This July 4th, I was fortunate enough to spend Independence Day in pursuit of my own personal American dream. Bright and early I set up my photography booth at the Fun 4th Festival in downtown Greensboro, and I spent the day channeling my entrepreneurial spirit.
I've discovered that preparing for a festival requires a huge investment of resources and a certain sacrifice of sanity, but the reward is meeting new people, getting feedback on my photography, and being part of the excitement and energy generated whenever a crowd gathers to celebrate. Definitely worth it!
One of my favorite moments at the festival was watching a mother and her little boy pick out a photo together. When it came down to a choice between the tree frog and the anole, she held them up side by side and the boy pointed resolutely from his stroller. "That one!" "The lizard? I like that one best, too!" Their matching smiles as they left with their new purchase made my day.
A particularly nice perk of doing an event in my hometown is that in spite of being tied to my booth at the festival, I still got to spend the day among friends and family. Thanks for the company and for the encouraging words - and thank you so much for supporting the business! It's not often that you get to have your cake and eat it, too.
Now, an aside to the passionate young artist I met on Thursday, who has a strong aversion to algebra: Make as many doodles on your math notes as necessary to remain sane while you solve for x! Talking with you made me think of the scrapbook in my closet that's full of drawings I made in the margins of my class notes. It's like a visual diary of my school years, and I treasure it (even the awkward and weird parts). Whatever form your art takes, I hope it will always be a source of joy for you!
I've discovered that preparing for a festival requires a huge investment of resources and a certain sacrifice of sanity, but the reward is meeting new people, getting feedback on my photography, and being part of the excitement and energy generated whenever a crowd gathers to celebrate. Definitely worth it!
One of my favorite moments at the festival was watching a mother and her little boy pick out a photo together. When it came down to a choice between the tree frog and the anole, she held them up side by side and the boy pointed resolutely from his stroller. "That one!" "The lizard? I like that one best, too!" Their matching smiles as they left with their new purchase made my day.
A particularly nice perk of doing an event in my hometown is that in spite of being tied to my booth at the festival, I still got to spend the day among friends and family. Thanks for the company and for the encouraging words - and thank you so much for supporting the business! It's not often that you get to have your cake and eat it, too.
Now, an aside to the passionate young artist I met on Thursday, who has a strong aversion to algebra: Make as many doodles on your math notes as necessary to remain sane while you solve for x! Talking with you made me think of the scrapbook in my closet that's full of drawings I made in the margins of my class notes. It's like a visual diary of my school years, and I treasure it (even the awkward and weird parts). Whatever form your art takes, I hope it will always be a source of joy for you!