Yesterday, my friend, Paul Kasmir did his very first show at Lititz Springs. It was a one day, outdoor art show. The weather was sunny and mild, and about 2,000 people came to see the work of over a hundred artists, amateur to professional. And how did the artists do?

Some artists sold well, but the majority of artists didn't.

Okay, the economy is not good, but why art sells or doesn't sell is impossible to figure out. An abstract artist, who sold over $2,000 two years ago and over $1,000 last year, sold only one small item and didn't even cover her costs. (She hadn't raised her prices or changed her art.) By the afternoon, one young artist, who did pencil drawings, put up a sign, half price sale - this is my last show ever! Her frustration was obvious and painful to see.

Paul sold only prints, no originals. With all the work he put into getting ready for a show, I know it was disappointing. Here's some of what he emailed me after getting home -

"I was a little down by the end of the show - it's such a shame that the economy is forcing artists out of sharing their art with the community and specifically children. But I was rewarded beyond belief with the intangible things - the ohhs and ahhs, the laughter, the questions and interacting with people. It was definitely worth trying, and I'll try it again."

I'm doing an outdoor show myself in two weeks - my first in two years. I'm preparing what I hope will sell (this is my newest painting, Buoy oh Buoy) and crossing my fingers. And I've already lined up a gallery to place what I bring back from the show. Long-term planning helps keep me 'on course'. I don't get too giddy, if I do have success, and I don't get too depressed, if I don't. And I focus on having fun and meeting people, whether I'm selling or not. I figure, I only get one life. I want to create the best art I possibly can and enjoy myself. That's really the only thing artists need to figure out.