September 19, 2018 was my show with raw in DTLA at the Exchange LA. This is my experience to those who are looking for an artist opinion!
I was approached by RAW via Instagram, and after researching a little about them, I decided to exhibit in their next event in Los Angeles. I was invited to attend a Raw event (prior to my show) in Hollywood, and thought it was a fun event.
Jane was in charge of everything from getting the artists together and showing them the space before hand, to explaining the details of the event as well as answering and solving any questions and dilemmas that you had. She was awesome. Her personal number was available, and she always got back as soon as she could with any answers. Before the show we walked the venue and got a feel of our assigned spaces. Any tables or chairs were our responsibility, as well as extra lighting and extension cords.
This event is free to the artist with no upfront fees, but you are required to sell 20 tickets at 22$. Any tickets unsold will be charged on the artist. I understand how people may think of this as unfair, making the artists promote and sell to be able to exhibit... but you should think of it as an opportunity to connect with people, put yourself in uncomfortable situations and make sales... many artists suck at that - think of this as practice.
On the down side to this, the advertisement of this event was purely at the hands of the artists. Facebook posts, instagram posts, and email shoutouts to their friends is what fills the space. It fills it with friends and supporters of all the artists there. It lacked proper advertising from the organizers done through newspapers, magazines, flyers, influencers, paid ads etc... This is my only suggestion to RAW... Advertise.
On the day of the event, the setup for every category was scheduled - very well organized, very well executed. Setup was smooth, and everyone was helpful. It is awesome meeting so many artists in one space! After setup, I did a quick look around, and everyone's spots looked great. This is not your market night event - this is a full on production. The venue was amazing, the sound was great, the event was fun, the bars were stocked, and everyone was having a great time. Thats what this event is all about. Having fun, meeting people, mingling with other artists, and making connections!!
Overall, this event was a positive experience; good exposure, fun crowd, great entertainment. I made connections, met some cool people and made sales. If you have a RAW show coming up, I wish you the best of luck! And if any of you reading this was part of a DTLA raw show and wants to share their experience, please feel free to post it below!
If you have any questions, just send an email to info@sallyk.com and i'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Good luck to all you artists out there who are busting their asses trying to do what they love and make a living doing it. Here are some pics from the show :)
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