"Show Crack"

I have a new term for an old problem. "Show Crack" is something I've been using for a long time. Show Crack is that stuff that gets into your head, and stops you from making logical decisions pertaining to art/craft shows. For example, this last ACC show I did, when the paperwork arrived in the mail box, I got all excited. As I was reading through it, my head began to fill with Show Crack, and I started dreaming big. I actually signed up for a big, expensive booth, thinking I would fill it with small and large (6ft!) sculptures and it would be awesome. I wrote my big check and mailed off my paperwork, patting myself on the back for "taking it to the next level". That lasted about a week. Then life set in, and I wasn't getting much studio time and I begin to worry over this empty LARGE booth I would have at the show. What changed, you ask?? Well, the Show Crack had worn off, and real life was showing itself to me, once again. I have a young daughter, and she is my first priority. She is the kind of child that wants to be with you and be involved in whatever you are doing. Or she wants you to play with her in whatever activity she is involved in. This is not conducive to making clay sculptures!! I also have other time constraints, like eating, sleeping, and trying to exercise regularly. Then there are things like the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and the time-eating computer. So long story short, right now, I do not get a lot of studio time to create work. I've never been a very prolific maker anyway - I get bogged down in details - and what in the world was I thinking when I signed up for that bigger booth? The answer: I must have been smoking Show Crack! So, in the end, the large booth wasn't too empty (it certainly could have been fuller!) and the earth didn't stop rotating, but I learned my lesson (i hope!). But it almost happened again recently. My husband and I are planning to spend 6 weeks out in San Francisco this summer, and I'm excited about it. Then, last week, I received my paperwork from the ACC for their San Francisco show - AND it would be happening while we were there! We would already be out there, and I'd have a place to stay! All I have to do is complete enough work and have it, and my booth furniture, shipped to our townhouse out in San Francisco. It couldn't get any easier! Yay! I can do the San Francisco show (gasp with excitement here!). And so I left the paperwork out to discuss my plan with my hubby when he got home later that evening... He got home late, and we didn't discuss the SF show that night. The next morning, my brain kicked in again, and I realized that it would be so hard for me to do this show. I was smoking the crack again! We leave July 11th, and that means I'd have to have ALL of my work completed before we left, which means I have under 3 months to do it. While it IS possible, it means I would have to really PUSH to get it all done. That means no birthday parties (my niece and my daughter), no trips to GA to see my family, and no work on the house will get done (we have a lot to do before our trip because we are renting out our house while we are gone). We also have ALOT of company coming at the end of June and staying through July 10, so that means all my work would have to be done by the end of June..... and you see where this is going??? And I also realized that it isn't a step in the right direction for my goals. I think it would be a great opportunity, and you never know what can come out of that, but I need to focus on making work for galleries right now. Darn. *Huge Disappointment*. But, that doesn't mean I can't make it happen next year. I just need to plan for it! Okay - I think I avoided the dreaded Show Crack this time, but I'll have to keep a lookout for it! I am planning on attending the show though, and checking it out. This is a great opportunity for me to shop the show, look at booths and make the call for next year. Whew. It is going to work out in my favor, I think. So, if you are in the area, go the the ACC show in SFran and hopefully, I'll see you there!

	2010 Show Dates
	Public Shows
	Baltimore, MD	Feb. 25-28, 2010 **NEW** 4-day show
	Atlanta, GA	Mar. 12-14, 2010 (Preview Party: Mar. 11)
	St. Paul, MN	Apr. 16-18 , 2010
	San Francisco, CA	Aug. 13-15, 2010
	Wholesale Show
	Baltimore, MD	Feb. 23-24, 2010 **NEW** 2-day show