Curve Balls

No matter how well-planned a business is, there’s always that unexpected curve ball that comes at you and whacks you when you least expect it.  In the back of my mind for the past four years, I’ve known that a curve ball could be lurking, waiting to be thrown, and since I’m a lousy catcher, that ball was going to hit me smack upside my head.

The ball seems to have hit me now in the form of Exhaustion and Illness.  Right now I’m fighting both, and it’s not a lot of fun.

Part of me (the very, very tired part) wants to just throw up my hands and say, “take the year off”.  But I had some incredible momentum in 2008, and I don’t want to lose it, so I’m going to have to adapt to this curve ball.

In a nutshell:

1)  I’m cutting back on my craft shows.  I did something like 20 last year, and most of those were 3-days long.  That’s where the exhaustion comes from.  This year, I’m planning on only about 10 shows, and being much more judicious about when they are, so I don’t book myself for two months solid.

2)  I’m allowing myself to rest.  That may sound elementary, a no-brainer when you’re tired or ill, but my personality type thrives on work.  I dare say most artists are the same way, but sometimes, something has to give.  Do whatever it takes to give your body and your mind a chance to repair and recharge.  If you have to write on your calendar, “do nothing today”, well, make that appointment.

3)  When I DO have the energy, I’m using it wisely.  I make a list each morning, and focus just on that list before I allow myself to deviate.  That’s tough for me, because I am the ultimate multi-tasker, but it’s become way too easy to do tons of work and get nothing done.  (Know the feeling?)

None of these things is easy for me, but that curve ball, it hurt.  No one expects to get sick or tired or have something happen within their family that makes you have to stop and totally re-plan.  It’s good to have a fall-back plan, other options, other ways to get things done.  So before a curve ball hits you, take some time to think about “what if” — and don’t feel horrible if you drop the ball.

Lori Anderson is currently taking it easy in her studio in Easton, MD.  Her work can be seen at www.lorianderson.net, and her random musings can be read at www.lorianderson.blogspot.com.

 

(Photo via thecompletepitcher.com)

The One Thing I Know for Sure – Annette Piper

Hmmm, I might prefer to say, One Thing I Think I Know! 

 

And that is that qualty wil always sell.  It may not sell fast, but it will sell. 

 

I did a small show last year and was warned that the customer base of this show

* may not buy jewellery:

* were possibly into the metaphysical aspect of gemstones; and

* per sale $ would not be high.

 

Like anyone, occasionally I falter –  by trying to change myself to fit what I THINK the customer base would like – without actually having tried the show first or been told that that is actually what they are after. 

 

So I concentrated on my impulse level items and spent quite a bit of time, finding some great focal gemstones, making some samples, researching the metaphysical side of stones and listing them, and getting all these new things together in time for the show.   I didn’t have a lot of space and dedicated more than half of it to these pieces.

 

Now most of my jewellery is higher end gemstone and pearls so this was quite a departure from my usual line.  The remainder of my space – which was not very much at all – had a few pieces of my usual jewellery – more as an indication of the type of work I did.

Well, I had a lovely time.  I met some very nice people and sold one, yes, that’s right, ONE impulse-level item.   The majority of people thought I was just showing stones and they enjoyed looking through them, asking me questions and then wandered away. 

 

However out of the few pieces of my usual jewellery – HALF sold.    

 

I have finally learned that I should stick to what I know and what I’m good at – and that is higher end jewellery!  

 

I have followed my own advice since then – and at even the most unlikely places, I have sold at least something.  People really CAN appreciate the quality, even in the dire financial times we find ourselves – and some will still buy something they can see is quality and value for their money. 

 

(Yes, I still carry my impulse price items but they are definitely relegated as only a sideline rather than given pride of place!)

 

A beautiful three strand garnet bracelet by Annette Piper Dip. Gem. Handcrafted Jewellery

To read more from Annette, visit her blog at http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com and view her jewellery at www.annettepiper.com

Inspiration – Heather Hertziger

Inspiration is one of those very personal things.  What one person finds inspiring may not do anything for someone else.  Some people may find that their art is inspired by majestic views or paintings by masters.  Others find that they need other sources for inspiration.  

