Some of My Favorite Past Comments From Art Shows...

[John Ames]

Some of these are oft repeated... some uttered one time only but they stuck with me... I'm sure I'll think of more...

1. "I used to do that in high school"
2. "what am I supposed to do with that?"
3. "Is it dishwasher safe?"
4. "I saw stuff like this in Target"
5. "Is this real wood?"
6. Random guy walking around the show screaming... "ALL GARBAGE!!"
7. Young lady wants to come in the booth and is tugging the boyfriend's arm... he says incredulously: "You LIKE that stuff?"
8. "I bought this from you last year..." Showing me a picture of something awful that I would never have made let alone sold...
9. "Can I use this as an ashtray?" (You can use it for whatever you want if you buy it...)
10. "Can I come to your shop and watch you make something?"
11. Pointing at me and screaming "I've seen you on YouTube!" (nope)
12. "I hate wood"
13. "I wish I would have seen your booth first... I just bought this other bowl"
14. Little kid picks up bowl... Mom yells "I told you don't touch!" Kid drops bowl on the grass... Mom walks out with child without saying anything...
15. "what do you do for a real job?"

 

[Russell Nugent]

How about some positive ones, I assume you wouldn't keep doing it if the negative is all you hear.

 

[Darryn Achall]

Most common thing heard that I find humorous: "Did you make that?"

 

[Darryl Fective]

I've only done a few shows and only heard good comments, but maybe some just don't verbalize their negative/rude thoughts.

 

[Lance Mirrer]

How about some positive ones, I assume you wouldn't keep doing it if the negative is all you hear.

I'll take those two.

 

[Jaramiah Severns]

How about some positive ones, I assume you wouldn't keep doing it if the negative is all you hear.

“These are beautiful.” Then they leave without buying anything 😭. I tell my wife, if compliments were currency, we could’ve retired already.

Just being cynical 😬. I always appreciate hearing nice things about my work and talking to everyone who takes time to stop by our booth.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Most common thing heard that I find humorous: "Did you make that?"

My answer......Of course! What else would I be here for?

 

[Paul Paukstelis]

My answer......Of course! What else would I be here for?

The one market that I attend has a large number of vendors that buy things at second-hand shops and re-sell them (presumably at some inflated price). If someone has come across a lot of those folks first, I can understand them asking. I always take a lathe with me (weather permitting) so I can actually show them that I made the items.

 

[hockenbery]

One favorite. When I was one of the few people turning hollow forms in Maryland.

A guy was holding an early hollow form turning it and saying to me several times “you are really good” .
Of course my pride response is kicking in.

Then he says “I give up. I’ve been a carpenter for 20 years and I know the only way to make something like this is to split it apart hollow it and glue it back together. I’ve been looking for you glue joint for 10 minutes and I can’t find it. Please show it to me.”

we then had a nice conversation about hollowing tools and the process.

 

[Daniel Bartlett]

I had the same conversation with my Dad when I gave him a hollow form many years ago. It was also spalted which he had a hard time with.

 

[Darryl Fective]

“These are beautiful.” Then they leave without buying anything 😭. I tell my wife, if compliments were currency, we could’ve retired already.

Just being cynical 😬. I always appreciate hearing nice things about my work and talking to everyone who takes time to stop by our booth.

I really don't mind those who don't buy anything. The fact that they stop and look is good enough. The positive comments don't pay any bills, but they do feel good.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

One thing to remember from all the comments that customers make is that they are all "shoppers" . Do you buy everything you pick up when at Wal-Mart or any store? No. Customers ask questions and we as a "retailer" are there to give answers. We all have the same feelings of that person who asks lots of questions but buys nothing as to it being a waste of our time. However after 50 years in retail I know that is a part of selling.

It does feel good to get compliments , but remember that person may not want exactly what we are selling. Yes I have had someone pick up a box and drop the lid , broke the finial , and just picked up part of it and walked off. So no fancy finials unless roped off.

 

[Donna Banfield]

The type of questions being asked will depend in part on the market in which you’re selling. If it’s an outdoor street fair, or town common, where people are free to enter, those are always going to have a greater percentage of unsophisticated attendees. Very few are going with the intent to buy, but rather a place to go for the day or a pleasant afternoon.

I used to have a large flat screen with videos on a thumb drive, showing my process. (iPads or tablets are small enough that can be easily stolen if I am distracted by someone actually buying something). I ended up removing it because it became entertainment, drawing a crowd to watch, but no room for people to get into the booth and actually see my work.

If they really want to know the process, I invite them to visit my website, which has a video of the making of Soul Series No. 19. It can be viewed on the website, or they can click on a link that takes them to my YouTube channel.

