Watching a Young Maker Begin

This weekend our seven year old nephew is doing his very first craft show.

I couldn't be more excited for him.

During the summer he comes to work with his mom, Amanda, at our shop, so he's grown up watching our business from the inside. He helps where he can, asks a million questions, and like every kid who spends enough time around makers, he's started making things of his own.

Now he's been busy creating things to sell to other kids, and he's incredibly proud of what he's made. Honestly, that's one of my favorite parts. Watching someone discover the joy of making something with their own hands and believing someone else might enjoy it too.

Today I asked him if he wanted any advice about his display.

Not because I thought it needed fixing, but because I'm trying to teach him something I wish more adults understood.

 Before giving advice, ask if it's wanted.

He smiled and said yes.

So we talked about making his display easy to see, keeping it organized, and making sure people could tell what he was selling.

Later that day I started thinking about our own first shows.

Those early years were hard.

Every event felt like another door closing instead of opening. We'd spend days getting ready, load up the rig, set everything out just right, and then sit there hoping someone liked what we made enough to pull out their wallet.

It was lonely.

You start wondering if your products are good enough. If your prices are wrong. If you're fooling yourself into thinking you have a business.

People still ask if we sell much locally, and I usually laugh.

The truth is, if our business depended on local in person sales, we probably wouldn't still be here.

Almost every year I catch myself thinking, "Maybe this is the event. Maybe this is the year our local community discovers us."

It almost never happens.

Thankfully our family always shows up. They'll wander through the booths, buy something they probably don't need, and remind us they're cheering us on. I'll never take that for granted.

But the real turning point wasn't finding the right event.

It was finding the right community.

Instead of trying to convince the people around us that they should love what we make, we kept sharing our work online until we found the people who already did.

It wasn't overnight.

It wasn't easy.

There were years of posting, learning, failing, improving, and wondering if anyone was paying attention.

Little by little, they found us.

Now we travel to shows where people are waiting for us before the doors even open. They tell us they've been following along for years. They bring friends. They introduce us to their families. They make us feel like we've come home.

The products didn't change nearly as much as the audience did.

Sometimes success isn't about making something different.

Sometimes it's about finding the people who were looking for what you were making all along.

I hope my nephew has a wonderful first craft show this weekend.

Maybe this weekend he'll sell everything he brings.

Maybe he'll only sell a few things.

Either way, I hope he keeps making.

Because somewhere out there are people who will appreciate what he creates. Sometimes the hardest part isn't making something worth buying. It's finding the people who have been looking for it all along.