I belong to the second group.  I look at a painting, a sunset on a pond, or a beautiful mountain and I appreciate them for themselves, but rarely do I feel inspired by something like this.  My inspiration comes from learning new things and finding ways to incorporate those techniques into things I already do.  Lately, I have been feeling uninspired to work on my torch so I decided to work on something completely different for me and so I found some directions to make this necklace.

I don’t typically make pieces like this so it was a real stretch for me.  However, now that it is made, I am inspired to see what it would look like with some of my lampwork incorporated into the design.  I will be hitting the torch soon and creating a new piece with my lampwork added to the design.  Stay tuned to see what I come up with.

 

Chasing Trends – Andrea Quenneville

“Trendy” is a word that would never be used to describe my personal style or anything in my home. I’m not one to follow the latest styles or to concern myself with fashion. I’m sure my teenager thinks I’m completely lame! In my business, however, I often find myself wondering what is “cool” or trying to figure out what the hot colors are going to be for the coming seasons; not because I want to only offer trendy items, but because I want to tap into a different way of generating traffic in my shop. One of my goals has always been to offer a wide range of fabric choices to broaden the appeal of my products.

Too often, I’ve found myself on the tail-end of trends, or falling in love with fabric that was popular six months ago. I can’t tell you how many different owl fabrics I have that are languishing on my shelves, waiting for me to make them into totes. It’s pointless to sew them now, as owls seem to be waning in popularity. (It’s a good thing I love owls!)

I am currently packing my studio for a cross-country move, so my business will be closed for most of this winter. I honestly have been too busy with daily life to plan for this spring, so I hope to focus on creating a summer line that has some trendy elements once we’re settled. As always, I have grand plans for new bags that might never materialize. Or, maybe I’ll turn into a fashionista before the snow melts…stranger things have happened!

Happy New Year Everyone! Please visit my blog at http://thoughtsfrommsq.blogspot.com

A Matter of Style by Solar Flare Creations

I was shopping with a girlfriend the other day (an exceedingly rare occurrence for me) and when she looked at the clothes I had selected to try one she said ” You definitely have a particular style dont you, I would have picked all of those things for you”.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have my bead style so readily apparent.  My modus operandi really does not lend itself to developing a specific style or signature bead.

I like to try new techniques, skills and designs, but the reccomended ‘practice, practice, practice’ does not sit well with me.  I tend to try something new once, then look at the result.  If it worked well, I generally declare it a success and move on.  If it didn’t turn out well, I tend to mentally put it in the ‘too hard basket’ for a few months, when I will try again. Luckily, sometimes my skills seem to develop by osmosis – I do a lot of my learning in the back of my mind, mulling things over.  Generally when I come back to it, the technique will click and off I go.  That’s how I learnt to make hollows.  I’m sure if I had kept trying the first time, I would have got it eventually, but my method is a lot less stressful and wastes a lot less glass.
🙂

So while I do have some favourites styles, namely Warring States dot beads,  my work tends to be eclectic and touch on a wide variation of styles.  I worry sometimes I should be developing a ‘signature’ style or design, that people will look for and keep coming back. But then I also wonder if it works just as well to produce work that satisfies a wide range of tastes and interests.

I may not have a signature bead – but I guess I do have a personal style… to dabble, to experiment, and try everything once.

www.solarflarecreations.com.au

Overcoming Artistic Block

This year was a hectic one for me.  I participated in over 16 shows (most of them 3 days long), wrote tutorials, taught classes, volunteered nearly every day at my son’s school, fought some major illnesses — it’s no wonder I’m tired!

I also make nearly half my income in the last three months of the year, so every single day (and most of the night) I’m making jewelry,  selling jewelry, or shipping jewelry.  If I thought I was tired before, I’m even more so during those crazy days, and the inevitable happens — I get major artistic block.  

This kind of artistic block starts with my never, ever wanting to see another bead or piece of wire again.  My work bench, for the first time all year, gathers dust.  I find myself with loads of time and I have to actually think about how to fill it. 

It’s lovely!

