Artrepreneur; The Collision of Art and Business

How Do They Get Away With This??

2009-05-28T16:34:00.004-05:00

I was talking with another artist the other day about a shop that had approached both of us within the last few years. What stunned me as we spoke was the fact that this place was still in business, getting artists to sign up to their "great" plan.

The deal is that you pay a fee of about $170 for six months, and then you "only" have to pay a consignment fee of 15%. Apparently this last thing is what gets so many artists caught up in the web. They hear the 15% and think,

"What a great deal. Only 15% fee."

What is wrong with this picture?

First of all, why are you paying someone to carry your work? It is not necessary, and it is a needless cost. Let's assume that a mark-up of 2X your wholesale price is reasonable for both you and the seller to cover your costs, in which case the standard consignment of 50% is not entirely out of line. So, you would need to sell $400 through this shop to reach break even. It is only if they are selling more than $400 over a six month period that you will begin to see any advantage to the better consignment rate.

But, when you sign up, how do you know if this will be the case? This artist that I talked to managed to negotiate a six month period with a standard 50% consignment rate. During that time, she found out that they did not do a good job selling her work. She would have been in the hole by several hundred dollars. And when they presented her with a contract, and an offer to continue to have her work with them, she saw that they had kept the consignment rate at 50%, AND wanted her to pay that membership fee.

What else is wrong with this picture beyond the basic math? First of all, why are we so willing to carry the inventory costs of the shop by offering our work on consignment, and, to pay a fee for the privilege on top of that? The sales pitch tells you that they will spend your fee to help market your work. Isn't that what the the normal consignment fee goes towards? Why would anyone want to assume all the risks of their business by paying this fee up front, and giving them the inventory they need to run their shop?

When we sell our work on consignment, we are carrying the inventory costs of a business. This is part of the normal operating costs of a retail business. And when the work is on consignment, their is a risk that the merchandise will be neglected, damaged, or not tracked well. We are assuming more risk that with wholesale.

There are good reasons to have your work on consignment. There are a few local shops where my work is sold through consignment, and I find they do a good job representing my work. And, I can give them a wider range of work than some wholesale accounts might carry. It gives me the opportunity to see how newer work will do. A few local wholesale accounts will have one or two larger pieces on cosignment to give the display of my work more "Wow!"

But, I only will do consignment with local businesses. Even then, it is a challenge to keep them stocked, to rotate inventory, and make sure that my work is being well represented.

There are some galleries that only work on a consignment basis. Sometimes you need to do some research, talk with other artists who have their work there, and find out if it is a good place to have your work. Do they pay promptly? How do they handle rotating stock? Have they ever had any concerns?

I am not ruling out consignment, under the right conditions. Ideally you will be paid 60%, or in a few rare instances even more, of the selling price. But 50% is pretty standard these days. Know how often the checks will be cut, and sent out, so that you know when to expect payment. And, be willing to risk losing something. Theft happens in even the best of circumstances, and you will be more at risk to absorb this loss under consignment, than under a wholesale arrangement.

But please. Do not pay to play. If someone is asking you to pay a fee to sell your work in their shop, and keeping a portion of the sales price as well, ask them,

"Why am I assuming your business risk?"

I did not get a straight answer from this shop when I asked that question. So I declined the opportunity. They placed a wholesale order for some cranes. Go figure. Sometimes saying no is the absolute best thing you can do for yourself, and your business. There is enough risk in the business of being an artrepreneur without taking on the risk of another business too.

Remember, sustainability is our goal. We want to be in this for the long haul.

___________________________________

I am leaving for Las Vegas and the ACRE wholesale show this afternoon. The last word I heard was that more buyers were registering in the last few weeks. Let's hope that turn out is better than expected, and people come ready to place orders.

I'll keep you posted!

Pricing Challenges

2009-04-27T22:26:00.005-05:00

I recently had the good fortune to be invited to speak to the Vermont Craft Council. I taught two classes; one about using the Internet for publicity and promotion, and the other about pricing. I was frankly a little surprised by the invitation, but also flattered.

But, I also wondered what I had to say about pricing. I struggle with pricing....like nearly everyone I know. I have yet to meet the crafts person who declares, "I love to price my work!"

It is a task that is put off to the last moment for many of us, or agonized over for too long. As I prepared for this presentation, I reviewed some of my earlier posts about pricing, and in particular the ones about pricing the pear. I had learned a great deal in the process of writing those posts, and once again, I found preparing to teach a class brought forth new understanding.

First off, I recalled that I have always hated pricing. When I was selling oxygen, nitrogen and other industrial gases, I hated pricing. It was nearly always a challenge even then to come up with the right price in competitive bids. When I was a product manager in several companies, and I had to review price deviations with sales people, it was always a stressful process. When I had a business making window treatments, I really felt challenged by coming up with the right price. So, why should this be any different?

If anything there is the added challenge that we are pricing something that we have made with our hands and often our hearts. A piece of us goes off with each piece. How can we value that?

Then there is the challenge of trying to figure out how much will someone else pay for this item? Can we cover our costs...if we even know what they are?

As I reviewed my presentation with my husband, we began to talk about the many factors that go into pricing. That was when I realized how I had always hated pricing. But I also began to see a new challenge that exists in the world of an artrepreneur. The marketplace is dysfunctional. Both the buyers and sellers can play a role in that dysfunction.

Let's look at the sellers first, since this is the easiest...but not easy!....to control. As I reviewed the past posts on pricing, and the many ideas I gathered from readers about how they approach pricing it was clear that not all sellers are pricing in a way that will create a sustainable business. In order to continue to be in business for five years, ten years, or more, a seller must consider all their costs of being in business...not just their cost of materials. Or maybe the labor. If a seller is selling their work in the retail market at wholesale prices, they are doing themselves, and the market, a great disservice.

We need to price our work with the idea of sustainability. That means our overhead, selling expenses, and a profit that can be reinvested into the business in new equipment or other capital purchases, are incorporated into the price, along with labor and materials.

What if you think, "Oh, I don't want to do that. I just want to have fun making things and make enough money to buy materials."?

