I know you can, But will you?

Frag-Today I want to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart. As many of you may know, the lady who owns us, tends to make a lot of crap. Mainly jewelry and other little bits of portable art work. And lately I have noticed that she is getting crankier about her stuffs. Not about making her stuffs, no, about selling her stuffs. She likes it when people decide to buy a bit of her art, and it really makes her happy when someone loves a piece of her art.

Fig-Okay, I fail to see what the problem is. I mean if it makes her happy then all is good right? She'll still let us out to play, right?

Frag-She will let us out to play no matter what, but we get to have the most fun when she is happy. So that brings me back to the original topic. Our fellow resident/owner likes to do craft fairs and shows and what not. So last year she booked us solid. One event after another, we barely had time to breath.

Fig-Oh yeah, I remember those! All the unpacking and repacking, all the organizing and stuff. It was a pain in the ass! I always got stuck untangling chains or working the lint roller.

Frag-I was in charge of trying to make everything fit in a space that was way too small, or maybe she just has too much shit. Anyway, for the most part these events were fun, but there was one common problem with all of them.

Fig-Yeah, not many people bought anything. They all had a great time looking, but alas, their wallets stayed firmly attached to their asses, or buried in purses.

Frag-There was that too, no I am talking about a more annoying problem. And I think that anyone else who makes stuff to try and sell has run into the same problem. And the bitch of the matter is, is that there is really no way to combat, or even fix the problem.

Fig-Okay, now you have me really confused. What the hell are you talking about? Wind? Rain? The forgotten bit of rope?

Frag-Nope. I wish I could say that this problem was in the realm of mother nature, or even in our lady's frazzled mind. No, sadly this has to do with other people. And all of you who have ever done a show has run into these people there. They are the "Hey, great idea! I can do that too!" people.

Fig-Oh, those ones.

Frag-Yep. These are the ones that manage to suck the fun out of the whole thing, and make me want to jump across the table and kick the crap out of them.

Fig-I hear ya. Those ones bite. Big time.

Frag-Now we realize that any time you make something and post pictures on the Internet, then you have to expect people to steal your designs or your artwork. But it is more frustrating to have these people tell you to your face that while your stuff is awesome and all, that they can do it too.

Fig-It would be different if they actually bought something...

Frag-It would be, I will give you that. And I know it really bugs her. To the point of wanting to give up sometimes. But she just keeps going, hopeful that those that really appreciate her stuff will continue to buy a piece here and there. So she keeps coming up with new ideas, and new projects, some of which can use what she already has, but somethings require a bit more stuff.

Fig-I think I see the problem. I am just not sure how to go about fixing it. Maybe a sign? Maybe something just totally different, or maybe people should just quite being asses.

Frag- I would like it if the last option were possible, but I don't think so. People are people and some have less social grace than others. So given the fact that people are people, and won't ever change, we will leave you with these parting words today.

Fig-We know that you are talented, we know that you can do everything we can do, and yes we even know that we have great ideas. But for the love of all that is unholy...Keep your mouth shut in front of the people who sell their handmade stuff at shows! For all of our fellow crafters out there, keep it up, and don't mind those who tell you they can do it too.

Frag-Because more often than not, those who say they can do it, won't.