 

[Curt Fuller]

we then had a nice conversation about hollowing tools and the process.

I think hollowing is the most difficult thing to explain to someone that has never seen or tried woodturning.

 

[odie]

"Why would anyone buy one of your bowls.....when there is Tupperware?"

"Oh, woodturning is easy.....I did that in high school shop class."

 

[Dave Landers]

I think hollowing is the most difficult thing to explain to someone that has never seen or tried woodturning.

I tell them things like...
The lathe is like a sideways pottery wheel.
The lathe is the only woodworking tool where the motor moves the wood and the craftsman holds the knife - everything else, the cutting tool is powered by the motor, and the craftsman holds/moves the wood.
For hollowing, I stick my finger in the opening and bring it out with my finger bent - then say I have tools shaped like this.
All the wood from the inside had to come out thru this hole.

 

[John Ames]

How about some positive ones, I assume you wouldn't keep doing it if the negative is all you hear.

This post was supposed to be funny and share the ridiculous side of showing one's work to the public and what we have to put up with at times. All of these interactions make me laugh... I'm never offended. Im proud of my work, I usually like what I make, and don't really care if people don't like it. I find it amusing when someone says something idiotic.

I get 1000 positive reactions for every negative thing. If I post a list of nice things people say about me and my work it seems a little egotistical, to me. But here's my 2 favorites:

"You're a woodturning God!"

A lady comes in and says she really wants to get this bowl for her father but "Can't get it to him."
I confidently say I've shipped my work all over the world....
She says her father passed away a month ago and we had shared a good laugh about shipping a bowl to Heaven...
Then we talked about her dad and how he was a woodworker etc... Pretty cool moment

 

[Jerry Bennett]

John, you make the point, there is nothing better than standing next to a piece you have created and witness someone’s first real look at a well crafted turning and then they stay long enough to hear how it was done. Being an ambassador is fun too!

 

[Chris Hoehle]

I've gotten the "Is that real wood?" LOL. Like, no, it's just 3d printed and the wood is painted on.

Some of these do speak to an area I wish the AAW would try to do better on- raising the public perception/awareness of woodturning. For example, our roughly analogous body in ceramics, NCECA, has its annual conferences in top tier cites then recruits dozens of galleries in the host city to have tons of member work on display in conjunction with their event. Would be nice to see the AAW do similar.

 

[Aaron Harris]

I've only done a couple of Christmas shows so far, and heard variations on some of the above comments. But the best one by far was when someone picked up one of my big center-piece size walnut bowls (about 13"x5") with just stunning figure, and one I had really taken my time to nail the finish. She gasped and said, "Holy shit." I rather enjoyed that, not gonna lie. That reaction is now my goal with what I call my "show-stopper" level bowls as opposed to the more utilitarian, mid-grade bowls.

As I'm gearing up to go at it "full-time" after I retire in a few weeks, I guess I need to develop a thick skin with some people's more coarse behavior nowadays. That said, I really enjoy talking about my craft with people who make the mistake of showing interest lol!

 

[Steve Nix]

“They’re so smooth “.. I could make more at a nickel a feel than selling them.

 

[GRJensen]

A guy was looking at one of my toothpick holders, so I asked him if he had any questions.

He said: "Can I use this as a shot glass?"

I told him he use it for anything he wanted so long as he gave me 20 bucks. He bought it.

 

[Brian Gustin]

A guy was looking at one of my toothpick holders, so I asked him if he had any questions.

He said: "Can I use this as a shot glass?"

I told him he use it for anything he wanted so long as he gave me 20 bucks. He bought it.

I'll have to borrow that one!

 

[Darryl Fective]

John, you make the point, there is nothing better than standing next to a piece you have created and witness someone’s first real look at a well crafted turning and then they stay long enough to hear how it was done. Being an ambassador is fun too!

When you can combine a piece with a story, you often make the sale.

 

[hughie]

If I have a spectacular burl piece the most common question "is this wood?"and often I get a sense of that they really dont believe me. Australia might be known for burls elsewhere in the world but sometimes down here folk have never seen or heard about them.

 

[Dean Center]

The "Is this really wood?" question struck me. So much of American Woodturner has been devoted lately to pieces that intentionally try to look like something other than wood, this is a pretty important question. I understand the skill and artistry required to make something look just like porcelain, aged copper, or leather. But I'm not a potter or a metalsmith, I'm a WOODturner, and I like my results to look like wood. If I were to sell my work, no one would have to ask this question. Now I'm going back in the cave and make something.

