On December 13th, I’ll be sharing my art and expertise at the Christmas market at Welkoop Zierikzee, from 10:00 to 15:00. A wonderful opportunity to showcase my work and connect with people during the festive season.
How it all started
I first saw the call for participants on Facebook. Curious, I checked my calendar to see if it would fit. Luckily, it did, so I quickly responded under the post.
Two days later, I received a reply asking me to send an email. Of course, I did! A few days after that, I got the good news: a spot had been reserved for me. Even better, I was given a place inside the store, perfect, since my drawings shouldn’t get wet, and I wasn’t too keen on standing out in the cold.
Practical challenges
As always, I bring my own materials, but this time they also expected me to bring a table. That was a bit of a challenge, because I don’t actually own one. Thankfully, my neighbor came to the rescue with a wallpaper table. Not the best option, but good enough.
There was just one catch: the table couldn’t be longer than 2 meters. So, I sent another email to check if that would be okay. Luckily, it turned out not to be a problem at all.
Looking forward
Now that everything is arranged, I feel excited. Taking part in a market is always an adventure — from spotting the initial call to sorting out all the practical details. And soon comes the best part: meeting visitors, sharing my art, and telling the stories behind my drawings.
I can’t wait to inspire people with my work. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you there!
Silence & the Sold Kingfisher: My Christmas Market Adventure 🎨🐦
This morning, Henny and our ever‑cheerful Nala 🧑🎨🐕 dropped me off at the Christmas market. Henny heroically helped me haul all my gear through the cold — husband of the year, if you ask me.
And then… silence.
Not just regular silence.
Cemetery‑level silence.
The kind where you start wondering if you accidentally arrived on the wrong day. 🤫
Luckily, I had been assigned a fantastic spot, so my table was set up in no time 🛠️. Slowly, other exhibitors trickled in, each building their own tiny festive universe. The market officially opened at 10 AM… and around 11 AM the first human appeared. One. Single. Human. 🧍♀️
By 11:30, a few more brave souls wandered in 🚶♀️🚶♂️. I started to suspect I was part of an ultra‑exclusive event with a guest list of five.
🎣 And then the plot twist…
Despite the deafening quiet, I sold my kingfisher drawing “Master of Hunting”! 💰👑
Apparently, he doesn’t just hunt fish — he hunts buyers too. A multi‑talented bird indeed.
Right after that, I had a wonderful conversation with a lovely lady who had read the newspaper article about my library exhibition. She had visited, loved it, and made a special trip today just to meet me and talk about booking a workshop. She’s also read all my blogs 💖 — which honestly melted my heart. Sometimes I wonder if I’m writing into the void, so hearing that was the boost I didn’t know I needed.
🎄 Less Christmas chaos, more… emptiness?
There were only a handful of indoor stalls, which was a bit disappointing — I had expected more festive bustle 😔. The marketing wasn’t exactly booming either: I found exactly one lonely Facebook post 👻. But hey, someone from the organisation did film a video 🤳. Now let’s see if it ever surfaces online.
The rest of the afternoon remained suspiciously quiet 😴. After last week’s incredibly busy event, this felt like stepping into a parallel universe.
✅ Final score of the day
• 1 fantastic sale (thank you, kingfisher)
• 4 potential workshop bookings
• 1 heart‑warming conversation
• 1 ego boost from a loyal blog reader
• 0 Christmas stress
Not bad at all for a market where you could hear your own echo.
The organisers told me it was their first time running this event and they already see room for improvement. And honestly? Despite the silence, I’m absolutely not dissatisfied. Sometimes the quietest days bring the most unexpected wins.
With all my love💗
Arty By Esther
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