Sayso & Friends Winter Market 2022
When you’re a small business owner or an artist, you don’t really get PTO. There are no paid sick days, no shift covers - at least not in the beginning.
This Saturday I woke up at 3 am with the worst food poisoning of my life. It was the morning of the Sayso & Friends Winter Market that I’d looked forward to all year and the same day as the Artspace Holiday Art Fair I was excited about. I was devastated (not only because food poisoning’s the actual worst), but because I was going to miss out on this huge day for my business. A day that I was really counting on this holiday season.
But when you’re at your lowest, that’s when you lean on others to raise you up. My husband, Joshua, went to the Sayso & Friends Winter Market on my behalf, with the great help of our amazing friend Hannah and ran the booth all day without me. They set up the entire booth display themselves and ran it flawlessly.
Two local collectors just added my work “Down in the Valley” to their collection.
Meanwhile, my beloved Winston Salem community came out in droves and showed such enthusiasm and support for small businesses (as they always do) and, ultimately, helped us to smash our sales goal for the weekend. Then my husband packed up, came back home, and took care of my weak, sick self.
Fortunately, I’m fully recovered now and am able to reflect on all of these reasons for gratitude.
This holiday season, the best gift I’ve received has been the affirmation of what an incredible community I have here in my corner. Thank you all so much for being a part of that. Thank you for showing support to me and my art business, whether through sales, kind words, or simply following along. I’m more grateful than you could ever know.
With all my love and gratitude for my husband, for my family, for my friends, and for my community, Veronica 💕