RAW Showcase Report Special!

This is Pigeon's Poop's 60th blog post
and it's a RAW Manhattan showcase event's special report! 
(ok, honestly, I've never quite figured out what exactly this event was called..but it's the same one I've been talking about..)

 Since I was scouted by RAW in the end of April, everything just went like crazy fast.
I must thank RAW for finding me and giving me the opportunity to be included in this amazing showcase.
And I also must thank my partner, friends, and supporters who came to this event.
Pigeon Dynamite could not be what it is today without you.
So thank you, truly.  I cannot possibly find right words in any language I know to thank each of you enough and express how thankful I am.
I am one lucky duck to have met each one of you in my life.

And this event brought me some amazing encounters as well.
Cliff, the artist who makes super original rad jewelry, Custom Peace,  from Columbus was my neighbor vendor that day.
Since his booth was right next to mine, naturally we started talking before the show started.
He showed me his native American jewelry inspired beautiful pieces.
(image from Custom Peace Facebook page)

His work is not only unique but also has such depth in design and mad inspiring.
His creativity and talent gave me motivation as a new jewelry artist. 
Definitely check out his Facebook page and Instagram.

And Bohemians, the band from Long Island, was one of my favorite guys of the night.
Don't be fooled by their band name, these guys were totally rocking out that night, which was kind of unexpected because I initially thought these dudes would play something really loose with sitars..but I was wrong.
When one of them came check out my booth before the show started, I noticed he had Japanese origami on his shirt and I saw all the members had them too so I was secretly calling them "Origami boyz" and thinking their music would be something "oriental"..like, sitar again...wrong again. So wrong.

Mr.orange, Mr.pink, Mr. yellow, Mr. blue..I don't know if these colors represent anything but nice touch. (image from Bohemians Facebook page)
It was so good to see Bohemians bringing some groovy music and people really enjoying, having good time.
You can tell these guys really love music and it's great and so refreshing to see that in new bands like them.
They are also super nice guys too. (It's like, so comforting to see good musicians who are not bunch of a$sh0les..) They came back to my booth and handed me their album after the show. I wish all the best for them and am very excited for their new gig coming up next month at Webster Hall.

And Pigeon Dynamite had a wonderful night as well.
That day, I carried a bag about size of myself all the way to the city taking a train.
So it started out kinda rough, but as all the artists setting up their stage and booths, time passed by fairly quickly and I wasn't panicking. I would say, doing the presentations in interior architecture school was much more nerve wracking to me.
my friends took pictures of my booth-thank you Y&K!!

My first customer bought two necklaces, and it was a great start of the night.
Other customer saw my necklace I was wearing and went "can I try that? Are you selling it?"
 It was a nice surprise sale.
Luckily I had its head shot. I wasn't putting it out for sale just because it was just really new and was going to have it for sale after the show case.


One of the fashion show models.

 Live music, Fashion shows, dance performance, it was all so cool and fun.


In the end of the day, I was exhausted but too high from all the amazing coffee around Highline Ballroom, such as Ninth Street Coffee at Chelsea market, Blue Bottle, and Intelligentsia. (Yes, I've had it all..)
The location was spot on for coffee lovers like me..and kinda dangerous.
The next morning, with barely enough sleep, I was looking at these cute shit stickers my friend gave me at the show and still feeling the excitement and happiness from the successful night. 
It really was such a magical night.
Having all my favorite people supporting me at the show meant a world to me.
Meeting creative artists from any fields really is my favorite part of participating this kind of event as well.
Meeting my customers, and real persons makes me realize that I am still dealing with people even though business side of reality sometimes forces me to keep my brain emotion less.
I always find it so difficult to keep the passion as business, but also find running business is so much like building a relationship.
Usually my business is through internet, and I cannot know the buyer so I feel extra anxious in a sense that I feel I need to be more honest, providing every possible information about the products, and being completely open for questions so that they could trust me.
Without having real in-person-communication and having the customers physically seeing the pieces I make, I understand it is hard for the customers to decide to purchase.
So when purchase happens on internet, it is so rewarding in a sense even more or so to me than selling it in person. And it's just not the end there. I contact the customers after the purchase as well. It is just for making sure they have received the item, they liked it, have any concerns or just to let them know if I have new promotions or simply just to thank them.
Like I said, business is like building a relationship.
I cannot explain this well, but meeting the customer in person, it creates the certain notion of comfort that I could see it physically that the customer trusts me and my work.
I also can see how it gets addictive to see when customers show that they really like my work.
When I was little, I was always told by my father, who is a business man, that business cannot and should not be survived in a long run if your are not honest.
I was never a daddy's little girl type, but most of basics of business came from him, come to think of it.
 This event made me re-confirm that I love what I do and I want to be better and keep making beautiful jewelry.
So stay tuned for new PD's work.

