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The Watched Pot

Writer's picture: andrewleontarouphotographyandrewleontarouphotography

Updated: Jul 10, 2023

It never boils, apparently. 


The days ticked over last week bringing the Art Fair closer and closer with still no delivery of my canvas prints and my greeting cards. Every slam of a car door, every bark of the dog, I would go out front in the vain hope that there would be some cheery hi-vised courier finally delivering the critical final parts of my art fair set-up. 


Sometimes I would just wander out there and scan the street. I was watching the pot, and watched pot never boils, right? So I stopped watching, and guess what? Friday evening arrived. No deliveries. 


The unwatched pot apparently never boils either.


Saturday 7.00 am. I'm setting up my stall at the Avoca Beach Scout Hall, just prints and calendars now, but the absence of the canvases and cards is probably now a benefit. There are 16 artists squeezed into this little hall, and I have absolutely no space for any more pieces. I have brought so much with me because when we open our doors in a few hours, there are going to be so many art-lovers pouring through them, right?


The hall, although crowded, looks great. Abundantly full of lots of beautifully manifested creative expression.


10.00 am, and the doors open. The anticipated flood is a trickle. The trickle occasionally threatens to become a rivulet, but ultimately remains a trickle. Frequently, it dries up.


We take turns to wander out front and scan the street for approaching punters. Watching the pot not boil.


We chat, we scan, brighten up when the rare potential customer wanders in for a cursory inspection of our wares.


Thank God for Luca, who has set up his crepe stall outside and is keeping our spirits lifted with his great food and Italian exuberance.


We comfort ourselves that by 4.00 pm, when the nearby Avoca Night Markets open, there will be hundreds, no thousands, of people streaming by. 


And we are right!  People do begin to pass by more frequently, particularly as all nearby parking is exhausted, and cars are now pulling up on the verge all the way up past us and into the distance.


The rivulet of pedestrians becomes a constant stream, but few are diverting into our little hall. We aren't the primary objective for them, the markets are. 


We comfort ourselves that once they fulfil that primary objective, they'll drop in on the way back. Our evening will finish in a buzz of activity!


But they trudge by exhausted on their way back to their cars. The markets have sapped them of energy, funds, and enthusiasm. The Avoca Markets are big, and popular. They have swamped our little art fair, and we are that much too distant from them to benefit from some halo effect.


We pack down Luca's crepe stall, lock the doors, tell ourselves tomorrow will better without the distraction of the markets, and head home, oddly exhausted by 14  hours of doing very little.


9.00 am on a beautifully sunny gem of a summer Sunday we open the doors again and prepare for some brisk interest, which never comes. 


We stand and watch for customers. The pot doesn't boil. There are occasional small knots of activity, but they are few and infrequent. Thank goodness for dutiful friends and family who drop by to support us.


The day drags on, we stop watching the pot altogether. Yes, it still doesn't boil. Thankfully, the hall sits on the banks of the lagoon. There are much worse places to sit and be ignored by the world. And sit we do, chatting and simply enjoying the day.


Some of the artists have begun to decamp early, and by 3.00 pm, most of the remainder are following suit. 4.00 pm, and we are pulling down the banners, packing away the tables and sweeping out the hall. Art Fair Avoca Beach Scout Hall is over. Precious little has been sold.


Was it worthwhile? Of course! For me, it was a massive learning experience: The things done right, the things that could be done better, and the things that shouldn't be done. And it has given me a bunch of ideas, and a challenge.


Best of all, I was introduced to a community of passionate, talented, creative artists who most importantly know not to take things too seriously. And that made it fun. 


Would I do it again? Yes! In fact, we have been offered this Friday evening at the Terrigal Scout Hall, coinciding with the adjacent Terrigal Night Markets A number of us are keen to give it a go. Personally, I want to test if aligning with markets is a bonus or a barrier. 


And I wouldn't mind spending some more time with these lovely people.


See you there?

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