best to keep myself professional, focused, and I just worked even harder for next year. I give this example because I want people to know if they're rejected from something, they should use that frustration to improve. Just take it and work harder. Let it motivate, not frustrate.

Indie Craft Parade: What advice would you give to artists and crafters who are struggling with moving their work to the next level?

Cory: The advice I give to anyone who asks me that is basically the same advice I've been given by friends and mentors; just keep doing it. It takes time, effort, and heart to be a professional--to work at a level that you're proud of. I'm still working towards that level. Just decide what it is you want and fire towards that with abandon.

Advice for our Vendors: Taking Online Payments

Although the world of craft fairs is largely run on cash, there are a few great ways for vendors to accept electronic payments from customers who just can't live without plastic. I want to share one of those with you today: Square App. I've personally used this method at art shows, and I can undoubtably say it's made made my experiences much easier. The Square App is simple, beautiful, and so easy to use. I really don't even need to say much about it. A portable credit card reader fits into the earphone jack of your smart phone or tablet, you swipe the customer's card for the amount of their goods, and you're paid the next day.

All of Square's vital information is located on their website, but that's about all there is to it. Payments are secure. You can even send email or text message receipts to your customers. And the best part about it, it's absolutely free to get started. Square charges a small fee per transaction made, but honestly, it's worth it to have the ability to take cards at your booth. Check it out!

Finding Inspiration: Interview with Annie Koelle

We want the Indie Craft Parade Blog to be a helpful resource for everyone in the arts and craft community. So we've decided to include a series of posts that will help both developing and seasoned artists with a variety of topics. We want to discuss things like creating a winning booth, effectively selling goods in person, establishing an online presence and the like. To share this information effectively, we're going to the people who do these things the best. We'll be interviewing (mostly) local artists to get their tips for making your products, branding, or general presence in the art world even better. Today, we're starting with Annie Koelle. She's a painter who presents gorgeous scenes from the natural world. In the 7 years or so I've known Annie, her work has never ceased to amaze me. Everything about her work is inspiring, so I asked her to share some thoughts on the topic of finding inspiration. Sometimes artists burn out or get discouraged when trying to develop new ideas or styles. Annie is continually producing new pieces, and she has graciously shared with us her approach for keeping her work fresh.

To see more pictures of her work, check out this post from 17 Dove Street that features one of Annie's recent shows, hosted in a garden.

Indie Craft Parade:

Frequently artists and crafters are at a loss for new inspiration--either new artists don't know how to branch out or seasoned crafters get burned out. You're always working on show material, how do you keep your work new and fresh?

Annie:

I'm always viewing the world as an artist, always on the look out for inspiring things--which is why my work is a reflection of everyday things I appreciate. I'm constantly searching for ideas to run with. I look in decorating magazines, the living breathing growing world, fashion catalogs and magazines (I have several binders of clippings), blogs, artists past and present, poetry, music, and antique stores. And a million other things I'm sure. I also make little composition sketches to remember a painting layout. Usually I will come back to them and decide they are silly. Most of the time I don't use them, but it ends up leading on to other great ideas. I have no regrets ever in recording fleeting ideas. Take an idea and run with it in all possible directions. Don't worry about playing it safe. Always be harvesting ideas!

PIndie CraftParade: Although you do a wide variety art/craft genres and styles, every piece you do is decidedly "Annie." Can you share any tips for artists trying to show their personality or put consistency in their work?

Annie:

I think that's something that develops over time, so have patience. I had a little bit of a head start, having been given art lessons as a youth, long before college. I can't say that a few years ago I was as consistent, but now I am confident in the mediums I'm working with, so I know how to successfully experiment with them. Also, it may be the subject matter, everything I work into a painting has a very personal connection to my life, past and present. Little things I appreciate such as the birds in my yard, the fig tree I pick from, or perhaps something associated with my childhood.  Here is a good tip: whatever sort of art it is, it must be an absolute overflow of yourself, that you present in a skillful, creative way. It has to be what you truly like, and it has to be good enough that you would hand over money for it --as if someone else had made it. Any sort of handmade thing, it had better be something you'd buy yourself and put in your house, wear out to a party, or hang on your wall. Strive for that! Think about it while you are planning and creating. I think that's the key, I'm finally sure (after years of trying) of what I really like, and I am beginning to figure out how to make art I would actually love to hang on my wall. But not always--can't knock it outta the park all the time. Sometimes its just about getting something out of your brain and into your hands.

Indie Craft Parade:

 Can you suggest any resources for artists looking for new inspiration?

Annie: Like I said, I find resources in a million places, but here are a few of my favorites.

Decorator magazines: I don't really read art magazines. The decor ones actually show you what people hang on their walls.

Pinterest: Follow my art inspiration board.

Poppytalk Blog

Dear Ada: I love the book list she has on the side.

FFFFound Image Bookmarking

Simply Lovely Blog

Where the Lovely Things Are: New Fave!

Worth a Thousand Words: Impressive Product Photography with Very Few Tools (Part 2)

In part one of this photo tip series, we discussed the importance of lighting and staging your products. To wrap things up, we're going to go over some simple principles concerning using your camera and editing your photos.

Working with Your Camera

Regardless of the model of camera you have, you can take good quality photos. Key to achieving this is simply getting to know how your camera works. Read the manual and play with the settings. Also, if you have a popular type of camera, there's a good chance you can find an online forum (such as this one) for trouble shooting.

