treat yourself to a craft business weekend

I know first-hand how crazy the holiday craft show season is for makers. Every weekend is another show in another city (or two!), and last-minute orders keep flowing in as you try your best to keep local shops stocked. Most crafters I know take January off entirely, and they totally deserve it.

But once February rolls around, it’s time to start planning for the year ahead. And that’s why I and two other craft show organizers started Midwest Craft Con, a three-day creative business conference.

It’s part conference, part relaxing retreat and part slumber party. We bring in craft business experts and artists from all over the Midwest and the continent to Columbus, Ohio, to talk about the ins and outs of running a craft business and share their experiences. (Our keynotes this year —Yao Cheng of Columbus, Chris Glass of Cincinnati and Jen Hewett of San Francisco — are major.) Our sessions are mainly aimed at what we call mid-career crafters: People who have been running their creative businesses for at least a year or two who want to take it to the next level. We also allow lots of “craftivity” time for all the attendees to get to know each other and get crafty. This year’s event had karaoke, a crafty spelling bee and a crafting competition, and we’ve got more surprises in store for 2017.

Midwest Craft Con will be February 10-12, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, and the DIY spirit lives on year-round in the private Facebook group for conners. As you wrap up 2016, consider making a tax-deductible investment in your creative business for the new year. You can get your tickets right here!