January
I applied to be a vendor for Twin Cities PRIDE in early January 2024. The application process was long; it required thoughtful, insightful, and intentional responses. I remember explaining how I demonstrate inclusivity and allyship through my business and my brand. I remember expressing in my application that I intentionally provide multiple photos of my designs on folx of a variety of ages, genders, and skin colors to demonstrate that my designs are not gender exclusive, anyone an get any design, and to demonstrate how different designs look son different people. (Browse my gallery of Face Paint designs here). I remember noting that I recognize personal pronouns as an irrefutable piece of someone's identity, not at all a preference, rather pronouns are as real as the nose on my face or the number of fingers I have. I remember spending nearly an hour to complete the entire application with my most thoughtful responses. Hoping for the best, but feeling like I may not be accepted since I do not identify as a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. I felt anxiety that my attempts to act in allyship may not be enough.
folx: noun [plural] A way of writing "folks" (= people) that emphasizes the fact that you intend the word to include all groups of people. Folx is meant to be a gender-neutral word that includes members of the LGBTQ community.
Thankfully, my anxiety only lasted a few short days, and then I received my acceptance notification!
After I received my acceptance notification January 15, the prep-work steadily continued until the event took place at the end of June.
February
As someone who is still building my art profile and my brand, this event inevitably became more expensive than any event I had participated in previously. In February, I paid to purchase my booth space, the required insurance, and placed an order for more products to sell.
I began reaching out to my friends and family within the LGBTQIA2S+ community and allies to the community to see if they were available to help me at my booth.
I wanted to ensure that I had someone available to help me set up and take down each day, and someone working with me in my booth at all times throughout the event.
As the only face painter for my one-woman-company, I also made sure that I had breaks scheduled for myself to protect my body and my health throughout the weekend. Below is the schedule I created using a simple Canva template.
March
So... Honestly, I didn't do much in March because I was soaking up the sun and the 10 Life Lessons I Learned While Surfing in Nicaragua.
April
As I said, I'm still building my brand, so I took this opportunity to make several purchases to increase my booth's "curb appeal"
Things I bought:
Name tags ~ one for myself and two general "Assistant for Selcouth Artistry"
Hats with my logo on it (all arrived late, one arrived misprinted, but am SO GLAD I have them!)
A banner for my canopy with my logo, products, and services listed
A 3 tiered rolling cart
Extra face paint and brushes
A solar powered charging port (a MUST-HAVE)
A label maker (finally! I can't believe I didn't have one before now)
Stickers with prices on them for my canvases
A sales log book
A new tablecloth (that did not arrive on time)
Extra wire-hanging supplies for the canvases
Temporary PRIDE tattoos
New photo albums for my face paint designs
Rainbow hair extensions and outfits
An art print rack
Grid panels and S-Hooks
A new canopy with 4 detachable walls
Sunflower garland
All of these things are going last me many years, and dozens of art fairs, so I regret zero of these purchases :)
Things I DIY'd:
Assorted multi-colored fabric garland to decorate my canopy from old clothes
All my original canvases - obvi :)
I cut up old towels to create multiple small rags (instead of paper towels, I'm all about that sustainability!) to clean my brushes after face painting
Installing my rainbow hair extensions
PRIDE themed bracelets for sale
What I loved about this whole process is that it was a bit intimidating.
Preparing to be a vendor at Twin Cities Pride felt like "the big leagues," and I felt like I'd only been a sub on a rec league up until now.
It forced me to level up and I LOVED that!
May
The event organizers hosted a few very informational meetings to provide information regarding load-in, set-up, what to expect, and tips for first-time vendors. I HIGHLY encourage you to attend these live, or at least watch the recordings.
In the months that led up to PRIDE, I began sharing my excitement with friends and family. Most of my friends and family were excited for me! Although, I will not forget one conversation I had with someone regarding the rigorous application.
The person I was speaking with asked me, "Do you really think all that is necessary?"
I asked, "What do you mean by 'all that'?"
He said, "Having to demonstrate your allyship in order to be a vendor. I mean don't you kinda feel like you're just there to do your thing, sell your stuff, and your beliefs on all that don't really matter? You're just there to do a job."
I paused and felt my eyebrows raise a bit. Recognizing the importance of this moment, I said, "It absolutely does matter."
I tried to take my time, to choose my words wisely, because I knew this was one of those moments that matters...
I wanted to make sure that I demonstrated respect to him for his curiosity. I wanted to take this opportunity to plant a few seedlings of new ideas, new perspectives, and hoped they would continue to grow.
I want to take a moment to note that it if we want someone to stay curious, to continue to learn and grow, then it is vital to appreciate their effort, in any capacity, to meet them where they are at and encourage them to continue learning.
I continued, "This event is meant to be an opportunity for folx to express their truest selves, a place they don't have to hide a part of themselves nor fear intolerance. This event is meant to be a place where they can find so much more than tolerance ~ a place where they can feel accepted, loved, cherished, and respected. By requiring such a rigorous application process, they are ensuring that all the vendors are willing to go above, beyond, and the extra mile to support the LGBTQIA2S+ community. For example: In my application I conveyed that I would use gender neutral language and consistently respect pronouns as a way to demonstrate respect and to encourage authentic expression."
He nodded and slightly shifted the conversation. All I can hope for, now, is that he will continue to think about that conversation again and again, and open his mind up a tiny bit more each time.
"Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." - Dalai Lama
June
I spent this month labeling my photos of face paint design options, painting canvases, making bracelets, packing and organizing my things. I also practiced setting up my brand new canopy prior to the event - which I also HIGHLY recommend - and loaded up my Jeep with as much as I could 4 days before I left (except my canvases, greeting cards, stickers, and personal belonging - things that should stay in a temperature controlled environment as much as possible.
This way, I also had an opportunity to double check my home for anything I forgot to pack, to clean my home, and to triple check that I had all the things.
The event organizers had also partnered with a company to create promotional images for posting to social media - I also highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity, look how cute they are!
I also spent quite a bit of time printing and laminating signs to post on display, like these ones below, along with the QR code for my digital business card by #Popl which includes links to all my social media pages, Venmo, PayPal, my website, and my contact information (picture not included).
Communicating with my assistants.
What to wear:
Dress for pride & the weather: think rainbows, multi-colored, vibrant, fun!
I just asked that you keep in mind that we are located in the youth section so please dress with a level of professionalism that parents will appreciate
Comfy shoes!
What to bring:
A chair for yourself (lawn chair or folding chair)
I recommend that you bring a small cooler with drinks and snacks for yourself
Breaks:
I have scheduled breaks for myself throughout the weekend, and I may need to leave the tent for part of - or all of - my break to stretch my legs, use the restroom, get food, etc.
Y'all can take as many breaks as you need, but we do need one person in my booth at all times, so please coordinate with me.
WiFi Package:
This one was a tough call for me... I did have quite a bit of fear that I wasn't going to have Wi-Fi and/or my customers weren't going to have Wi-Fi due to how packed the park was expected to be. But, I was not willing to spend another couple hundred bucks to pay for a Wi-Fi package... so I opted out. I figured, worst case scenario we'd go cash-only and I hoped there would be ATM's available.
My next blog post will be all about the day-to-day of the event!
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