HanjiNaty at the Wonju Hanji Festival~~!

Natalie in her "HanjiNaty" booth at the 2014 Wonju Hanji Culture Festival.

From September 25 to 28 I had the chance to participate in the 16th Edition of the Wonju Hanji Culture Festival, held in the city of Wonju (province of Gangwon, in the northeastern part of South Korea).

This 4-day Festival is dedicated to Hanji paper, one of the treasures of Korean culture. During the Festival, the visitors could make their own sheet of Hanji paper, experience Hanji crafts, shop for handmade goods, Hanji paper and other Hanji-related items. There was also a Hanji fashion show and numerous musical performances throughout the weekend.

Hit the road at 4am

My husband Jason and I left Iksan around 4am on the 25th (Thursday), in order to reach Wonju early enough to set up our booth and get ready for our first visitors. We packed everything in our tiny car (including tree branches, countless bags and plastic bins, two by eight planks, etc.) and we enthusiastically hit the road! 

Hundreds of items were for sale in our booth, including
magnets, chests, boxes, pen holders, earrings, hair pins
and headbands, key chains and pendants, etc.

I was very excited, but equally anxious about the whole venture. Luckily my detailed planning paid off and we were able to set up our booth smoothly, without any missing items, panic moments or thrown tantrums!

Our first visitors came to meet us around 10:30, and I was excited to make my very first sale only a few minutes after opening my booth to the public.

There was a regular flow of visitors throughout the Festival, and it was especially busy on Saturday and Sunday.

The Joys and Frustrations of Being a Craft Show Vendor

Let me tell you right away : having a booth in a craft show is hard! I didn't expect it to be so demanding, both physically and emotionally. We spent long hours in our tent (from 9am to 10pm, for 4 days); it was very hot during the day, and annoyingly popular with mosquitoes at night.

My booth was nicely set up, with custom-made earrings boards
(with integrated lighting!) and items hanging for a maple branch.

One of the most important challenges that we had to face is the fact that we are foreigners in an Asian country, which means that a large number of Korean visitors were intimidated by us, or rather by the idea of talking to us; even if my husband is fluent in Korean, many visitors were taking a surprisingly large detour to avoid our booth. We tried to be as welcoming as possible, greeting everyone in Korean with a warm smile, but we unfortunately had a to struggle at times to attract people to our booth.

Luckily, many people were interested enough to approach and take a look at my items : Hanji paper earrings, hair accessories, coasters, plates, boxes, chests, pen holders, magnets, etc.

I met some fantastic people at the Festival, including this
wonderful little boy and his older sister.

Wonderful encounters

People were very curious about the fact that a foreigner is actually doing a traditional Korean craft! We had to answer a lot of questions, and face quite a few skeptical folks!

We took the time to explain where I come from and how I came to be a Hanji craftswoman; people were genuinely interested in learning about it. Often enough, the people who took the time to discuss with us left our booth with a HanjiNaty item in hand; I guess the conversation gave more meaning to the objects they were looking at.

During the Festival I had the chance to meet some wonderful people, including many Korean children with their parents, expats from Europe and North America, business people, other artists and craftsmen and women, including Masters in paper making and Hanji crafts. It was by far the most exciting part of this whole adventure: meeting wonderfully inspiring people, who are interested in sharing their craft and their passions, and who are interested in hearing about mine!

During the quieter times, I worked on some 

new patterns, for future projects!

I am very grateful to have had the chance to participate in this event; beyond the financial aspects of this venture, I truly feel that I have made connections that will open new doors along the way. I also really enjoyed the feeling of slowing making my place in a community of artists and artisans dedicated to Korean Hanji paper, and its endless possibilities.

Next Stop : Seoul !

During the Wonju Festival I found out that the first edition of the Seoul Hanji Culture Festival will be held in the Capital City next week! 

The Festival is scheduled for October 9 to 11, and will include a Hanji Fashion show and other performances, a Hanji Craft market and other activities. I was actually invited to join the Hanji market for this new event... Will I be able to participate? Stay tuned for more details!

People could enjoy different performances during the Festival,
including concerts and a Hanji fashion show.

More information on the Seoul Hanji Festival :

-- Official website (in Korean only) : http://seoulhanjifestival.co.kr
-- News article : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2014/09/135_165042.html
-- Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/seoulhanjifestival

Wonju Countdown : 4 weeks before the Festival !