Okay. What about your cost of display equipment...even just a table....or packaging? Are you including those? Are you declaring your income and expenses with the IRS? Can you honestly say you are in business if you are not pricing your work like it is anything more than a hobby?

Maybe you have moved past that. You can comfortably say that is not me. I don't do that anymore. I price my work so that I can make a fair wage, and a fair return on my investment in my business. But then you go to a show, and you find yourself surrounded by people who are pricing it as a hobbyist. Do you think the customer can understand the difference in pricing, and why the higher price is actually more rational? Does the average consumer at a local craft fair care if you are in business next year? How can you keep your head when everyone around you is losing theirs?

This is where I began to realize part of my underlying motivation to move up to higher quality shows, or to wholesale. The markets are more rational. You are more likely to compete against artists who understand the cost of being in business. They are in it for the long haul. Likewise, the consumer is likely to be more educated as well. They are willing to pay a fair price for handcrafted work. They want you to be around in five years, so that as a collector or as a shop owner they can continue to purchase from you. They understand that you do not need to price the work so that every single person who wants to own it can afford it. You are one person. There is only so much that you can produce.

I am not dissing the local craft shows, or the on-line shops full of dysfunctional pricing. I am just describing the landscape. I did a terrific little show last year at some local art studios. There were people there who had fair prices. And there were plenty with just crazy pricing. But, I did not allow the people who have are pricing too low make me question my own pricing strategy. And I had a great show.

There are also times that you can reasonably lower prices. If you have old inventory that you want to clear out. Or if you have seconds that are saleable. Go ahead and discount those items and convert them into cash.

If you hate to price your work, you are not alone.

If you think it is way too hard, you are right.

But just because other people around you are losing their heads, doesn't mean that you need to lose yours. Hold on tight. Breath deeply. Know what your true costs are, and know what a fair price is.

You may find that a fair price for an item is just not saleable. You may need to redesign the product, resource your supplies, or perhaps even come up with a new idea all together. But continuing to produce it, and sell it for less that is reasonable for the costs you have...that is just crazy. And you know that.

Sustainability. That is the word to hold onto. We want a sustainable planet. And we want an sustainable business. Neither is easily achieved. But both are well worth the effort.

Is It All About the Venue?

2009-03-19T13:03:00.003-05:00

Lindly Haunani recently sent me a story.

Watch this video.

Did you notice the protective bubble that seems to exist around the violinist. Even the few who finally stop to listen, keep a "safe" distance away.

The violinist, Joshua Bell. A world class musician. The violin, was worth $3.5 million. He played six beautiful and complex Bach pieces over 45 minutes. Six people stopped and listened for any length of time. About twenty people gave him money, but kept walking.

Just two days earlier, he played a sold out show in Boston. The tickets cost an average of $100. You can image that the audience paid full attention to every piece played.

Same musician. Same instrument. Different setting. And an entirely different response.

It certainly made me think about the many shows I have done when people have walked absent-mindedly through a show. Chatting on the phone, or with a friend. Half looking at the work. At these very shows, there are artists showing work that is worthy of being in a museum....or who have work in a museum.

I have yet to see someone walking through a museum, chatting on their cell phone, and munching on popcorn. Why does one setting invoke respect and focus, and another half-hearted attention? I do not expect people at a craft show,...even a high caliber show....to be looking at the artists and their work with reverence. But, if you do come to see beauty, then why not see the beauty?

It also made me think about how the context in which we sell our work, creates a perception of value. If you sell your work on a bare table in a school gymnasium, don't expect people to value your creative genius. If you put mediocre pictures of your work on your website, don't expect to have anyone see what you see in the work. Sell your work at price that is too low to reflect the work that went into it, and people will look to see what is wrong with the work, to solve the apparent contradiction. Put thought and effort into the design of a piece, and neglect similar attention to the finishing, and don't be surprised that the design is not fully appreciated.

Attention. Attention to where and how is essential to success. Neglect that attention, and you will have an even harder challenge to get your audience to pay attention, appreciate...and buy...your work.

Final Installment of the Chain Interview

2009-01-13T11:36:00.004-05:00

In my last post, Laura Timmins was sharing with us how she balances the art with the business. She had some great ideas for goal setting, and keeping herself on track throughout the year. Laura then turned to her friend Maureen Carlson to ask a question about inspiration.

Question for Maureen Carlson from Laura Timmins: I love listening to the stories that go with your figures. What is your process when you are starting a new figure? Do you have a story in mind and then develop a figure that fits the character in your story, or do you have a character in mind and then the story comes about as you are working on making the figure? What most often sparks a new idea for you?

Thanks for asking, Laura.

When I create my story characters, such as the Pippsywoggins, I usually start with a character idea, then the story, then the sculpture. The most critical aspect of making it all work seems to me to be imagining a specific spot where the character might live. Then everything else falls in place. These imagined homes are always in real locations with which I’m familiar, such as my backyard asparagus patch or the line of pine trees down the road.

It seems that finding a home for the character makes them real to me, and triggers my mind to go into that world where wee folk might live. I can see them arranging their little homes and taking on a personality. As I do this I start typing questions into my computer, and, if I’m in the zone, from somewhere in that never-never land the answers come pouring out. I can tell if it’s a true story by the way my energy feels. If I have to work hard at it, then I’m forcing it. Then I sculpt the character to fit the story. As I sculpt, if I have an idea for a fun accessory to add to the piece, I can always go back and add it to the story.

When I ‘m doing art pieces that tell a story, such as a story box, I usually go back and forth between the idea and the actual piece, with everything being much more intuitive and perhaps never written into story form at all. After I’m all done I can look at the piece and then “read” it, taking note of the symbols and relationship between the elements. I still use my imagination, but more in an interpretive way.

Having watched one of Maureen's sculptures evolve over a few days, it is truly an amazing process. And one does get a sense of story with each piece she creates. The back and forth process she describes with the story boxes is one I think many artists experience when they are creating. Many of us also know about the difference she describes between being in the zone, creatively, or having the feeling of "forcing it."

