3 Yummiest Gifts from my First Craft Show✨🌞✨
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I'm sitting outside in what feels like the perfect New Hampshire early autumn weather of my childhood even though it is spring in Los Angeles. All the trees and plants are bushy and full, verdant greens all around. The air is crisp with a cool breeze, the sky a vivid blue with fluffy white clouds floating by.
I'm just soaking up all the healing and sweetness from setting up a booth at the Renegade Craft Fair last weekend and I waned to share that with you.
Upon reflection, these are the three biggest gifts this experience has given me:
HEALING MY ISOLATION
Online and in our heads, people can seem far away, perfect, and other. People in the abstract can feel intimidating and monolithic, i.e. everyone is the same and all together and I am different and alone.
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I had been feeling very separate from the world lately and lonely. At the fair, speaking with wonderful, creative and unique human beings, seeing their smiles, feeling their excitement, hearing their laughter and voices was healing beyond expectation... like a long draught of ice cold water after hiking in the burning desert sun.
Seeing more people online than in person had me unconsciously believing that everyone looked alike (thanks a lot, stupid face filters!) In person, everyone has different noses (not only the small pointy nose) and they are absolutely amazing! Everyone is different heights, shapes, vibes, and ages.
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One woman came in with a dainty lavender dress with matching platform sandals. Another person arrived in comfy maroon sweats and well-loved tee. Someone else walked in with a vintage skirt, blouse, and cardigan in fluorescent pink and emerald green. Some people were quiet and in their own world. Others were loquacious and shared pics of their cats and art.
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Some were children who touched every crystal, pendulum and sticker. They marveled at my Witch Cats Divination Coin, transfixed with wonder, enamored with the magic, even when their parents looked a bit confused. hee hee.
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These may seem like little things but they gave me such a feeling of our human-ness and our animal-ness in the best way possible. I loved each person who came into my booth. It is easiest to feel a part of a world where everyone is magnificent in their uniqueness. Everyone fits in. There is no one right way to be or look and it truly is beautiful!
CONFIDENCE TO TRY NEW THINGS
Let's just say it always feels less scary to stick with what we already know we like and can do; but often times our Souls are urging us into new territories and enticing us to embark on an adventure.
There were moments when I felt out of my depth trying to build a booth display from scratch. I am accustomed to creating either flat paintings or small hand-held objects. However, it was so fun when I solved a problem and felt surprised and delighted at the result.
I was struggling with how to display my decks. I did't want to buy an expensive wooden display stand, wooden crates didn't fit my aesthetic, and I tried little plastic stands but they would just topple over. I tried stacking the decks but it felt precarious and unapproachable. Finally, I had the idea to put them in an acrylic tray I had and voila, It finally worked. Such a little thing but for a newbie, it felt like a big accomplishment. :)
Just trying something new instilled within me a confidence and passion to try more new things and broaden my horizons. It helped me expand and grow. I feel a bit more brave and curious now.
FULLY EMBRACING COLLABORATION
Ok. So if I am honest with you, I tend to gravitate towards being completely independent and working alone. In the past, I would get nervous about relying on others and find delegating confusing. Let's just say when I was a kid, group projects were the bane of my existence.
For the fair, I collaborated with my best friend and art witch, Katya Rudneva, and it was so good. She has done elaborate stage design and sculptural lighting displays at big music festivals for decades. She has worked under harsh conditions and created absolute wonderland environments.
Her talent for creating spaces and her generally chill attitude about the booth design relaxed me so much and helped me go with the flow. As Katya would say, "Don't worry. Some things won't work in the moment but we will just adapt and figure it out and that is part of the magic! We really can't fail at it and if it is less then perfect, no one will ever know except us."
It also helped me embrace all less flashy ways we collaborate all the time. She is the one who encouraged me to paint more magical cats when they first started appearing in my intuitive painting sessions. She saw something special in them and reflected that back to me, giving me just the encouragement I needed to dive in. And I have done the same for her countless times.
I love the way her hand made ritual tools and my paintings and oracle decks speak to each other and reside in the same world. Whether I am pinning one of her moon hangings under my art print to create a lovely mini installation or I am ringing one of her ritual bells before drawing a Witch Cats card, our creations enhance each other.
We have more collaborations planned this year and I am so curious to see what unexpected gifts they hold.
What an abundant experience this has been! Thank you so much for everyone who supported me along the way with encouraging comments and helpful advice. Thank you as well to each of you who stopped by, said hello and/or made a purchase from my booth. It was so good to meet you all. Thank you as well to all of you who wished me well even silently from afar. Your positive vibes were felt and appreciated!
Much love,
Nicole
P.S. If you didn't get to visit my booth in person. stop by my online shop for all the magic.​
P.P.S. I will also be vending at Topanga Days in Topanga, CA, at a beautiful live-oak surrounded spot in the canyon with live bands, dancing, a kids area, and tasty food trucks. May 27-29.
​For a fun video tour of my booth set-up, visit my instagram.​
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​ ​ Hello, I'm Nicole Piar, creator of the Witch Cats Oracle Deck, Spirit Cats Oracle Deck and the Cosmic Allies Deck. ​ My upcoming Wander Kittens Mini Oracle Decks launch on Kickstarter on October 1st, 2024. SIGN UP TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN I LAUNCH.​ ​ Thank you for connecting with me here in my weekly Moon Letters where I share rituals, practices, revelations, healing messages, and my creations. I appreciate your presence. Much LOVE and MAGIC your way!
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