this past year has been a year of learning new things.....I have been unemployed going on two years now......and I have made so much jewelery that I don't know what to do with it all, so I am trying my hand at online marketing, which I know nothing about......AND it shows terribly, both in my blog and my store front......I have no idea how to design a blog page or a store front so both are abysmal and totally boring....I am awful at photography.......I would prefer to do a farmers market type thing, but I guess everyone is doing it now and there are no openings for jewelery makers locally.......
Any way enough boo hoos ........ I have been trying to work outside my comfort zone and teach myself new techniques, this morning at 3:30 am, when I should have been sleeping, I was trying my hand at beaded beads, I taught myself my own version of spinning tops a couple weeks ago, and added a couple to my bead soup creation!!! this morning I was learning how to do a simple woven bead from Carol Wilcox Wells book The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving.......... the first try turned out a bit wonky........so I ripped it apart, the second one was a bit better, but too much thread was showing, I guess the third time is a charm, it turned out ok.......still not perfect, but I have made a couple more and each one looks a bit better......so who knows? I might actually figure it out........I think I'll try embelished netted beads next.....
Oh Yeah.......I forgot the reason for this post was to say I am in the first group of the bead soup
groups.....so will be showing my my finished soup on Saturday the 19th!!!
I'm looking forward to your creation on Saturday before I start teaching class!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to organize my beads this weekend, among other projects that I want to accomplish. *sighs* It never ends! LOL
For blog designing and photography skills and online marketing--there's a lot of information on the Internet now. I've been reading and assimilating it!
Could I suggest a subscription to Sunshine Artist Magazine? You can peruse a bit of it online. It's a magazine about crafters and shows and what they're like and there are tons of good articles about the business of craft. I write some of the regional reviews for it, too -- there are a lot of reviewers who write about the shows they do, so you get info from the VENDORS, not the promoters.
ReplyDeleteIt's tough out there -- but feel free to email me, ok?
It does take a lot of time, trial & error, and learning from mistakes to get an online business going. The list of things to learn can feel overwhelming. Hang in there and know that you are not alone.
ReplyDeleteBefore having your own website to sell things, you might try an online marketplace like Etsy in which to have a shop. It's an easier way to get started.
The photography is learnable. Do an online search for "close-up photography", "product photography", and "light boxes" as a start. Also, search the the online forums at Etsy.com. Then practice, practice, practice.
I may have to check out the Sunshine Artist Magazine that Pretty Things mentioned. It sounds like a good source of information.