Maureen turned to another sculptor, Katherine Dewey, who creates such beautiful sculptures. Both have written and published extensively about sculpting with polymer clay.

Question for Katherine Dewey from Maureen Carlson: I'm curious as to why you've stayed with polymer clay for so many years? I know that you love to experiment with lots of materials, and that with your artistic skills and knowledge of the human figure, you could work with any material. Why polymer clay?

Also wonder if you could give us that sculpting link for the people who are using polymer clay to create their masters for the garage kit and game industry. I think other people on this list might like to see another part of the polymer clay world.

Actually, I sculpt in a lot of media. I currently work in epoxy, paper clay, sulphur free plasticines, and wax. I once worked with terra cotta and stoneware. Polymer Clay is by far my favorite medium. It doesn't require a lot of tools and it's more versatile than anything medium. It's friendlier than epoxy, cleaner than wax, more permanent than Chavant, and it's colorful. Oh, so, colorful. Gray, brown, green or buff-- those are the colors of plasticines, earth based clays, carving waxes and epoxy compounds. Oh, there are days and there are sculptures that are better rendered in a single color (gray and brown being my favorites) because form and texture are paramount. Only polymer clay allows you to sculpt in color. What a spectacular notion!

Here's link to the Sculptor's Corner, my favorite web site where you'll find artists and sculptors far better than I am. All of them work in polymer clay, though most work in other clays and waxes as well. Look for Tony Cipriano, Randy Bowen, the Shiflett Brothers (Brandon and Jarrod), Mark Newman, Chris Elizardo, and Gabe Marquez. Ask any one of them: What's your favorite clay? To a man, they will answer: "Super Sculpey!" I know for certain because I did ask. I also know that artist's whose jobs require they work in wax, Andy Bergholtz or Eric Sosa, for example, begin their sculptures in Super Sculpey and then mold and cast in wax for the finishing touches.

If you are at all interested in sculpture; making, or just admiring, be sure to check out the links above. There is incredible talent to be explored.

This is where the chain ended. I plan on beginning a new chain in the next week or so. Keep an eye on your mailbox.....who would you ask a question of?

To all the artists who participated in this experiment, "Thank you!!"
It has far exceeded my expectations in many ways. It also was a reinforcement in trust and letting go for someone who used to have control issues, that still surface from time to time.

For those of you who have been procrastinating about making New Year's resolutions, or goals for your business for the coming year....or who already feel like you have failed at your attempts at resolutions, I have a post coming up for you. Stay tuned.

The Chain Interview Continues...Part 2

2009-01-07T20:11:00.004-05:00

When I left you last time, Hollie Mion had answered a question from Lindly Haunani about her collection of polymer clay work, and how she went about building that collection. Now it is Hollie's turn to ask a question...

Question to Maggie Maggio, from Hollie Mion: I have long enjoyed your color tutorials. My first exposure was when you and Lindly would generously share your knowledge and ideas at the Shrine Mont Retreats back in the mid 90's. How did you get started with it, and where did you obtain your knowledge of color theory?

I'd like to say that I have always been interested in color theory but that's not the truth. I've always been interested in color mixing. The teacher of my first high school art class taught color theory by giving us a batik assignment with only four pots of dye – red, yellow, blue and black. That experience was pivotal for me. I tore up a cotton bed sheet and made close to 1000 color swatches using different combinations and different strengths of three dye colors - a pink red, golden yellow and bright blue.

The first thing I did when I found polymer clay was to buy one each of all the primary colors and start mixing them together. Soon I started documenting the mixes. Then I started teaching how to mix colors. But it wasn't until I began writing color articles for the PolyInforMer in the mid-90's that I brushed off my college textbooks and looked at color theory again. I relearned all the traditional theory just so I could share it in those articles. That's when I found out how little I knew, and how much of the theory just didn't make sense to me. I decided to start testing color theory and soon discovered that polymer clay is the perfect medium for color exploration.

So how did I obtain my knowledge of color theory? By playing with the clay. By reading color books and then experimenting in the studio. By teaching and then finding out that theory is not the same as reality. By observing nature. By talking with other colorphiles. By researching for the book that Lindly and I are writing, and by writing the blog. Color is so complex that I learn something new all the time. It's a bit of an obsession. I just want to know! Recently my daughter called me a "color detective" because I am always trying to uncover the facts about color. I love the searching. And that's the truth. -Maggie Maggio

Question from Maggie Maggio to Cynthia Tinapple: Interest in polymer clay is growing all over the world. The National Polymer Clay Guild just changed its name to the International Polymer Clay Association and your blog, Polymer Clay Daily, plays a huge role in connecting the global polymer clay community. What are some ways we can reach out and network with our fellow polymer enthusiasts in other countries?

I've been surprised that 40% of the PCDaily audience comes from beyond the US borders. I'll attach a list of the countries in the order of their participation.

What can we do to increase and improve that participation?

U.S. bloggers may want to be careful of their use of idioms so that readers who are translating can better understand the content. Putting a translation widget prominently on your blog will make it easier for your international guests as well.

Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words. Make those pictures good and self-explanatory.

More video tutorials, webinars, other online video meetings, virtual guilds will be in our future. Beyond that, face-to-face in classes and conferences will continue to cement our bonds to each other and spread techniques around the globe.

The barriers to cross-country sales will become less problematic. Already, online galleries like Etsy and Dawanda have helped promote the exchange of polymer clay art to a wider international market.

Extend your reach...comment on foreign blogs, join the European guild, link to foreign sites that you like. The best part of this is that when you're stuck in a rut, there's no cheaper travel or richer source of new ideas than crossing a border online. -Cynthia Tinapple

Question from Cynthia Tinapple, for Laura Timmins: You've been making your living at polymer clay for a few years. What suggestions do you have for integrating the accountant and the artist in you? How do you keep your left brain and right brain in such good balance?

