A Leap of Faith

Well... I finally did it. I made my first *HUGE* investment into this thing I do called art. (Mind you, the tens of thousands of dollars I've already spent on every art supply imaginable doesn't count.) What did I do, you ask? I bought a booth setup for art fairs.

Steve and I have done a TON of research over the past few weeks. We've attended art fairs and scrutinized various displays. We've reviewed setups online. And I've been asking everyone I can possibly think of for help.

The bottom line is this: I am committed to making this work. And Steve is 100 percent behind me. I didn't want to get some mickey-mouse setup with an eye on getting the "real thing" further down the road. If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. I respect myself and my art at least that much.

So, we decided to go with a Trimline tent and Mesh Panel display system by a company found here: www.flourish.com. Jim helped me figure out everything that I need. They're the nicest people, by the way, which made this purchase much more palatable. If any of you ever end up purchasing from them, please tell them that I sent you! Jim says I should have the entire shipment in about a week and a half. This is a good thing because I need to have photos of my booth setup in order to apply to the Beverly Hills art show in July.

I certainly would not have had the gumption to go forth with this if it weren't for one very generous soul: MaryBeth Shaw. She responded to a plea for help I made on one of my Yahoo Groups. She didn't know me from Adam, but she has patiently helped me, referred me, encouraged me, and answered every single one of my questions. I can't express my gratitude enough. Her website is: www.mbshaw.com. I'm going to post a link to her blog to the right, under "links". She certainly has fast become an inspiration.

Now that the order has been placed and the money spent, I feel a curious sense of calm and relief. Yes, I'm still scared. But I feel like I've taken one step further on this journey of mine...