Surviving Elmwood Art Fest on 24 Hours of No Sleep: A Wild Ride Behind the Booth!🧶🎨💨
Selling at an art festival is always an adventure—but this time, it was extra intense! I had the amazing opportunity to showcase my handmade crochet goodies at Elmwood Art Fest, but let me tell you… it was NOT smooth sailing. 😅
💀 I didn’t sleep the night before. Yes, you read that right.
💥 Things went wrong. Many, many things.
📦 I packed orders on-site. And it was one of the best parts of the day!
😅 I had to push through. And somehow, I did.
In one of my latest video, I take you behind the scenes— from sleep-deprived struggles to overcoming chaos, packing orders in real time, and still making the best of the day! 🎥✨
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Running on No Sleep… and Adrenaline
It started the night before the festival. I couldn’t sleep. At all. Maybe it was excitement, maybe it was nerves—probably both. By the time morning rolled around, I realized I was about to take on one of my biggest events while running on empty.
Set-up was a blur of last-minute chaos, but once the customers started coming, something clicked. Adrenaline, excitement, and pure small business passion took over, and I pushed through the exhaustion!
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Packing Orders On-Site: A Special Connection with Customers
One of the most rewarding parts of the festival was packing customer orders right in front of them! There’s something so special about:
✔️ Seeing the excitement in their eyes as they receive their crochet goodies.
✔️ Adding a personal touch to every package —because handmade deserves to feel extra special!
✔️ Creating an interactive shopping experience where customers can watch their order come together.
It wasn’t always easy, especially running on no sleep, but these small moments made the day so worth it.
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When Everything Goes Wrong… But You Make It Work
Of course, it wouldn’t be a true vendor experience without things going wrong 🤦♀️ Here are just a few of the struggles I faced:
❌ Sleep deprivation = brain fog– I had to triple-check everything to make sure I wasn’t messing up orders.
❌ Last-minute booth issues – My hanging clothes racks couldn't handle the weight of the apparels so my canopy was tilted to one side for a good part of the show.
❌ Unexpected hiccups – I got stung by a bee. The last time this happened was when I was a toddler.
But despite all that, I reminded myself: this is what I love doing. And instead of focusing on the struggles, I focused on the amazing customers, the beautiful atmosphere, and the joy of sharing my handmade work with the world.
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The Best Day (Even on No Sleep!)
Somehow, despite the chaos and exhaustion, I had an incredible time. Seeing customers’ faces light up as they picked out crochet plushies, packing their orders on-site, and chatting with other vendors made it all worth it.
🌟 The Takeaways?
✅ Sometimes things will go wrong—but you can handle it.
✅ Your passion will always push you through.
✅ Sleep is important… but so is making memories!
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Watch the Full Behind-the-Scenes Chaos!
Want to see what running a handmade business at an art festival really looks like—sleep deprivation, unexpected challenges, real-time order packing, and all? Check out my Youtube Channel for the full experience!
Have you ever had to power through an event on no sleep? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your stories! 💕
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