Monday, July 14, 2008

An Adventure in the Arts


I was laid off my job about three and a half months ago. I figured this was as good a time as any to explore selling my own jewelry designs. I got a shop up and running on Etsy (www.stagebunny.etsy.com). Many people on Etsy are able to support themselves on their work. I am not yet one of those people. I get giddy from one sale, and the euphoria from that one sale can last for days. I had pulled from the collective pool of Etsy wisdom that it can take a couple of years before one actually sees any kind of profit. That makes sense to me. It's like any other business, right?

I feel pretty good about this. Even though I will have to get, at the very least, a part-time employment position soon, I am dedicated to the long-term goal of making my little business go. I have already learned so much, including the fact that the majority of the time I spend on my business is not in the studio creating, but shopping for ads, promoting, looking for new materials, etc.

Things I have done so far to build my little empire include:
~Buying up affordable ads on Project Wonderful.
~Ordering and distributing some truly beautiful business cards
~Joining groups like Indiepublic that are relevant to my business
~Talking about my business and wearing my pieces while I'm out and about.
~Keeping track of my sales and what advertising I do on a monthly basis so I can get some idea about any correlations.

I really need to get out of the mentality that I am an unemployed person with a hobby. When people ask me what I do, I need to start saying, "I'm a jewelry designer." If I don't believe in it myself, it's never going to happen. I want this, so onward and upward.

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