This annual artistic block doesn’t frighten me, though.  I know that in about a month, I’ll be right back at it, preparing for another year.  But right now, I’m enjoying things I didn’t have time for before — knitting, reading a book in the local coffee shop, taking my son to museums, and on occasion, playing a video game.  A month later, my brain will have been rested and rejuvenated, and I’ll venture back to the bead cabinet.

(And oh yeah.  I take this time to really clean my house from top to bottom.  Running your own business really makes dusting and organizing seem less important!)

I think it’s important to embrace artistic block.  Often it’s not a lack of ideas, but an abundance of ideas — so many ideas that your brain throws up its hands and cries, “Enough already!”  So rather than fight it or worry about it, take the time to do something else.  Just like an athlete resting in the off-season, an artist needs to rest.

Really!  Go on.  Put your feet up.  And I’ll see you next month.

Business 101 – Annette Piper

I am lucky to be in a situation where I sell my creations – this validates my reason for making substantial amounts of jewellery and enables me to continue to purchase vast quantities of gemstones!  

 

But a lot of people don’t sell what they make – sometimes this is because they choose not to, sometimes it is because they don’t know how.

 

Here are some of my pointers to selling your wares should you want to sell but not know where to start.

 

* Ensure you practice until your wares are as good as they can possibly be. Don’t even attempt to sell goods of questionable quality and workmanship as this may harm your reputation down the track.

 

* Create a ‘look’ that fits your style.   This look will be utilized in such things as business cards, packaging and advertising.   Think about your target market and what they react favourably to in advertising.   Research first to avoid costly mistakes – you don’t want to pay for business cards and then change your mind a month down the track and find they no longer suit you! 

 

* Price your items fairly. A good guide is to charge what YOU would be prepared to pay as a member of the general public.   Once again, do your research – you don’t want to be either too high or too low compared to your competitors in the marketplace.  Make sure you add all your costs together when pricing an item –  don’t guess in the early stages.  You will often be surprised how quickly small amounts add up.

 

* Seek out local shows and events in your area and see which attracts your target market.  Attend these shows as a visitor first if you can to gauge the clientele and the other booths/stalls.   If you think it is a good fit, then start to apply for them (some shows have extensive waiting lists).   A lot of quality shows will be juried, so be prepared with examples of your work.

 

* When you make it to a show, think about your set up.  Do a trial run at home of your display to make sure it works and looks attractive.  You may not have time to tweak your display at a show!    Make a list of things you will need and tick these off when packing.   Make sure you turn up to the show in good time to set up before the doors open.   Greet everyone with a smile.   Don’t pack up until the doors have shut or the last customer has departed – open booths will benefit from last minute sales.  Sit down a couple of days after the show and think about what went well and what could have been done better and make notes to refer to next time.

 

* Think about alternate ways of selling your wares – eg. home shows, trunk shows in local businesses, through art and craft outlets, on consignment, online through sites such as etsy or your own website.

 

* Network with other business owners, artisans and artists.

 

* Enjoy what you are doing!   If you lose your passion it may be time for a rethink.

 

Amethyst and sterling silver ring by Annette Piper

 

 

To read more from Annette, visit her blog at http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com and view her jewellery at www.annettepiper.com

I’m a Bead Star!

 

After months of keeping the information under wraps, I can finally announce that I’m a BeadStar! My entry in the Hearts category of BeadingDaily.com’s contest received First Place. The BeadStar contest is sponsored by Interweave Press and BeadingDaily.com.

Some of you might remember voting online for my Hill Tribe Hearts “Hearts Galore” necklace and my “Golden Animal Attraction” lampwork glass bracelet several months ago. Your votes helped get me to the Finals with other deserving entries. I am grateful to all of you for voting and passing on my request to your friends and family as well.

I’m very pleased with not only the necklace, but with the honor and can hardly believe I won a prize in the first beading contest I entered. I’m hoping this will be the boost my creative side needs to get going again with new designs. It’s been a bit of a dry spell between the economic woes and some personal struggles. Time to revive my creative spirit and parlay this honor into some good press, both locally and on the internet! Fame is fleeting, fortunes are welcome, and reality is ever present. I hope to enter some other contests, as well as submit projects to bead magazines. I’ve been told that I should do that in the past and I guess this is validation for me. It’s OK to put yourself out there, winning or not.

