Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I know you're going to yell at me for saying this but you could really make hay with that!

Yes.  Just go there and sit in your chair.
Have somebody mind the store for you while you preside over the goings on.  Make a Bear while you are there.

You would, of course, talk to people and make a pitch when appropriate but the image of a lady in a wheelchair who makes Teddy Bears could sell if you do it right.

Yeah, I know it sounds really crass and manipulative and opportunistic but that's not the intent.  Just step back and look at it from the customer's side of the table and I think you'll see the image I'm thinking of.

I know it must be really hard to haul everything to the venue and drag yourself, too, then drag everything home at the end but, if you could do just one show per year, it might be worth it.  It would also make your work a premium.  (e.g.  This is the one and only time when you'll get to talk to the Bearmaker until next year.)  Rarity adds value.

I agree with you.

Only half the job of a fair is to sell product or to adopt Bears.  Maybe even less.
If you aren't greeting people you should be selling something.  If you aren't selling something you should be greeting people.

People don't go to fairs or craft shows JUST to buy things.  They go there to see stuff.  They go there to find out what people are selling and they go there to meet the people who make the things they buy.

I can buy almost anything via the internet except for personal contact with the person who made the things I buy.  For that, you have to pry your lazy butt away from the computer, get into the car and drive some place.  Frankly, I'd be peeved if I went to all that trouble to find that somebody just sat there, reading a book.

Noticeable product and consistent style go beyond just the product or the Bears you make and sell.  They extend to YOU.  There is a link between the art and the artist.  People don't just buy my photographs.  They buy ME.

Whenever I go to an art gallery, even if I'm not showing my photos, even if I'm just going there to look, I *ALWAYS* take my vintage 1956 Rolleiflex camera with me.  Whenever people see me, I want them to know that I'm that "crazy guy" who still shoots pictures with film.  That's my style and my personality and I want people to associate that with the pictures I take when they see them.

The same thing goes for Bearmakers.  You could make the cutest Teddy Bears in the world but, if people think you are a schlump, they'll think you make schlumpy Bears.  Who would adopt a schlumpy Bear?

So, if you want to display your Bears at a fair, not only do you have to have a noticeable, consistent style in your Bears, you have to BE the kind of person your Bears want you to be.

If you sit behind a table reading a book, what does that tell people about your Bears?

I see two factors:

1)  Making art that gets noticed immediately.
2)  Producing art consistent with the style in which people know your work.

I make traditional (non-digital) photographs for display and sale in a few local galleries.  When a photo is hanging in a gallery with, literally, a hundred other works, it has to be unique enough to make people stop and look.  If you display Bears at a fair, there are so many things going on that people's attention is split among too many competing stimulii.  Your stuff has to be noticeable enough to be "heard above the noise."

Getting noticed is one thing but being consistent is more important.  If, for instance, you make purple Bears and everybody knows you are the "Purple Bear Maker" but you suddenly start making brown Bears, you are back to square one.  Nobody knows your brown Bears.  They won't recognize you amidst all the noise.

As an example, I made several photographs of sunsets and landscapes but the one photo that got noticed is a picture of a tall ship in full sail.  I displayed the sunset and the landscape at a gallery show but people kept asking me, "Where is the picture of the ship?"  I took down the other two and put up the one of the ship.  That photo is now on display (for sale) in two different galleries and it won $100 prize in a juried art show.

Now, when I display photos, I have to have a copy of that tall ship nearby or else the people who see my photos won't recognize my work.

I see that people are coming to adopt Bears at the beginning of shows and fairs but tail off at the end.  So, I think that you have the first thing; recognition but I'm guessing that, somehow, more of your Bears need to be consistent with what people recognized in the first place.

The trick is to figure out what people recognized and why they liked it.  For me, it was easy.  People ASKED to see the picture of the ship.  I don't know if people will ask for a particular kind of Bear as readily.  That means you're probably going to have to watch closely to see which Bears people stop to talk to and which Bears people pass by.

Yes, people at art shows and fairs and the like are finicky.  They will see something at one event and come back to buy at another.  The trick is to be there and be recognizable and consistent at the second and subsequent shows so that people will come back to buy.

Well that's my 2¢ worth...
but, given the state of the economy, it's probably only worth about 1¢. 

"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog!"

"Cover your trunk when you sneeze!"

Oh, what a "viscous" little puppy he is!  It looks like he's about to lick you to death!

Simba!   

He's smiling like he knows something that he isn't telling you. 

That's one pooped-out puppy!

Hoots, mon!

Did you brush your teeth before you go to bed?

It's either a two-can or a three-can.  I'm not quite sure.   

He stole my spots!

I hate Mondays.

Are you my mommy?

I'm havin' a little snack.

"Is it cold in here or is it just me?"

What does a 500 pound black bear eat when it comes to your holiday picnic?

Anything it wants!

Yes, there are many here who can make Bears and critters for you but they can't come to you.  You must contact them.

Look through the galleries and see if there is anybody whose style you like then send them a message.
That's just about all there is, really.

Remember, if you are commissioning work (as opposed to ordering a Bear that's already made) be prepared to pay at least half the price up front.
Your chosen artist needs to buy materials in order to make your new friend.  She will have to put in a lot of work before the result gets sent to you.  She deserves to have some money in her pocket to pay for time and expense.

Finally, make sure the two of you have a clear understanding of what the other wants before the project starts.  Get it in writing.  (An e-mail will do.)
Price, size, materials, design, postage, delivery time... Everything.

I have ordered several Bears from members of Teddy-Talk and have been very pleased each and every time but that still doesn't mean you don't need to communicate.

What's black and white and black and white and black and white?

A panda bear rolling down a hill.

Upsie daisy!

"Ptptptptptpt!" 

George is a good looking bear.   
His one ear is barely noticeable in that picture.  Even when you do notice, it just makes him look more like a bada$$.

I like pictures of all different animals.  I like cats but, when it's just cats, they all start looking the same.  It's better when you mix them up.   

Knit or crochet a beret out of 100% wool yarn then wash it in the washing machine until it felts.

There is a Teddy Ruxpin living here, too!  :)

He's a very nice guy and, believe it or not, he's not a big talker.  He's only got one tape.
We'd like to get him some more tapes but they are hard to come by.  Cassette tapes are not made any more and the ones that are still out there are old and degrading.

I suppose we could get a tape and duplicate it, assuming we can find one in good condition.

While we're on the subject of talking Bears...
Does anybody else have a Bear named "Spinosa" living with them?