MOMOKO: January 2009 Newsletter

Archive

2011
January

2010
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
Februray
January

2009
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
March
February
January

2008
December
November
October
August
July
June
May
April
March
Februrary
January

2007
December
November
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

Sundays, January 11, 18, and 25: Surfside Marketplace

At THE SURFSIDE MARKETPLACE, you will find farm-fresh fruits and vegetables (organic and conventional), gourmet produce, plants, honey/pollen product, freshly baked bread (my favorite), ceviche, natural soap, and of course local arts and crafts. It's a fun place to spend your Sunday afternoon - only a block away from the beach and also a block away from Bal Harbour Shops.

Unexplained Pink-Red Phenomenon and New Year 2009

As some of you might know already, I became a street vendor starting December 14th, 2008. So far, I have done it only three times at a local green market every Sunday, and I noticed a strange phenomenon. The picture below is a cluster of 13 art pieces I had sold on three Sundays, and you may notice they are all pink, reddish pink, or at least there is a pink color on it! If you are somewhat familiar with my work, you know that pink is rather a minor part of my work. Those buyers were not related to each other. They didn't even come together and were from all different cultural background. I was not able to pin point any external reason for people to pay me and take pink art home.( scroll down ... story continues below the picture)

This is extremely unusual because in my experience as an art selling person, pink has been a difficult color to sell. Thus I had lots of pink “left-over” so to speak. I am theorizing that due to this consequent bad news after bad news about economy, people had instinctively and unconsciously chosen a color group that can calm them. Nonetheless, I am running out of pink in my inventory. And after all, I began to like pink after hearing too much of bad news about economy. Would you be surprised if I tell you that the prison walls are painted pink in order to calm prisoners?

No More Listing of My Art Online

I started selling online in February 2008. I started making sales in March, and in a few months I was listed as one of the best sellers in the online gallery. Due to the online existence I made additional offline sales to those who rather wanted to see my art in person before making decisions on which ones to buy. The online listings helped them have a good idea of what I have in inventory before seeing the art in person. I had been successful, considering so many artists are not able to sell their works at all.

However, I was always aware that by listing pricings online, some high-end art galleries would not work with me. As I thought of having the new President of America, having a (bad) new global economy, and having uncertainty in a degree that we are not familiar with at all, I decided to change the way I sell. So I no longer sell my originals online.

This year I will be traveling in the States as a vendor of art fairs and festivals. I am still tackling the paperwork/applications. I truly think that I would be better off in the West Coast, especially when economy is no longer the same as before. It is only 10 to 11 hours to Japan from the West Coast, and I have much more opportunities to work as pretty much anything there. We all have to somehow survive during this economical “whatever” so I will not be spending sweaty summer in Miami this year.

MOMOKO : January 2009

Saturday, January 10, 17, 24, and 31: Green Market at Region Park

Sundays, January 11, 18, and 25: Surfside Marketplace

February 2009

Unexplained Pink-Red Phenomenon and New Year 2009

Some Booth Shots

No More Listing of My Art Online

Now I Can Swipe You! - I Take Credit Card