Here is another picture of my winning entry:

The First Place win in the Hearts category meant I was in the running for the Grand Prize (that honor went to Valerie Aharoni from New York for the lovely seed bead necklace that graces the cover of the inaugural issue of BeadStar magazine). Take a look at the magazine when you find it next week!

So what happens to the winning necklace? I had the opportunity to have it returned or to donate it to an auction to benefit the American Heart Association’s women’s heart-health initiatives. It seemed fitting that a necklace made of all hearts should be donated to a benefit for heart health. “Hearts Galore” will be on display at Bead Fest Santa Fe, March 12-15, 2009. Interweave will host a silent auction for five of the pieces live at the event on March 14 and 15, while the rest of the jewelry will be auctioned on eBay from March 6-16. I’m not sure which venue my piece will be in.

Information and contest rules for next year’s Bead Star 2009 contest will be posted on the magazine’s website, BeadStar.com, on December 16.

Education

I’m often asked if I studied art in school.  I always laugh and say, “Oh no — jewelry was never the plan!”  If I’d kept going in the direction I was headed, I’d be some sort of doctor right now — not the “stick out your tongue and say aaaah” type, but the forensic scientist type.  The closest I came to art in college was drawing exceptionally difficult molecular structures for organic chemistry.

If I’d had the chance to do it again, would I have gone to art school? 

Probably not.

For one, I would have a gigantic ulcer right now from the stress of doing what the teacher wanted, and not what I wanted.  I never liked being told what to read in English class, even though I’m an avid reader, so being told what to draw/sculpt/forge would not have set well with me.  I never did well in classes in which I had no interest — I’d do what I needed in order to pass and be done, but if I’m not inspired by the subject, it’s nearly impossible for me to do anything really awesome.  That would have made it really difficult for me in art school, because I have zero interest in painting bowls of apples or making a ceramic pot.

I do have an artistic side — I just never knew it for years upon years.  Looking back, I can see it.  For senior prom, I tore apart my prom dress and redesigned it.  I’ve always loved interior decorating, whether it was my house or helping a friend.  And I’ve tried painting, drawing, chalks, collage, and all kinds of other crafty, artistic things — just never showed the results to anyone because at the time, it was just something to do in a spare moment.

If you want to be an artist, whether it’s a watercolorist or lampworker — go for it.  If you think a class would benefit you, take it, but never let a lack of formal education get in your way of creating.  Creating comes from the heart, and no one can teach that.

 

Lori Anderson writes from her studio in Easton, MD.  Her work can be seen at www.lorianderson.net, and her writing can be followed at www.lorianderson.blogspot.com

Giving Back – Annette Piper

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

 – Winston Churchill

 

How much do you participate in your community or in your artistic field?  Not just in selling your wares and promoting yourself or your goods – but actively helping organizations that you are surrounded by?   

 

Is there an organization within your community that you admire for what they do?   Is there a professional organization that fosters new artisans/artists?  Is there a group that helped you in the past?

 

I live in a small rural community.   Every organization (and there are a LOT of them) fundraise to meet their expenses or to achieve their goals.   They are all run by volunteers.   I have found that I no longer have the time to sit on stalls all day, to spend a day baking, or to help organize a fundraising function. 

 

However I do have a product that people appreciate and want.  This makes it ideal for me to support these organizations by the donation of a piece of jewellery.  The jewellery is either raffled or auctioned – either way someone gets some lovely jewellery and the organization gets much needed funds!  

 

Of course, they don’t ALWAYS want jewellery, but three or four times a year  I will donate an item or two to organizations in my local town or the surrounding district.    And you know what, it feels GREAT!

 

How about supporting a local artisan group by giving lessons or talks to young people interested in getting into the artistic field?   Encourage their efforts and support their endeavours.  

 

Hopefully your generosity will inspire others to do the same.  And you will benefit by getting the satisfaction of strengthening and helping your community.

This coral, lava and silver necklace raised several hundred dollars for a neighbouring school.

 

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”

– Aesop

 

To read more by Annette, see her blog, Under the Loupe and view her jewellery at www.annettepiper.com.