One thing I’ve really started appreciating about doing shows is getting to watch people react to the work in person.
Online, I can see views and clicks. At a show I can actually see what makes somebody stop walking.
Sometimes they pick up a piece. Sometimes they call somebody else over to look at it. Sometimes they just stand there for a few seconds looking at the details. Even when they don’t buy anything, I’m still learning something from that reaction.
I also hear questions I probably wouldn’t have thought to answer on the website. People ask what something is made from, how it was done, whether I have another design like it, or they tell me what the artwork reminds them of.
That kind of feedback is useful because it’s immediate. I don’t have to guess what caught their attention. I’m standing right there watching it happen.
Sales obviously matter at a show. But I’m finding that paying attention to what people stop for, what they talk about and what they walk past is valuable too.