 

[Steven Forrest]

No one has said anything actually offensive. One woman at a street fair dropped a box, then got pissed when I asserted that she needed to pay for it (at this point, I would probably consider it the cost of doing business, but at the time, I just felt like everybody knows that if you break it, you've bought it - I might have been more forgiving had she been less arrogant). Regarding positive comments, probably the best moment was when one woman just stopped in her tracks at my open studio to take it in, and then said "this is breathtaking." Truly priceless, that one.

Oh - and when Jerry Kermode, a dear man and mentor, came to my open studio, watched me interact with folks and looked at my work, and said that I was the real deal. I'll take that any day over an actual sale. As someone who is still pretty new to offering my work for sale, I don't take any of this for granted.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

My most common question I get about my boxes....is it hollow and does it open? Um....you bet!!

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

No one has said anything actually offensive. One woman at a street fair dropped a box, then got pissed when I asserted that she needed to pay for it (at this point, I would probably consider it the cost of doing business, but at the time, I just felt like everybody knows that if you break it, you've bought it - I might have been more forgiving had she been less arrogant).

Did she pay for it?

 

[Chris Hoehle]

The "Is this really wood?" question struck me. So much of American Woodturner has been devoted lately to pieces that intentionally try to look like something other than wood, this is a pretty important question. I understand the skill and artistry required to make something look just like porcelain, aged copper, or leather. But I'm not a potter or a metalsmith, I'm a WOODturner, and I like my results to look like wood. If I were to sell my work, no one would have to ask this question. Now I'm going back in the cave and make something.

You might be surprised! I could understand the question in the context you outlined, but at least when I got the question, I thought my display was pretty darn "woody" haha- pic from that season's typical setup. Some milk paint and transtint for embellishment, but nothing hiding the wood other than that.

 

[Dave Hulett]

Ok, I'll bite on this one. No pictures but a story. Our club is in Hot Springs Arkansas. We had a visitor (who later became a member) join our meeting one Sturday. He was moving from a large city in California (they are all large compared to anything in Arkansas.! and on the way spent a few days with friends/family in Northern Arkansas. He had been a regularl at the local arts shows there and when he heard there was a county fair, since he had all his stuff with him, he signed up for a booth on Saturday. Figured "what the @#$".

The fair was well attended (for northern Arkansas) and he had a number of people come buy and look but near the shows end had sold nothing. A woman who had been buy earlier was 20 feet from the exit leaned over and said "Honey, if I had $100 I sure as He@# wouldn't spend it on some @#$#@# bowl! With that our friend learned that there is a big difference between customers in a big city in California and a small town in Arkansas. Demographics at work.

He joined our club for several years before moving on again but didn't bother trying to sell anything at an art/craft show in Arkansas. I spent my career in sales/marketing and the story makes me laugh everytime I tell it.

 

[Donna Banfield]

Ok, I'll bite on this one. No pictures but a story. Our club is in Hot Springs Arkansas. We had a visitor (who later became a member) join our meeting one Sturday. He was moving from a large city in California (they are all large compared to anything in Arkansas.! and on the way spent a few days with friends/family in Northern Arkansas. He had been a regularl at the local arts shows there and when he heard there was a county fair, since he had all his stuff with him, he signed up for a booth on Saturday. Figured "what the @#$".

The fair was well attended (for northern Arkansas) and he had a number of people come buy and look but near the shows end had sold nothing. A woman who had been buy earlier was 20 feet from the exit leaned over and said "Honey, if I had $100 I sure as He@# wouldn't spend it on some @#$#@# bowl! With that our friend learned that there is a big difference between customers in a big city in California and a small town in Arkansas. Demographics at work.

He joined our club for several years before moving on again but didn't bother trying to sell anything at an art/craft show in Arkansas. I spent my career in sales/marketing and the story makes me laugh everytime I tell it.

This is a very good reason why should you always try to visit a show before deciding to be an exhibitor or vendor. Understand your market.

 

[Jerry Bennett]

The "Is this really wood?" question struck me. So much of American Woodturner has been devoted lately to pieces that intentionally try to look like something other than wood, this is a pretty important question. I understand the skill and artistry required to make something look just like porcelain, aged copper, or leather. But I'm not a potter or a metalsmith, I'm a WOODturner, and I like my results to look like wood. If I were to sell my work, no one would have to ask this question. Now I'm going back in the cave and make something.

Am I getting kicked out of the tent again? 🥲

 

[John Ames]

Am I getting kicked out of the tent again? 🥲

I think you're safe, Jerry...

 

[Jerry Bennett]

Whew!