Like most artists, I MUST make art. It's not optional. No external motivation is needed. It's easy. The business side of things is a whole different story. Previously, I had to fit my art making around my day job. Once I made the commitment to combine the two activities (earning money and making art) I found that I had many more hours every week for making art. I still feel that the business of selling my artwork interrupts what I really want to be doing, but the trade off is absolutely worth it. Keeping the perspective firmly in mind that what I've done is trade working for an employer to earn a living, for working on marketing my art to earn a living, keeps me motivated to do what can feel like drudgery at times.

But staying motivated is only part of the equation for me. There are so many possible business directions to take that it's very easy to get side tracked, especially when I'd rather be thinking about other things! I use two methods to help keep myself focused; goal setting and discipline. I set my business goals in outline form. My top level goal for the business side of things is obvious: Earn Income. I then detail specifically how I plan to accomplish that goal for the coming year. Category headings are things like Art Shows (applications, displays, fee deadlines, ordering supplies), Website (photography, maintenance), Galleries (new contacts to follow up, special shows that will need artwork, reminders when to check on stock at each), etc. I also include all the tasks involved for each heading and deadlines for each task to help keep me from becoming distracted from the goals I have set. I revise my outline every few months. With a detailed outline of my goals in place I have a concrete way to evaluate whether or not to pursue any new opportunities that present themselves.

Discipline is harder for me than organizing, which probably means it is the more important of the two. I try to set a work schedule and stick to it (which only works some of the time). The first thing I do each day is check my outline. If there are looming deadlines I work on those first, usually and hour or two each day but sometimes more. I reward myself for getting those business tasks done by making art for the rest of the day. - Laura Timmins

What I love about the questions and answers is how often they are directed at something that the person is truly passionate about. That passion and interest comes across in their answers. Plus I am getting lots of good information to think about in my own approach to blogging and managing my business. I love Maggie's story about her high school art class. Didn't you?

Stay tuned for the next installment....

The Beginning of a Chain

2009-01-05T18:07:00.004-05:00

I am beginning the new year with a little experiment that I began last month, with the help of some smart, talented, and wise women. It began with a question. A question to another artist/entrepreneur. She in turn, asked a question to another artist/entrepreneur. And so a chain was begun. Each person answering a question, then turning to another with a question.

In some ways it is like one of those infuriating chain letters. It relies on the passage of the e-mail from one person to another in order to sustain itself. And there is the promise of a payoff. The difference is there is only one person to send it on to, and you have an opportunity to ask someone something you would like to know about them, or that you would like to learn from them.

The experiment seemed ready to collapse a few times. But it would suddenly come to life again, and a series of e-mails would follow. I will start with a few entries from the chain, and continue over several posts. It began with a question I posed to Judy Belcher, the out-going President of the National Polymer Clay Guild...which is now the International Polymer Clay Association! Judy spent two years as president, and it was during this time that I got to know her. I witnessed from the sidelines a few of the many experiences she had as president, and I knew there must be at least one good story in all of it.

Question to Judy Belcher (from Judy Dunn): You are finishing up your term as President of the National Polymer Clay Guild. You have had lots of new experiences over the last two years. What did you learn or experience from this time that you might not have otherwise learned?

I really have learned so much about this community and about myself. I have written four thoughtful answers to this question and then decided to get personal and yes, selfish. I met Tim McCreight at a workshop he held at Tamarack, here in my state. The workshop was fascinating, but holding the position of president of the IPCA (newly renamed International Polymer Clay Association,) gave me permission to relate to him on a whole different level. He is an amazing storyteller, filled with knowledge of the history of metalsmithing, the beginnings of PMC and information about the art community in general. I was able to converse with him that week about things that were on my mind about polymer clay and its place in the world, about our community of artists, and about the role that the IPCA should play in that community and the art world. Our conversations were thoughtful and thought provoking and a real "I can't believe I'm talking to Tim McCreight about all this" moment for me. Because of that connection, I felt empowered to call on him several more times for advice on issues that have come up with our group, to ask him to participate in Synergy, and for his wise counsel on more personal creative dilemmas. I have learned that by taking this volunteer position, one that I didn't intend to gain from personally, I relate with people in a different way and in doing so, have gained a wonderful group of mentors. - Judy Belcher

Question from Judy Belcher, for Lindly Haunani: Having worked in this medium for a long time, what do you see as the most exciting moment in our relatively short history?

Wow! That is a hard question, as a lot of exciting moments have unfolded over the years. If I had to pick one...then it would be an evening in the "teacher's lounge" at the first national polymer clay conference- Ravensdale 1996- sponsored by the Northwest Polymer Clay Guild. While I had already met many of the artists working with polymer clay before- including Pier Voulkos, Kathleen Dustin, Steven Ford, David Forlano, Victoria Hughes, Nan Roche, Maggie Maggio and Kathleen Amt...there were many others that I had never met before in person including Michael and Ruth Ann Grove, Karen and Terry Murphy, Judy Kuskin, Cynthia Toops, Dan Cormier, Tracy Holmes, Meredith Arnold, Sarah Shriver...

So, on that on particular night, with a crackling fire in the fireplace and a drifting moon over lake Ravensdale, Judith Skinner decided to show us a color blending technique "that everyone already knew about" that she had been using for several years, using a pasta machine .Within minutes the room was a buzz and Kathleen Dustin made the suggestion that this technique should be named "the Skinner Blend". One could almost hear the creative wheels turning in everyone's heads- as they just began to imagine just how they could use this technique in their own personal work and as a teaching tool.

I still hear people of my generation pose the question- "Where you at Woodstock?" For many of us in the international polymer clay community, we still pose the question "where you at the first Ravensdale?" - the event where the reality of the synergistic effects of openness, sharing and an expanded inclusive community of polymer clay artists helped to create a memorable experience for everyone involved. - Lindly Haunani

Question from Lindly to Holly Mion: Your polymer clay collection recently was on display at the National Polymer Clay Guild's Synergy conference in Baltimore- and enjoyed by all of the participants.How and why did you start collecting? Has your rationale for selecting pieces changed over the years?

