“80% of Success is Showing Up.” Woody Allen
Last weekend my husband, Drew and I attended the CHA Trade Show in Anaheim, CA. We went to support our new HOW TO DRAW WITH DREW book that’s being published by Walter Foster.
Close to the Walter Foster booth was the Fredrix Canvas Booth. Fredrix has a brilliant program where they team up with lifestyle artists to promote their canvas, like the beautiful actress Jane Seymour, marine artist Wyland and a pop artist with really crazy hair. (I’d love to get Drew on that program…)
Inside the Fredrix booth was Wyland, the famous marine artist, painting a whale on canvas. A group of onlookers crowded the aisles to watch Wyland work his magic. Every few minutes Wyland would put down his brush so that he could turn from the canvas, look someone warmly in the eye and answer their questions. He seemed to graciously connect with everyone there. And they will remember him forever because of it.
- Wyland and Marisa Pawelko
Wyland has always understood the importance of showing up and being available to the people who love his work. Even now, at his level of success, he still makes the effort to put himself out there.
It’s important to go the extra mile to give yourself to the people who support you. Sometimes that means showing up, even when you don’t have to.
Over at the Walter Foster booth, Drew did a live painting demonstration on a surfboard and we gave away prints of Drew’s art.
We didn’t have to be there. It was a Sunday, and usually we’d be at the beach with our son or do something fun on our day off. (Ironically, the waves were really, really good that day.)
But when Walter Foster asked us to be there, we saw it as an opportunity.
We knew that just showing up at the CHA show would do a few good things:
1.) Drew would be able to connect in person with people who attend the show (thus building life-long fans);
2.) He could demonstrate his unique painting techniques (It’s awesome to watch); and
3.) We could get to know, on a personal level, the fine people at Walter Foster and their parent company, Quayside Publishing Group, just by hanging with them for the day.
Having a book published by one of the oldest art book publishers in the U.S. is huge. (They are also the best, in my humble, biased opinion. Most artists I know have their own personal library of Walter Foster books.)
We know how hard it is to get a book published. We also know that getting more books published in the future depends on the sales of this book. So to that end, we are willing to do anything in our power to bring attention to the book and to help sell it.
We first met Rebecca, our contact at Walter Foster, at the License trade show in New York in June 2007. She loved Drew’s work and we talked about doing a book. It was a year later that they decided to move ahead with the book, and then it was another year of meetings and putting together the license agreement before we started the work. It was then almost another year of building the book from start to finish. It will finally be printed in March.
I’m thankful that we exhibited at the License show in New York that year. Had we not been there, we wouldn’t have met Rebecca and there wouldn’t be a book right now.
Most every important project or deal we have has come directly from relationships developed or started at networking events and trade shows. Just showing up is so important.
At Walter Foster’s CHA booth, one young teenage girl watched in awe as Drew painted a funky fish onto the surfboard with Uni Posca paint pens. She asked Drew a lot of questions, then she left and came back later with some friends. After awhile they left, and she came back again, with a new group of people. Drew had gained a new fan that day, along with all of her friends.
The number of attendees at the CHA trade show was lower than usual, probably because of a big football game being aired that day. But it was worth our time there, because we got to spend the day getting to know the fabulous crew at Walter Foster and Quayside Publishing, and for that alone it was worth it.
When we left the CHA show, we felt that we made some great new contacts, maybe even a few new friends.
It doesn’t matter to us if there are crowds at an event or just a handful of people. We always form important relationships when we do these events.
We know that much of our success comes from just showing up. And so we do. Even when the waves are good.
Maria xxoo
PS: Please comment on this post, if you relate to it, have a question about it or want to add to it. I live for the comments that people give me – it helps me to know what you are interested in and what I should write about!
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Photo Credit: The photo of Wyland and Marisa Pawelko came from Marisa’s Facebook Page. Please visit Marisa’s Modern Surrealist blog so she doesn’t get mad at me for snaggin’ it.
