Pricing your own work is one of the trickiest parts of running any creative business.  With something as subjective as art and design, you are placing a concrete value on very nebulous qualities, like talent, taste, and experience.  In this session, our fabulous panel of experienced and successful professionals will help you navigate those tricky [...]

The popularity of DIY craft has paved the way for dozens of indie craft shows all over the country. What makes a show successful for both vendors and attendees alike? How do you organize your show to meet the needs of sponsors? Can you build a community and following from your events? Meet seasoned organizers [...]

As creative professionals, we love to DIY, but what do you do when your business starts to outgrow you? In this panel we’ll discuss some ways to take your business to “the next level,” without having to sacrifice quality or vision. We’ll cover issues like outsourcing production, licensing, distribution, and setting up commercial space. Our [...]

This is your chance to lead a session, ask questions and connect with other attendees in more personal attendee driven sessions. What is an Unconference? An unconference is a facilitated participant-driven face-to-face conference around a theme or purpose. How does an unconference work? This portion of the conference will be facilitated and explained by a [...]

The Extreme Craft Roadshow is a 50-minute slide presentation covering many of the “Greatest Hits” of the Extreme Craft website. The artists and projects presented in the lecture are by turns hilarious, inspirational, deranged, sexual and downright disturbing. The Extreme Craft Roadshow presents its audience with a portrait of the blurred line between art and [...]

When Garth Johnson set out to do research for his book, 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse, he figured he could cover the history of creative reuse in the two-page introduction. Instead, he found was a rich history of reuse among such cultures as the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, Medieval Christians and many others, a [...]

If you’ve ever thought about starting your own podcast, don’t miss this panel discussion about what it takes to start a show and build a following. CraftyPod producer Diane Gilleland will join CraftSanity producer Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood and Becky Stern for a chat about developing your own independent podcast and building a following. They’ll also share [...]

Have you ever read a heart-stopping headline, or found out a local organization was in desperate need, and known you had to do something to help? This discussion covers constructive ways to use your crafts (and your blog) to help, locally and globally. In the hyper-connected Internet age, spreading the word or organizing, finding, contributing [...]

From pitching class ideas, finding just the right venue, and filling your classroom, to developing a comprehensive syllabus or handy take-home sheets, teaching a craft is a skill of its own. Join Susan Beal, Jamie Chan, Moxie and Becky Stern for a panel on making teaching part of your living, as well as making and [...]

Do you dream about using your creative design and entrepreneurial skills to open your own storefront? Do you fantasize about curating and merchandising a store but you’re worried you don’t have the skills or capital? This workshop will feature four people who have started and run their own brick and mortar shops over the past [...]

You want to make money, but to do that you have to get the word out. But it takes money to hire a publicist. So what to do on a shoestring budget? You get clever, that’s what. The fact is, people want to be delighted, not annoyed, and you’re not going to win anyone’s favor [...]

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood is known for her in-depth interview style that keeps CraftSanity podcast listeners entertained for hours during long commutes and marathon craft sessions. Instead of listening on your iPod, bring your latest project and settle in to watch Jennifer interview craft celeb Megan Reardon of Not Martha in front of a live audience. Come [...]

Ever wonder how artist profiles, exhibition reviews, and topical articles end up in the pages of your favorite magazines? Whether you’re an artist, freelance writer, curator, or gallery/shop owner, this workshop will lay out some of the basic requirements for portfolio submissions and article pitches. Tips on how to present your work in the best [...]

If you work for yourself, there is no such thing as just working 9 to 5. With juggling all the aspects of running a business and trying to manage the creative part, you are often pulling 60+ hours a week. If you also have a family, how do you manage to get it all done [...]

A panel discussion featuring: Andrea Porter, co-founder of Grassroots Business Association in Seattle, WA Lauren Bacon, author of The Boss of You and co-founder of Grassroots Business Association, Vancouver BC chapter Marlo Miyashiro, founding member and current organizer for EtsyRAIN.com, Seattle, WA On Creating and Connecting Creative Communities: · Have you ever thought of starting [...]

When it comes to taking photos of the things you make have you ever wondered…? · What makes great product photos stand out in the crowd? · What would it take to take better photos of your work? · Do you need to buy a better camera to take better photos? · What about lighting [...]

A fresh, comprehensive guide to contemporary craft shows. With “Why vend?” as our starting point, we will take you through all aspects of the process, including finding and assessing potential shows, best practice for applying, display techniques, show time survival and more. Moxie is an artist with years of experience selling her work in large [...]

Do you wish your blog were prettier, or had more readers, or did more to market your business? This workshop will break down the three essential elements of a great blog: how it reads, how it looks, and how it engages with the community. We’ll also cover lots of tips to help you take your [...]

Arts organizer, curator, director and author Faythe Levine will lead a visual discussion about why community is the foundation of success. Setting the tone for a weekend of sharing Levine will share examples from her personal experience of planting the seed of an idea that sprouted into a feature length documentary, book and world wide [...]