ACWB Summer Makers Market 2025

On August 2, I took part in my very first art market: the Arts Council Wood Buffalo’s Summer Makers Market at kiyām Community Park!

The day was absolutely beautiful, although extremely freaking hot (over 30 degrees Celsius!) Holy cow, was I ever lucky that my booth was right across from the splash pad so I could run through the water and cool off every now and then! And aside from the wind picking up in the last hour - it was the perfect day.

This was the first time I’ve ever put my art out there in a market setting for people to browse and buy if they wanted to (aside from last year’s garage sale where I sold one of my very first upcycled artworks - shoutout to Stacey!) I’ll admit it… I was up until 3am having a panic attack the night before, convinced that all my art was terrible and everyone would hate it. Turns out it was my brain self-sabotaging itself like usual, and the market turned out to be the complete opposite. Who would have thought? Not me. Haha. The market was a big success — I sold two original pieces and several prints! Even better, I had so many great conversations with people who stopped by my booth: visitors, fellow artists, and new connections I’m really glad to have made.

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better first market experience, and it’s given me the confidence to keep putting myself out there. (I’m sure with plenty more panic attacks and self-doubt to work through.)

Big thanks to Arts Council Wood Buffalo for organizing such a great event, and to everyone who came by to support local artists. I’m already looking forward to the next one this Winter! Stay tuned!