It’s time for episode 3. A little later than planned but here none the less.
This episode is for the crafters thinking about planning their craft show year. Getting organized and finding the shows.
Here’s a handy pin board on Pinterest for podcast resources: http://pinterest.com/jdstar/deluxe-podcast-resources/
We frequently post about creative events in Oklahoma City – come Like us on Facebook! It’s a great way to interact with other Deluxe artists and fans.
It’s not too early to apply for the 2012 Deluxe show in Oklahoma City!
We already have a few artists from 2011 who are getting geared up for our next show on December 8, 2012.
Why wait? Apply online.
Because Deluxe keeps getting better every year, we are sure you’ll want to be part of our next show!
photo by Rex Barrett
Rex Barrett of Glass Eye Studios captured some great images at our 2011 show – check out this set on Facebook and please tag yourself!
photo by Rex Barrett
photo by Rex Barrett
We owe an incredibly huge thank you to Deluxe for highlighting our organization as the featured charity at the event this year. I arrived at Deluxe at 9:00am with chairs, raffle prizes, dog beds and signs in tow and was thrilled to see a little greyhound pen set up for us by the front entrance.
Thanks also to everyone who stopped by during the show to meet and pet the greyhounds. Many of you were impressed with how calm and friendly the dogs were, and how little barking and commotion they caused. We were busy during the entire event, answering questions and telling everyone about what great pets greyhounds make and how our adoption program works. Thank you to our amazing volunteers who picked up foster dogs and helped answer those questions, and to the Midtown Rotary for checking in on us and helping with set up!
I tweeted pictures of adoptable greyhounds during the show at @greyhoundpetsok. Polly’s cute Christmas pajamas sure got her a lot of attention!
One more round of special thanks to those local businesses and individuals who donated raffle prizes: Ashley Smith at No Regrets Tattoo, Deep Fork Group, Adrian Mix of Fried Okra, Jemellia Hilfiger of JemJam, and Robin Mead. We raised $200 that will help us with veterinary costs, food, and supplies for our foster greyhounds. Every greyhound that we are able to provide foster care for here in central Oklahoma gets lots of attention on our blog, website, and at show and tell events. When these dogs get adopted, we can bring in more of the retired racing greyhounds out there waiting for homes.
So far in 2011, we’ve adopted out 55 greyhounds. Two more potential adoptions are in the works thanks to some love connections at Deluxe. Thank you for your support, Deluxe, and thank you, Oklahoma City!
-Emily Williams, Hounds of the Heartland
3 Bears Studio
3 Dirty Dogs
All About Wood
Amity Treasures
Art by Bethany
Audrey Eclecitc
Bee Butter
Bella Vita Handmade Jewelry
Boba Felt
Bombs Away Art Co.
Booty J Crochet
Bowling Stones Mosaics
Brad Humphreys Painting, LLC
Bushytails
Canto del Ave
Christie Cone Ceramics
CJ Lampwork
CJB Jewelry and Things
CraftyMinx
Darci Lenker
Designs by Jamie
explodingmary designs
FB Design
Feather by Feather
Fifi du Vie
FriedOkra
Funkybella
Gleeful Peacock
Go Ape by Sue & Other Stuff Too!
Goodies Unlimited
Green Couch Design
Group Fly Clothing
Gypsy Bird Design
Haley Luna Photography
Hidden Canyon Soapworks, LLC
HOOK LINE SINKER
JemJam
JDStar
JuJu
Julia Sews
Keep It Local OK
Lindsay Harkness Photography
Lollipops Sugar Shoppe
Luda Pearl
Luksi Creations
maggie may i
marekalaine
Marigold
Microcosm Publishing
MorianArt
MoviesArtwork by Felix Matos
Myers Studio
OH, Honey Child
Organic Gardens
oso handmade
Pete & Paul
Pink Acorn Designs
Pippin and Pearl
Pop Prints
Power and Light Press
promiseArt
Rainbow Swirlz
Sabi Wabi
Sam Scott Photography
Samantha Lamb Photography
Sandstone Hills Pottery
Shanna Banana
ShannaRama Pottery
Starlite salon
Story Builder Toys
Sweetheartville
Tail Feathers Diapers
The Bungalow Studio
the cat’s pajamas
The Loose Feather
The Mouse Market
The Roving Rabbit
tisa’s creations
Tweet Baby Designs
Vintage Ice
Vintage Modern Life
Wild.Flower, LLC
If you’re planning on applying to Deluxe, now is the time! September 15 is our deadline. Please get your application and fees in ASAP!
Last week, local author and polymer clay enthusiast Angela Mabray shared her story of finding like-minded artists and forming a group. Here, she shares tips on how to form your own creative community.
1) Find a Friend (or a Few!)
Starting a group seemed like a daunting task to me. But finding even one like-minded friend helps make it a realistic goal. If you already know people in the area who share your interest, let them know about your vision and see if anyone jumps on board. If you don’t know anyone, do some research — both online (Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo groups) and offline (craft fairs, local supply stores). Post in forums, write about it on your blog, and email folks you think might be interested. Ask people to forward the info to others they think might be interested.
