The Rollercoaster of Art Shows: What I’ve Learned So Far

When I first started doing art shows, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I knew I loved creating art, but stepping into the world of booths, tents, long setup days, unpredictable crowds, and putting your work out there for strangers to judge is a completely different experience. So far, it’s been equal parts exciting, exhausting, discouraging, and rewarding.

My very first emerging artist show was such a positive experience. I walked away feeling encouraged and inspired. People connected with my work, I had great conversations, and it gave me this feeling of maybe I really can do this. There’s something surreal about seeing people stop, smile, and genuinely react to something you created in your own little corner of the world.

Then came my next big show…which was honestly kind of a disaster.

The weather turned bad, and my tent ended up getting destroyed. Anyone who does outdoor art shows knows weather can either make or break your entire weekend, and unfortunately I learned that lesson the hard way. It was stressful, disappointing, and one of those moments where you question whether all the effort is even worth it.

Because the truth is — art shows are a ton of work.

People see the final setup for a few hours, but they don’t always see the weeks leading up to it. The inventory prep, pricing, packaging, display planning, ordering supplies, loading everything into your car like a giant game of Tetris, setting up heavy equipment, worrying about weather, standing all day, tearing everything back down, and somehow doing it all over again the next morning. It’s physically exhausting and mentally draining at times.

But even after the bad experience, I kept going.

I’ve done a couple smaller shows since then that went really well and helped rebuild my confidence. Each one has taught me something new — about my setup, about what people respond to, about what I need to bring, and honestly about myself too. Every show feels like a learning experience.

Now this weekend I have another big show coming up, and for the first time I actually feel prepared instead of panicked. I’ve learned from the mistakes, upgraded some equipment, planned ahead better, and I feel much more confident walking into it. I know there will still be stress because that seems to come with the territory, but I also know I’m more capable than I was at the beginning.

So here’s to the early mornings, the heavy lifting, the unpredictable weather, the self-doubt, the exciting moments, and the people who stop by your booth and remind you why you started creating in the first place.

I’m still new to all of this, but so far? It’s definitely been an adventure.