I quit.

Dec 15, 2025

I was standing in a field looking out at the semi-circle of similar vendor tents. Across the field, directly in my line of site was a stage with local singers belting Christmas tunes.

I looked down at my phone that read 52 degrees and then showed it to the two other market vendors standing beside me. I think apple is on crack, I quipped. As an avid runner and hiker, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time in the outdoors, in all manner of weather conditions, and there was no way in hell it was 52 degrees.

Heather (bread and cookies) and Karla (herbal remedies) whole-heartedly agreed with me. We were all bundled up from air that carried the chill of an arctic front. I had handwarmers in my gloves, hand warmers in my pockets, hand warmers in my shoes. We had several hours left of the last vendor market of the season in my tiny town before we could get back to our homes and get warmed up and at least for me, sales were…soft. It felt really hard in that moment to justify my discomfort for a crowd that seemed generally uninterested in what I was offering.

That evening, after everything was packed up and I had finally gotten home, wolfed down some food and sat in a hot shower for awhile, I looked at my husband and said ‘I’m not doing this anymore.’

Look, I know what you’re going to say next. Brandi, you’ll explain patiently, not every market is a great one. Don’t give up, you’ll implore, you’re art is beautiful.

And I’d agree with you. Not every market IS great and my art IS beautiful.

I am giving up neither art making or market going.

What I am quitting is what’s not working.

I think it’s really important in our lives that we get off our couches and try things. I think it’s really important in our lives that we exercise our suck it up muscle when things are hard or uncomfortable. I have given that particular muscle a whole lot of practice out on trails and mountain tops in the past decade and a half. I know how to put my head down and get through it.

Which means I also know there’s a fine line between building character and being a masochist.

The truth is, the little hometown market that I participate in and, honestly LOVE, also isn’t really the right fit for me. It’s more consumables and crafts and I made airy-fairy art. People who buy my art at these fairs stumble upon it, not go looking for it, which means sales are hit or miss.

For the last few markets, I’ve also been trying to cater to that crowd, shoe-horning my art into more smaller, gift type offerings, and that has been a big fat failure.

And honestly, my art is changing. If what I was creating didn’t really fit with a small town vendor market, what I’m starting to make is REALLY not up their alley.

When I’ve felt my art shifting in the past, there was usually some panic associated with that. Panic that I was losing something or that people wouldn’t like what was next or that I wouldn’t like what was next.

But if there is one good thing about this stage of life, it’s a forced acceptance of upheaval and a general lack of f#@ks to give about…well…anything.

There won’t be any masochism here. No more sucking it up for the sake of sucking it up. It’s imperative that you try things and more imperative that you learn from what you try and adjust accordingly.

My art is changing. Cool.

What does that mean for me? I am definitely not quitting art making or art selling. Both those activities are just going in new directions and that means different venues for a different voice.

To that end, it’s time for some art to be set free and to help facilitate that, I have set some VERY compelling sale prices on my prints, notebooks and mugs. You can pick up these babies for a steal HERE.

I also have some limited edition Christmas ornaments you can get for $10 flat (includes shipping!). Just reply to this email with the number of the ornament and your address and we can go from there.