I got involved with polymer clay in 1991, and was addicted instantly. I had a voracious appetite to keep learning, and started going to workshops, retreats (including our "Woodstock"), etc. right away. While at these various events I purchased items I wanted to wear or things that I admired as objects of art (e.g., the large mask by Kathleen Dustin, circa 1994, has been hanging over my fireplace ever since I purchased it back then). Since I was co-editor of the NPCG's newsletter for 3 years, and organized the national retreat for 10 years, I had even more opportunities to acquire new work and was also lucky enough to receive some gifts along the way. I never bought anything with the thought of creating a collection until this past year. I own some significant pieces by well known past and present polymer clay artists, but I have also purchased a number of pieces that were made by unknown artists. Putting together my exhibit for Synergy and seeing people's reaction to it made me realize that what I have is, indeed, a collection (and I now have a rider on my insurance policy!). Prior to that, my polymer clay was located in a number of locations in my home, and the jewelry portion was such a massive jumble that I didn't truly appreciate what I had. After seeing it displayed properly at Synergy, I have now given many of my pieces a proper home where I can easily enjoy them every day.

I must admit that when I ended up buying (a lot) more pieces at Synergy and at the ACC, the whole idea of a collection was in the back of my mind for the first time. But even so, I only purchased items I loved and would wear or put on display in my home as works of art, whether by famous or lesser known artists. So I guess my rationale for selecting pieces hasn't really changed over the years, but my pockets did get a bit deeper. I know that some others have many more items in their collections with many fabulous pieces. I hope that we get a chance to see and admire someone else's collection in the future. - Hollie Mion

My next post will pick up from here. Who do you think Hollie will pose her question to? Were you surprised by any of the questions or answers? Did you learn anything new? Fun, huh?

Habits that Help, and Habits that Distract

2008-11-30T09:13:00.008-05:00

I have been thinking about habits lately. Over the last four months, I have been building the habit of getting to the gym. After four months of conscious effort, my car now seems to effortlessly drive right past my street, and head for the gym after I drop off my daughter in the morning. Before I am fully thinking about it, I am on my way to the gym.

When I began this struggle to build this habit, I would have to have these conversations with myself...."Don't head home. You need to go straight to the gym. Don't turn down our street.".....It took effort. Effort to get out of my usual habits and build new ones. Now, going to the gym is nearly as effortless as not going once was. And for me, just getting there is the biggest hurdle. Once I am there, I am there to exercise. There are no distractions. I do what I need to do, and I leave feeling better than when I got there. Tired, a little achy, but my head is clear, and maybe some endorphins have kicked into gear.

On the other hand, when I get home, it is easy to get on the computer and "check my e-mail." "Check my e-mail", is really code for; check my e-mail, read a few blogs, check the e-mail, check stats, do a search, check e-mail,.....and down into the hole that can be the internet. An hour or more can pass before I emerge from the internet stupor.

"Who am I, and where have I been? What was I going to do today?"

Maybe the internet doesn't have this effect on you, but I can easily fall down the Internet Rabbit Hole. So, here we have it. In my morning I am finding a habit that is helping me have more energy and feel better overall, and another that is sapping my energy and making me less productive. Distracting me from the work that I really want to do in my day.

It would be easy for me to rationalize this distracting behavior, or even avoiding the healthful behavior. I could skip the exercise, because I am too busy. I just don't have time for it in my schedule. And, I am doing work when I am on the computer. I can tell myself I need to be on the computer.

But these rationalizations don't move me closer to the life I would prefer to be living. I want to be healthier and more fit. That means I need to invest the time into getting to the gym. Time spent on the computer and the internet is something that cannot be avoided, and can help make connections, find out important information, and much more. But it can also leave me less time, energy and focus for the work that is more essential to me as an artist....time in my studio. The rationalization doesn't take into account what my priorities are; what it is that I want to be accomplishing in this life of mine.

The thing about these habits of distraction is that they can be sneaky. They can masquerade as being productive.

Do you have to straighten out your studio before you sit down to work?
Do you have to make sure the dishes are done and the beds made, etc., before heading for your studio?
Do you have to add ten more galleries to your mailing list before you do that mailing?
Do you have to write a post for your blog, even though you don't have anything on your mind that you want to say, but you need to write something everyday.

All these things can seem like the right thing to do. This list is by no means comprehensive. But, if you recognize yourself in any way in any of these activities, ask yourself, are those activities helping you be a more productive artist, or are they just making you feel more comfortable, and busy?....and helping you avoid the act of creating?

Let's look at one of the items; cleaning the studio. Perhaps I am trying to rationalize the mess that is my studio....but let's just go down the path a bit further before we question that motivation! I know that some people need to have order before they can begin to sit down to work. I will not question this desire. If a chaotic studio causes too much stress for you to be productive, then you need to honor that desire. But, does the activity of restoring order, give you a sense of accomplishment, without really having done any "work". Does the process of creating order shift your brain to a different place than where your true creativity arises? In the process of trying to create an environment to be creative, are you squelching your creative energy?

But you need that order.

What if,.... you developed the habit of cleaning and re-ordering your studio each day, after you are done creating. Going to that restful place of putting everything in it's place, and cleaning surfaces after the real work is done. Then in the morning, when you go into your studio, you are ready to work. You are not distracted or stressed by the mess.

For me, I find that having a bit of chaos makes it easier for me to go into the studio and get to work. It is less intimidating and scary than the blank canvas of a spotless studio. I can jump right in something that might already be in progress. I like some degree of order so I have room to work, and know where to find things, but the studio where work is always partly done feels more productive to me.

My distraction is that computer. I am not being truly productive by getting on the computer before I get into the studio. I need to shift that energy and time drain to later in the day. After I have exercised, and spent a good chunk of time in the studio.

Finding these sorts of distractions can be difficult. We have to be uncomfortably honest with ourselves, and our priorities. If your art is important to you, you have to make it a priority. If the dishes get done at the end of the day, rather than after each meal, they still get done. And if you are in your studio working, you won't see them! You can go ahead and do that mailing to the list you have, and send out more later as you add to the list.