Here are a couple of good principles to follow regardless the type of camera you shoot with:

1) Check your white balance settings. White balance refers to the neutral colors (such as whites or grays) in your photograph. You want to keep those colors true to real life, creating the most pleasing photos. The white balance is affected by the type of external lighting you have. If the white balance is not adjusted, the picture can appear discolored. See example below.

Adjusting the white balance is simple. Go into your camera's white balance settings and adjust the light setting to match the conditions you're shooting in.

2) Use a tripod. I don't care how steady you think you're hands are. Any movement in the camera will result in a lesser quality photo.

3) Keep the ISO on your camera low.  A lower ISO will slow down your shutter speed, but the image will be less grainy. Most digital cameras have an ISO adjustment. If yours does, keep it as low as possible for the kind of light you're shooting in.

Editing Your Photos

Before you upload your product photos right out of the camera, consider these suggestions to put the finishing touches on your photos.

1) Crop your photos. There's usually not a need for a lot of background or white space around your object. Make clear what's being sold, and keep the attention away from what's surrounding your product. Depending on the item you're shooting, it might be a good idea to keep the focus of the picture away from the direct center. Try to crop it on the 2/3 line for a pleasing effect.

2) Sharpen and brighten your images as necessary. If your photo turns out a little darker or less clear than you like, these are good ways to achieve the pleasing effects you want. I know that can sound a little daunting if you have no photo editing experience. So I highly recommend checking out Picnik. It's a free online photo editing program that will do most of the work for you. You can either play with your photos settings yourself or use the auto-fix feature that does a really good job. The program is easy to follow and quite fun when you see the end result.

Just a final word of advice, keep practicing and playing with your product photos. You'll soon find the exact look you want, and the process will become faster and easier as you go.

Worth a Thousand Words: Impressive Product Photography with Very Few Tools (Part 1)

When selling or displaying work online, whether in a venue like etsy.com or even for our jury via the online application, you really only have one way to impress your audience--great product photography. Unfortunately, no matter the quality of your crafts, they won't catch people's attention unless you capture them just right through a lens. So to give you an inside tip on how to impress the jury...and everyone else with your work, I've put together a two part post on how to gain the upper hand through good product photography. Today we'll discuss the elements of lighting and staging, and next time we'll talk about using your camera to the fullest as well as give a few editing tips.

Lighting Techniques

First (and perhaps most important), let's go over a few techniques for lighting your work properly. Here are two basic rules to follow: 1) Never use harsh, direct lighting. 2) Never use an unfiltered flash. Look at the examples below. You can see the example necklace shot in three different light settings--harsh direct light, low light with a flash, and set up in a light box.

You can easily see which quality of picture is best--and therefore which picture is most likely to sell the product. The harsh, direct lighting creates garish shadows around the necklace that really distract from it and using a flash mutes all of the details in the necklace, creating a generally muddled and discolored photo.

For best results with controlled lighting, you should shoot your products in a light box--a translucent cube that evenly disperses light around the object. Light boxes transform narrow beams of light into broad, big light which softens shadows and gives a pleasant, even tone to the photograph.

Now I realize that most of us aren't that serious enough photographers to go out and buy a light kit. So through a great tutorial (and using products I already had at home), I made this DIY light box in about 20 minutes and for absolutely free. Once I made the light box, I used two desk lamps to light the necklace shot above. The whole process was quite simple. I spent the most time just fiddling with lamps to find the best lighting angles. I found that jewelry is usually best lit from the top. You might also have to adjust the diffuser panels (in my case, waxed paper) according to what you're shooting. For the ceramic mug I photographed (below) I taped an additional piece of paper directly above the mug, inside the actual light box, to create the lighting I wanted.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making a light box, here are a few other tips to create the desired look:

1) Shoot in soft, natural light. If the morning light through your window is too strong, wait until the afternoon to shoot. If the sunlight coming through your window is too direct, you can help diffuse it by hanging a sheer panel.

2) Just like when using a light box, you'll have to play with the relation of the sunlight to your product. Changing your position will affect the shadows and color of your photo, so take pictures from multiple angles to see which you like best.

3) If you have an object too big to fit in a light box or on a tabletop, you'll probably need to shoot it outside in closed shade, like on a porch.

Staging Products

Second, let's talk about staging or how you position your items to be photographed. Now, you don't have to create an elaborate stage for your items. Many product photographers prefer not to. There are pros and cons to both. For example, look at the pictures below. Which would you prefer to buy?

One the table top, the necklace looks like it might be right at home on your dresser. However, in the light box, you can get a better look at the whole product.

If you choose to stage your crafts for photography, here a few guidelines and ideas:

1) Choose a simple background--especially if your products are small. I like how this photographer foiled her jewelry with the brightly colored card stock. I think it really makes the silver pop.

2) If you are going to include other objects in the photo besides your craft, make sure they enhance the overall feel of the photo and never detract from what you're actually trying to show off. For example, I shot the ceramic mug below with items that naturally associate with coffee--whole beans, a napkin, cinnamon, etc. But I made sure that the focus of the picture remained on the mug.

3) Position your products creatively or to show off their best angles.

4) If you want ideas for staging your specific craft, check out this website. It gives a lot of good tips for different craft items.

Here are some parting examples of staged products that I really like. For further reading, check out some of the links below in my shout-out section. Happy photographing!

Shout-out to more wonderful sources that made this article possible:

My friend and local photographer, Philip Eoute.

Design*Sponge Biz Ladies

Indie Made

Oh My! Handmade Goodness

A Fine Tooth Comb