My husband is in the middle of the volunteer project in which he must ask for money/call people/sell an idea. He was wringing his hands over making the calls.

“I’m the farthest thing from a salesman there is,” he said.

I know that about myself, too. I’ve tried to sell– toys, books, programs, ideas. I don’t sell easily. So why do I letterpress print cards and posters and try to sell them? I love what I do.

But that doesn’t make the selling any easier. When I look at statistics for my shop, I have to ask myself the tough questions: do people like my work? is it the way I present the cards? have I advertised enough?

These questions are important (I’m about to re-do all the photographs on the site). But I know something else. I print because I love to do the work. So, no, I am not a salesperson. I am a printer who really enjoys getting her hands dirty and creating something. There are hundreds of letterpress shops out there, so I have to do this because it matters to me.

Yesterday I spent hours troubleshooting a card I was working on for Fredericksburg Main Street. Though the process was frustrating, when I finally finished I felt a huge sense of satisfaction. Yeah, there it is, I thought.

I guess I’m learning to have faith in myself and my art. And that’s a huge step.

 

 

 

 

photo: Print Magazine, The Foolproof Press