I find I need to reassess my routine every few months. How am I spending my time? Is it moving me toward what is most important to me, or is it pulling me away? Today, I am glad to say, I stopped myself from heading for the computer after getting home and making my cup of coffee. Instead, I went into the studio, and go some work done, and enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed that same amount of time on the computer.

Do you have any habits that need re-evaluating? What are your priorities, and are your actions supporting them?

The Prison of Your Voice

2008-11-17T16:31:00.007-05:00

I know, I know. I have told you how important it is to develop your own, distinctive voice. It is your trademark, and your brand. But,.....I can't help but wonder if all this emphasis on voice can be a prison or a poison to our creative muse.

Let's say you do what everyone says. You come up with something that is "yours"! No one else has anything quite like it out there. And, joy oh joy!!....people like it! They are buying it! Talk about gratification. There is truly joy in the creative process itself. It can be the best drug on earth for anything that ails you. But, when others see your work and "oooh" and "ahhhh!" over it, that is a very heady moment.

And, even artists are human. What happens when we get this wonderful rush of excitement over how much people liked what we did? We want to hold onto it, to preserve it, nurture it, baby it.....do absolutely anything to keep it going. Am I right?

The problem is, this very act is what might kill us as artists. As soon as we try to stay right in that moment of being surrounded by "oohhh's" and "aaahhh's"....better yet, accompanied by hands outstretched with credit cards or cash....as soon as we try to capture that moment, we may have hammered a nail in the coffin for our creativity.

As soon as we say to ourselves, "this is what is working, so I will do more of this," we have begun to build the prison walls. It will not be immediately apparent. Because it will take time for the light to dim, and the crowds to disappear. But, they will. Human nature, it seems, craves a certain degree of novelty. And if we do not continue to create, we risk losing our audience, and that excitement about our work.

Yes, we want, and need, to develop a line, and explore it fully. But, we don't want to kill the creative urge in the process. We must trust that if we had one good idea, there are more where that came from. Doing work to satisfy the market is not what this is about. It is more about letting the reaction of the market guide,....or misguide,...your muse.

What is the creative urge? For me it is the voice that says, "I wonder", or "Hunhh." It is that place where a question pops into my mind. Or a shape or form, or a new surface. This is the place we must nurture and protect. This is the place that needs care and feeding. If instead, we say, "Oh no, I can't do that. This is what my work looks like, what people expect from me....not that." We firmly turn our back, close that door, and put that nose on that grindstone, and grind away. And pretty soon, we will find that the ideas to explore have disappeared.

Another risk of closing off to new ideas that might pop up, is that we might become very, very protective of "our" work. When we get to that place of intense ownership, and protection of our work or our expression, we can start to see threats where there are none. People who are copying us. People who are stealing from us. Fear and paranoia are not conducive to creativity. They send us looking over our shoulder and around the corner, when where we really need to be looking is inside. Inside our heads and our hearts. Letting the voice that can't be too still for too long have it's say.

Fear of being copied can be a huge distraction. It drains our energy, and distracts our attention. It keeps us from moving forward. We always have one eye open for that dirty, rotten scoundrel who is ready to rip us off.

What if instead, we say, "Copying happens." Because it does. It is the place where many people begin. It is borne from admiration and enthusiasm, as much as any other place. When an individual copies you, it is unlikely to do much harm. They cannot copy your name, or your maker's mark....the very energy you infuse into each piece in the process of creation. They will most likely get bored and move along, or find their own muse and move along. And that is the essential ingredient for all of us, movement.

Movement is rushing, bubbling, flowing. It may have fits and starts at times, but the general idea is motion. Momentum. Seldom in a straight line. Our creative voice must move. It must stretch it's legs. Peek around the corner, veer off down that path. It is endlessly curious. Sitting still is not what this is about. Building an artistic legacy on one thought, one idea, one expression will not happen. Letting yourself grow as an artist means going with the flow more than discipline. I will explore that in a bit more depth in my next post. But for now, let me know what you think. How does your creativity bubble up? Does it move in fits and starts? Or does all this seem like a foreign language. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving to all my American readers. And, any and all, please feel free to share a thought of thanks for the day, the week, or the year.

I personally, am thankful for the gift of watching my daughters grow up and begin to emerge as two incredibly unique and wonderful people.

Left Turns

2008-11-12T11:48:00.003-05:00

Last night I had to drive down to the pediatrician's office to pick up a prescription. Unfortunately, I had to make the drive during rush hour, and now, after darkness. It is about a twenty to twenty-five minute drive, and most of the way is a fairly easy trip. But, there are two left-hand turns, one in each leg of the trip, that are killers.

I hate left-hand turns. The first time I was in a car accident, it was making a left-hand turn. Add rush hour traffic, and trying to cross a busy road, in darkness, and it is even worse. I watched one near accident on the way down to the office, but made that same turn with no trouble.

The trip back was what got me thinking about left hand turns. It was the toughest turn of the trip. Crossing a busy street, with consistently heavy traffic in both directions, and of course, no light. As I was getting near the intersection, I debated with myself. Should I go right instead, and go home a different route? It was only at the last minute that I finally decided to make the left, and go home the usual route.

I sat there watching the flow. Looking right and then left. Trying to find an opening in both directions at the same time. There was a big gap on the right, but cars approaching on the left. At the last moment, the car leading the group on the left turned right, on the the street I was on, and the car behind me hit his horn. "Why hadn't I gone??", the horn screamed at me!

Now I felt under the gun. I missed one opportunity, because of a lack of a signal. When would the next one come, and would I see it in time to act? And, if I didn't, what would the guy behind me do? Clearly, he/she was in a hurry.

With about a minute or two of patience, my window came. It was a tight one that required no hesitation, but it had a bit of breathing space. I made the turn and exhaled as I continued home.

No drama. But it made me think about the process of making decisions and following through with actions in our lives. Are we patiently waiting for that perfect and most comfortable opportunity to present itself, or are we anxious to get across the traffic and moving along to our destination. So anxious in fact that we are willing to take unreasonable risks. It is a spectrum, of course, and on different days we might find ourselves in different places along that spectrum.