2) Make a Plan
Saying you’d like to start a group *someday* isn’t enough. Once you have a few folks who show interest, set a date for an organizing meeting. There you can decide on a good time and place for your regular meetings. Brainstorm ways to get the word out, and ask for volunteers to help do some of those things.
3) Publicize
Keep getting the word out there every way you can. Create a basic website with info. Ask your members to announce it using their various online presences. Then supplement that with local opportunities. The Deluxe organizers allowed us to hold a demo meeting at one of the shows. We’ve also done demos at the Oklahoma State Fair and shown our work in a month-long display at a local library.
4) Be Patient
Don’t get discouraged if you keep plugging away and growth still seems slow. People are busy, and sometimes they need a few months to fit a new thing into their lives. They may feel awkward about coming to a meeting where they don’t already know someone. And even the ones who do attend may never come back. Give it at least 6-12 months before you’ll even consider throwing in the towel. Allow the right people to find you. Be welcoming to visitors and follow up with them… but accept that the ones who never came back may not have been a good fit for your group.
5) Be Flexible
Once things get going, allow the group to grow beyond what you originally imagined. Don’t let it stay “your baby.” I served as our group’s president for the first two years, but I was careful to really let go when I passed that office to the next person. New officers invariably do things a little differently. They each have their own strengths and focuses, and can help build the group in specific ways. Our group set term limits on our officers to hep encourage that constant change. This also spreads the work around and ensures everyone has a stake in the group’s success.
Just like any other worthwhile task, growing a local group can take some work and a little time. But you may find yourself rewarded in ways you never expected. Best of luck to you!
Angela Mabray is a co-founder of the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild, which meets the second Saturday of each month at the Moore Hobby Lobby. She blogs about polymer clay at CraftyGoat’s Notes and recently co-authored Polymer Clay 101.
Guest post from Angela Mabray, co-author of Polymer Clay 101
Five years ago, I wondered if I was the only gal in Central Oklahoma using polymer clay. Today, I have the pleasure of knowing a whole group full of folks who love it as much as I do, and we meet monthly to learn and play together.
Have you wondered if you might enjoy meeting with others who share your artistic passion, whatever that may be? If you’re thinking about starting your own group, I’ll share a few tips in an upcoming post. But today I’ll start by telling some of the unexpected benefits I’ve found through starting my own group.
Penni Jo Couch and I started the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild in late 2006. We found each other through a polymer clay-themed Yahoo group, after an exchange where we realized we were 1) both in the Oklahoma City area, and 2) both interested in meeting with other clay-ers.
Our first meeting consisted of just the two of us, and the group stayed pretty small the first year or so. But with some effort, we gradually grew, and we’re now up to 10 regularly-attending members plus frequent guests.
I think the two of us had slightly different goals when we first decided to start the group. Penni Jo was interested in the social aspect — swaps and play days. I’m a little on the shy side, so I was nervous about meeting new people. But I was eager to expand local awareness of polymer clay. Plus I’d heard about the polymer clay libraries the larger guilds had, and I thought all that locally-available reading material sounded divine.
I’m sure as each of our other members joined up, they were interested in slightly different things, too. The wonderful thing is that the group became more than any of us could have imagined.
Since the beginning, our meetings have consisted of a single member sharing a project or technique they knew, teaching the other members as they went. I’d never taught a group in my life, but with our small membership, I needed to teach often to keep things going. I went to Toastmasters to get past my fear of speaking to a group. I studied new polymer clay techniques to share. In the process, I learned a lot about both my medium and myself. I also saw first-hand where my instructions were lacking. I found out where other people had difficulties, and I was able to focus on those things not only in subsequent classes, but also in blog posts for my website, and later in my book.
Speaking of which, I’m not sure I’d be a published author today if it weren’t for my local community. And I’ve been happy to see the other members of the group find their own successes. Penni Jo now has her own very-successful line of polymer clay molds and has been asked to teach at polymer clay retreats across the nation. Several of our members (including one who joined the group as a beginner!) now teach local classes. Various members have placed in large polymer clay contests and/or had their work published in a national polymer clay magazine. I personally feel the group’s constant encouragement is part of what has led these artists to their successes.
We’ve done the things Penni Jo and I originally envisioned. Our library has 70+ polymer clay books and magazines. We hold themed swaps every other month. Plus we’ve done other things we hadn’t initially imagined. We held our first retreat earlier this year, which even drew a couple of clayers from outside the state. Through the Bottles of Hope program, we’ve shared pieces of polymer clay art with many local cancer patients. And I have to mention the friendship aspect. Together we’ve gone through baby showers and funerals and everything in between. Our meetings are full of chatter and laughter. We are able to encourage each other both artistically and in the more mundane day-to-day matters.
If you want to try starting your own group, come back next week for a few tips on making it work.
Join us Saturday for our monthly meeting!
Angela Mabray is a co-founder of the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild, which meets the second Saturday of each month at the Moore Hobby Lobby. She blogs about polymer clay at CraftyGoat’s Notes and recently co-authored Polymer Clay 101.