The 16th edition of the Wonju Hanji Festival will be held in the city of Wonju (Gangwon province, in the northeastern part of South Korea) from September 25 to 28, 2014.

This Festival is a major event, and I am both nervous and excited to have a chance to display and sell my creations in such a nice venue.

At this moment, I am still (im)patiently waiting for a confirmation of my participation in the Festival. My application has been sent, and I had a verbal confirmation that my items are appropriate, but I still have to wait until September 2 to get the final "yes"!

In the meantime, I don't have a minute to lose!

A New Chance

As some of you might know, I was going to take part in the Jeonju Hanji Festival in May 2014, but the event was cancelled after a tragic ferry accident occurred in South Korea, leaving the whole country devastated and mourning. It was a very difficult moment for me, as I was looking forward to the Festival and had worked extensively to get ready for it.

After such a bitter disappointment, participating in the Wonju Hanji Festival appears like a golden opportunity for me; it's a new chance that I definitely don't want to miss! I won't spare any effort to make this venture a success.


Getting Ready for my First Festival

On top of being my first take at this specific Festival, it will be my very first time as a seller in a craft show EVER! It is a big stress, but I have decided to "attack" this challenge with the same technique I have developed for the large dinner parties I enjoy throwing several times a year (I must give credit and gratitude to my dear friend Lee for suggesting this approach)!

I have to say that my friends like to tease me about my "Thanksgiving Planner", a 4-page Excel spreadsheet pinned to my refrigerator that allows me to get through Thanksgiving week (for which, in Korea, we get no time off from work) without any meltdowns, broken friendships or emergency trips to Costco!

So, for the Festival I decided to create this planner that I enthusiastically named "Hanji Festival Battle Plan"! It contains three parts: a detailed timeline, a complete inventory and a check list.

1) My Timeline 

I started my planning as soon as I found out that I might be able to participate, which was about 6 weeks before the actual Festival.

In my timeline I made sure to include :

• A "countdown" by weeks, with the exact dates:
• The timeline goes backwards in time, which means that the last week before the Festival is at the top of the chart. I have to work my way up, rather than down;

• The details of every single task that need to be done:
• including the simplest ones (I have a tendency to overlook the obvious when I'm busy);

• The people involved in each of the tasks:
• For example: because I need my friend's assistance to translate my price tags into Korean, I make sure to plan ahead and choose a moment where she would be available to give me a hand;


• A "Production calendar" column in which I list the different items I need to make and/or finish before the Festival:
• I made sure to indicate how many of each type of items I wish to make;
• I tried to keep it realistic, especially considering the free time I have outside of work and the time and energy that the other tasks will demand (e.g. get the business cards and banner printed, prepare the price tags and price lists, etc.)

Timeline
Countdown	Dates	Details	People involved		PRODUCTION CALENDAR
The week of the Event	Sept 21~27
1 week before Event	Sept 14~20
2 weeks before Event	Sept 7~13
3 weeks before Event	Aug 31~Sept 6
4 weeks before Event	Aug 24~30
5 weeks before Event	Aug 17~23
6 weeks before Event	Aug 10~16

2- A complete inventory

My inventory is divided in three columns:

• A column for my target number of items
• A column for the number of actual items that are ready (completely done, ready to ship/sell)
• A column that shows my progress in percentage (number of finished items / target number)

I also use a color code that allows me to see clearly where I stand, and what types of items I should focus on to make sure I reach my objective (from green to red, according to my degree of completion)


3- A Check List

My Check List will certainly be my  most important tool when time comes to pack my bags to go to the Festival. As Wonju is located more than 2 hours away from my place, I have to make sure I don't forget anything essential that would force me to run around town in a city I don't know, or worse... force me to turn around!

My Check List contains an exhaustive list of things I need to bring, prepare and plan for the booth.

The list is divided in seven different sections :

• Items for Sale
• Earrings, plates, trays, hair accessories, etc.

• Display 
• Table cloths
• Racks
• Supports
• Mirrors
• Price tags
• Posters and signs, etc.

• Business 
  
• Small bills and coins
• Receipt pad
• Price lists
• Calculator
• Pen and paper, etc.

• Marketing and Promotion 
• Business cards
• Banner
• List for subscription to my Newsletter, etc.

