26 May 2010

Art, versus something I could do and get paid for.

Last week, it occurred to me that I could probably make some money by going to the fleamarkt on a Saturday morning, picking out some little prizes, and assembling them (on the spot), and (hopefully) selling them by the end of the day. At the fleamarkt. Somewhere in the intersection of crafting, performance art, recycling, and yard sale. Also, and perhaps most importantly, it could be quite fun. The fleamarkt is basically a pre-sorted landfill, so any and every random thing I could need or want to put into a project would be there. Lamp parts, coffee pots, thermos bottles, LPs. I am very fond of this idea. The only real downside I see here is that it is juuuuuust over my introvert / extrovert threshold. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it once and see if I can survive it.

Ideally, I wouldn't actually go there with a plan for a finished item, just see what's there and come up with a concept on the spot. However, for a first run, I imagine a basic plan might be a really good idea, so I'll at least know what tools to take, and what to budget for materials.

Things I already know I'll need:
  • camera (for documentation)
  • something to sit on (there is a little drinking area there, that might suffice)
  • a wide brimmed hat (there is no shade)
  • some money to buy base materials
  • some courage to talk to strangers about what I'm doing / trying to sell
  • a basic tool kit (a way to cut things apart, a way to join things together, a way to clean up rough edges, a way to clean up dirty bits, a few spare parts, and whatever else seems like a good idea)
  • ... other? A bag lunch. 'cause if no one is going with me, I can't just walk away from my project to get lunch, I guess.
Does this idea sound interesting at all? The Mr. wasn't really into it, but he's not really a Maker.

3 comments:

Regan said...

I dig it. All except for the people part.

Liz said...

That's an awesome idea!

Holly said...

Regan, I will simply ask everyone else to leave the market while I am working.

Ammit, thanks. Will you come with me?