The economy slows. Do we decide to park the metaphorical car and not come out again until we are absolutely certain of success in our "turns"/ventures? Or do we behave recklessly. Frantically trying anything and everything, hoping for success? I hope we do neither. I hope we are able to assess what is working and what will need adjustment in order to succeed as we move forward. We do need to move. But we do need to observe the "traffic". This is not the time to run on autopilot. What has always worked, may no longer be a sure thing. What never worked for you in the past, might we worth revisiting, and evaluating. But business and commerce is continuing. Just not necessarily under the same rules as before.

Above all, we do need patience. We do need to make choices based on what is right for us....for the type of driver we are. Just because the guy in the car behind us is beeping his horn....and potentially gesturing wildly (the blessing of the dark is that this could not be seen!), we are the drivers of our business or our vehicle. We have to determine what our goal will be for navigating these rocky roads. We need to adapt, but we can't let someone else's agenda drive us off course.

By the way, did you know that UPS has planned routes so that their drivers make as few left hand turns as possible. Not only is it a safety issue, but apparently it also consumes a lot of fuel to be idling, waiting for that window to turn. So, if you are like me, and will plan routes for your errands so that you have as few left hand turns as possible, then you now can know you are being green in your efforts! And saving money as well. Something we all can celebrate!

Sabbatical of Sorts, and Random Observations

2008-11-08T21:01:00.009-05:00

I guess you could say I have been on a sabbatical. A break from blogging.

Blogging can be a great way to communicate your thoughts with a larger audience, but...they can also get to be like a nagging child. Pulling at you and wanting your attention. NOW!! Didn't I just write a post? Do I have to write another one again already?

The choice was not necessarily a conscious one, but a necessary one. I needed a break. And I am not sure I am truly back. At least not on a consistent schedule.

The new schedule this year with a new school for my youngest daughter has drastically cut into my time. And the oldest has started piano lessons. I am in the car about 10 hours more per week than last year. Driving a carpool is not time that can be spent doing much more than driving. The school is terrific, so the sacrifice in time is worth it. But, it does take a toll. I now see more clearly just how spoiled I was the last few years with the school bus picking up and dropping off my daughter right in front of the house.

I am getting to the gym at least four days a week. Good for my health. Not so good for my blogging time. I have begun a new strategy to reinforce my motivation to workout, and it seems to be working. I had heard about this technique of using a contract to commit to a goal on the radio, but I had not given it much thought until this fall as I struggled to get to the gym more than twice a week. So far I have seen a definite shift in my commitment, and given the general environment out there right now, I can use the stress reducing benefits of exercise.

The economy has been taking it's toll. I have had various customers behaving badly. Canceling orders. Avoiding phone calls. Sending post-dated checks. Paying late. Or waiting 30 days, and then paying with a credit card....which means I waited thirty days, and I pay fees on the credit card purchase. None of these problems were happening a year ago.

A year ago the beginnings of this downturn were evident. But now, it is in full force. I am concerned about the outlook for the next few months. November and December is when many retail stores make their profit for the year. If people hold back on purchases dramatically, we will likely see many businesses shutting their doors after the first of the year.

I have written a few lenses on Squidoo. It has been a way for me to encapsulate some of the things I have covered here. One lens is an overview about the business of craft. Another is about craft photography. Squidoo seems better suited to these sorts of "brain dumps"....taking a topic that I want to write about and being able to cover the terrain with as many modules, or pictures as I want or need to explain my point. It doesn't have the continuity of a blog, but sometimes a singular topic is all you want to cover. Some people have used it as a way to help promote their products they are selling on Etsy or eBay.

But, like all sorts of things on the internet, it can be a real time drain. There is a reason that the Facebook Anthem video has gotten as many views as it has....many of us are feeling overwhelmed by the endless number of ways we have to stay in touch with an ever expanding circle of people. We are getting to know more people, but perhaps we know less people as well as we used to before the internet became a life line for many people. There was life before Blogger, and Facebook, and Twitter, and LinkedIn, and e-mail even. Functionality has expanded to the point where we can barely function, let alone breath, in the real world.

For all the ranting, I have had some good news. Some of you may have seen this piece in Art Jewelry magazine recent issue (November 2008). It appeared in their gallery section.

And, I had one of my pieces selected as a finalist in the Niche Awards competition for 2009 in the Polymer Clay category. So far I have learned that Sandra McCaw, Jeff Dever and Lindly Haunani are also finalists. Heady company!!

On top of all that good news, I found out two pieces were accepted into the Progress & Possibilities competition, sponsored by the National Polymer Clay Guild, as finalists. A necklace, and a chess set. Talk about feeling pretty lucky! It really is wonderful to have my work recognized in these ways.

Don't know when I will be back. I hope you will understand if it is a while. And, I hope you find some time to get off the computer, and into the studio, or better yet, out for lunch with a friend. Cell phones turned off. Connecting the old fashioned way.

Insights from Ford and Forlano

2008-09-18T15:19:00.009-05:00

Steven Ford and David Forlano have been in business for twenty years now, making objects, and jewelry from polymer clay. Over that time their work has evolved to incorporate metals, and now even the occasional diamond. Their stature in the broader craft world has grown in that time as well, collecting press clippings and awards along the way. This kind of success, it seems to me, comes from a combination of having strong artistic talents and skills, AND, a good business sense. From what I have learned from the answers they gave to my questions, it would seem that is definitely the case. I hope you find the interview thought provoking and inspiring.

Was the business side of being working artists an obstacle, or was it welcomed?

In the beginning much of the creativity and fun of making a business was part of the whole experience. Making work and making the business went hand in hand as we not only made what we wanted to make but we learned what “the market” wanted. Keeping in mind we didn't know the first thing about jewelry or fashion we had to pay attention to what galleries could sell.

What do you wish you had known about running a business when you started?

In the first few years we overlooked filing a business license and paying business privilege taxes. That took some time to recover from as we had to pay interest and penalty on a large tax bill. Our accountant called it “magical thinking”; that is, running a business, but thinking that you’re not.