• Wrapping and Packing 
• Bubble wrap
• Bags
• Ribbon
• Stickers, etc.

• Tool Box
• Extension cord
• Power bar
• Tape
• Scissors
• Screwdrivers
• Glue
• Brushes
• Knives
• Cutting mat
• Post-it notes, tacks, etc.

• Naty's Survival Kit 
• Band aids
• Water and snacks
• Charging cables (for camera, phone, etc.)
• Moist towelettes, gum, sun cream, etc.

Categorizing allows me to stay focused, and to make sure I don't forget anything. Also, placing different things in a category helps me see clearly what is missing, or what would be useful or necessary : writing down  "hammer" in the Tool Kit list will naturally remind me to bring nails, too!

I also decided to include a category for "Naty's Survival Kit" because I have the bad habit of neglecting my own personal needs when I get excited and consumed by a project!


More resources for Craft show preparation

There are so great resources out there to help you prepare for a big event, such as a Festival or a Craft show.

Here are some useful blog posts :
⇝ Craft Show Preparation ~ Getting Ready Set Go! (SPSTeam on Etsy)
http://strategicpromotionforsuccess.blogspot.kr/2013/11/craft-show-preparation-getting-ready.html

⇝ How to prepare for a Craft Fair? (Art Mind)
http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.kr/2009/07/how-to-prepare-for-craft-fair.html


⇝ 6 Simple Ways to Avoid Dumb Mistakes at a Craft Show : What You Can Learn from a Boy Scout (The Crafts Report)

http://www.craftsreport.com/beginning-business/204-avoid-dumb-show-mistakes.html


⇝ 10 Tips on Surviving Your First Craft Show (Catshy Crafts)
http://catshy.blogspot.kr/2013/01/10-tips-on-surviving-your-first-craft.html

How about you?

Do you have any craft or art show tips to share? how do you prepare for a craft show? Are there essentials missing from my Check list?

Visitors and shoppers, what are you looking for when you visit an Craft show? What are your pet peeves? What are the things that charm you? excite you? annoy you?

Please leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you.

Wonju Festival 2014 : Do We Have a Date?

There are two main poles for Hanji paper in Korea : the city of Jeonju, in the province of Jeollabuk-do (southwest of the peninsula) and the city of Wonju, in the province on Gangwon-do (northeast). They both have installations dedicated to Hanji paper (a museum in Jeonju, a theme park in Wonju...), numerous Hanji paper shops and, they both host an annual Hanji Festival.

I was supposed to take part in the 2014 Edition of the Jeonju Festival last May, but the Festival was cancelled. The next edition of the Jeonju Festival will be held in May 2015.

The 2014 Wonju Hanji Festival

The Wonju Festival will be held from September 25 to 28 in the city of Wonju, Gangwon-do province. Despite the distance (about 200km from my house here in Iksan), I have decided to apply for a booth at the Wonju Festival! Not being able to part take in the Jeonju Festival was a huge disappointment for me, and I don't want to miss the chance to show my work in the Wonju event!

I visited the Festival last year and was really pleased with the beauty of the site and the installations! I am really hoping I can part take in the event this year.

Apply, then wait

I submitted my application (and my payment! ;) to the Wonju Festival at the beginning of the week, and I now have to patiently wait until September 2 to know if I will be able to have a booth or not (the deadline to apply for a booth is August 31). Patience not being my greatest quality, I can feel it's going to be a long couple of weeks!

Getting ready for the Wonju Festival

In the meantime, I keep on working to make as many items as possible! I have an objective of 600 items for the Festival; will I be able to reach my target? 

I have already started to work steadily to make all kinds of items for the upcoming festival; I even added a few new items to my collection, including head bands, cell phone pendants and brooches. I have also made an interesting selection of coasters (round and square), pen holders, square plates and jewelry boxes.

I am also working hard to make a large quantity of Hanji paper earrings and French barrettes (of different sizes), as I expect the smaller objects to be popular at the Festival.

I am also hoping to have several larger items on display (and for sale), such as larger chests, tissue box covers and tea trays.

I will surely keep you posted on the latest developments! Stay tuned... and keep your fingers crossed for me!

* * *

For more information on the Wonju Hanji Festival :

- Korea Tourism Organization : http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=790317

- Festival Website : http://wonjuhanji.co.kr/new/main.php (in Korean only)