Well..yes! There will be so many more new items coming!
Summer has just started!
Thanks for reading,

記念すべき60回目のブログポストは!
先週行われた、RAWアートショーケースのレポートです!

 本当に本当に全てがあっという間に決まって行って、スカウトされた4月下旬から約一ヶ月の準備期間は一瞬のように過ぎていきました。
 最初に、私のサポートに来てくれた人みんなにお礼をさせて下さい。
本当にありがとう!!言葉だけでは感謝しきれません。
ここまで来れたのは、私を支えてくれる人たち、ひとりひとりのおかげなんです。
サポートしてくれるひとたちみんなに出会えた事、
毎度毎度ですが、本当に自分はなんてラッキーなんだろうと思います。 

www.pigeondynamite.etsy.com
友達が私のブース写真もいっぱい撮ってくれてました。
そして、このイベントでも、たくさんの素敵な出会いがありました!
カスタムピースというオリジナルジュエリーを作っているクリフ。
彼とはたまたま隣のブースで話し出して意気投合。
オハイオ州のコロンバスから今回マンハッタンでのこのイベントに参加したそうです。
クリフの作るジュエリーは何よりもインパクト大!

(image from Custom Peace Facebook page)
インディアンジュエリーにインスパイアされたというのも頷ける大振りなジュエリーがパンチ効いてて凄く好みでした。
Instagram: https://instagram.com/custom_peace/

そしてメンバー皆がナイスなロングアイランド出身のバンド、ボヘミアンズ
ボヘミアンズとか言いながら、全然ゆるくなくて、ライブは超ノリノリ。
何でか服装に皆折り紙がくっついてたので、最初はオリガミボーイズと勝手に呼んでたんですが、演奏前も演奏後も私のブースに来てくれてフリーでアルバムもくれたり
超若いナイスガイ達です。
 
音楽も聴きやすいグルーヴィーなバンド。これからも頑張ってくれー!と応援したくなる彼らです。
私はというと、今回のショーに向けてのプレミーティングだとか、会場廻りだとか、
ありとあらゆるミーティングをほぼ全て訳あってミスってきたんですが
当日は本当に、それぞれのアーティストが
お互いのアートについて軽く会話したりしながら準備を進めていて、心地良い緊張感がありました。開場の4時間前にアーティストのローディングが始まったので、私は大荷物を背負って電車で会場迄行って、ひとり黙々とセッティング。。
ハイラインボールルームは立地が最高で、近くにはチェルシーマーケットもあるし、
Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, Ninth Streetとかコーヒー天国。
途中何度も抜け出してはコーヒーだのおやつだの買いに行ってました。
(おかげでこの日はコーヒー飲みすぎてちょっとフラフラに。。)

バンドのサウンドチェックや、ファッションショーのリハーサルでオープンがちょっと押したみたいだったけど、それでもすぐに会場は満員に!
それと同時にパフォーマンスなんかも始まったりで、皆お酒を片手に楽しんでいました。
 最初のお客様は、2点ネックレスを購入して頂いて、その瞬間も友達がしっかり写真に収めていてくれました。
こういう時の感動は本当に忘れがたいものがあります。
自分の作ったものを実際に手に取ってもらって、購入してもらう。
普段はインターネットを通しての販売が主なので、
お客様を目の前に、自分で商品を手渡しする事には、やっぱり身に沁みて感動するものがあります。
この日は何と、売り物としては出していなかったんですが、
私が身に付けていた新作のネックレスも欲しいと言って購入していただきました!

 まだ新作だったので、ヘッドショットも作ったとこだったんですが、
売り切れてしまいました。


ショーも終盤に差し掛かり、ファッションショーや、ダンスパフォーマンスで会場の盛り上がりが一気にピークに。

私もついつい見入ってしまう程のパフォーマンスでした。

PDも大盛況で、とんでもない疲労感でしたが、とっても満足のいくショーケースになりました。翌日に友達のくれたステッカーを見ながら、ゆっくりと余韻に浸っていました。


本当に楽しい経験になりました。アートをビジネスとしてやっていくのは本当に難しいけれど、こういうイベントを通して、ビジネスというのは人間関係を築いていく事と同じなんだなと毎回思わされます。

ひとつひとつの出会いを大切にしながら、これからも頑張っていきます。
ETSY日本語でも対応しています。メインサイトはこちら
ブログから購入の仕方の説明をさせて頂いています。購入法はこちらから
日本限定サイト、クリーマも展開しています。
チェックしてみてくださいね!
読んでくれたひと、ありがとう。

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