Was there anything that you resisted doing when you began, and when you finally did do it, you could have kicked yourself for waiting so long?

We resisted using other materials for a while. Many other jewelers recommended we incorporate metals into our work but it took us a while to take that leap. I would not change anything about that.

Do you sell both wholesale and retail? If so, what is the balance? Which do you prefer and why?

We sell both wholesale and retail but recently we are considering limiting our wholesale to just showing at our long-standing galleries. Retail is more satisfying financially and collectors really enjoy that transaction directly with the artist.

Do you sell on-line? If so, how? Have you seen a change in the role the internet plays in your business?

We sell very little online. We have found that one-of-a-kind wearables need to be experienced in person. Most of our online or “over the phone” sales are to people that are familiar with and have our work already. We are taking a closer look at how we may approach online sales in the future.

You have done some things that are “out of the box”. For instance, your booth design breaks all the rules. You have a panel covering most of the front of the booth, with a mannequin out front. What inspired a move like that, and did you have any concerns at first about how it would work? Have you ever seen anyone try to mimic this move?

Yes, our curved walls have shown up now and then in other booth designs. Booth design is a much overlooked part of how one represents their work. Artists will often “decorate” a booth with little attention to what it does to present the actual work. “decoration” can be very distracting and/or confusing. A booth is there to sell the work and not the artist. We are constantly thinking about booth design and pay close attention to public reaction to it. The first time we put work up on curved walls was a bold move that we decided to just plunge into. It was risky and scary and well worth taking that leap of faith. We thought of the outer wall as a kind of store front. Our work is not for everyone, and if someone is too timid to walk into our enclosure, then they may not be our customer. Once inside, buyers were surrounded with our work, standing on a padded carpet, offered a chair if they want one, and the chaos and distractions of the rest of the show was eliminated. “Out of the box” is really at the root of all creativity. Maybe even more so in today’s short attention span of “sound bites”

How much of your design process is influenced by the market? For instance, was the move to incorporate metal into your designs influenced by the market in any way?

Our work became more sculptural as we incorporated metal into work. We also shifted away from mass producing canes and into one of a kind work. The metal also helped us to tone down our color. And the obvious piece to that is that each object requires more work, uses precious metal and is more expensive.

How do you balance the business side of your business with multiple partners? Is one of you more drawn to, or comfortable with the business end?

Steve is better at being the business “front man” and takes more pleasure in handling that aspect of running the business. Every business decision is a complete collaboration.

Do you hire others to take care of aspects of the business for you? If so, how did you find the right people?

Maryanne Petrus-Gilbert does all of our metal work, leaving us to work with what we do best, the clay. Steve and I have always handled all business activities and still do.

What do you do yourself, but wish you could get someone else to do?

I think it would be worth considering someone to handle all shipping, billing etc. But even that is difficult to farm out with custom work going into most of what we ship.

Has the balance of time spent on business functions versus time in the studio shifted over time?

In the early days of our production line, we kept UPS busy. There is much less time these days putting together hundreds of boxes which used to cover every surface in the studio after a wholesale show. Other than that business functions still require the same attention as always.

Did you have anyone who played the role of mentor for you in how to be successful business people?

My father is my role model for successful risk taking in business but even he may have wondered what the heck I was doing in those first few years. Randy Darwall (fiber) and Chris Hentz (metals) also taught us a lot about shows, and business.

Has your business been affected by the downturn in the economy at all? If so, what are you doing differently in response to that?

We have noticed a decline in turnout at craft shows but our sales are not reflected in amounts of people as much as they are the right kind of buyer for our work. Everyone has their version of the right kind of client/collector for them and ours has not yet shown any slow down in purchasing comfort. Still, we are paying close attention to this issue and continually brainstorm on what we may need to do to shift as the economy shifts.

What is the best thing an artist can do to increase their chance of having a successful business?

Pay attention to what people like and what you like. If you are not doing what you like chances are potential collectors will sense that your work will not sustain you.

Point of View

2008-09-16T22:28:00.004-05:00

Over the nearly two years that I have been writing this blog, I have written from my point of view, and experience. In some areas, that experience is deep, and in other areas, I have barely scratched the surface. I have shared triumphs and disasters, with as much honesty and humility as I can muster.

But, it is only one perspective. One set of experiences. One point of view.

A few weeks back, Cynthia Tinapple posted a link to a video created by Steven Ford and David Forlano about their business; Ford/Forlano. As I watched the video, I was struck with the idea of interviewing them for this blog about some of what they have learned in their twenty years in business together. They have achieved termendous success over that time, and have perspective and knowledge I can only hope to gain.

Well, you are in luck.....they said yes!

I will be posting the interview shortly, and I think you will enjoy it as much as I did. They are thoughtful, and daring. They plan, and they get in over their heads at times. That yin/yang of being in business and being an artist plays itself out well in their answers, as well as those times where business and art intersect in a wonderful synergy.

I hope to continue down this path, interviewing other artists/business people and gaining insight and wisdom from their experiences and knowledge. My hope is that we will all grow and learn by spreading a wider net. Perhaps the conversation will become more lively as more voices are added! I never intended for this to be a monologue....

Sublte Shifts

2008-09-03T19:26:00.003-05:00

About a month ago, I began working with a personal trainer. We meet every week or two for about a half an hour. I needed someone to be accountable to in order to make sure I would get myself to the gym on a regular basis. One of the downsides of working at home is that there is that it is too easy to stay home! Getting myself out of the house and to the gym has been a challenge. For three weeks this summer, I made it to the gym about four days a week, in large part because I was out of the house already bringing my daughter to camp each morning. It was easier. But when camp ended, I needed to create something that would motivate me to keep it up long enough to build the exercise habit into my life again. Thus, the personal trainer.

Linda, my trainer, is terrific. One of the things she does each time we meet, and with each exercise I perform, is to monitor my body position. Posture and body position are as important as repetitions and level of exertion. It is important in order to make sure the right muscles are engaged, and to reduce the risk of injury. I find myself throughout the day, at the gym, walking the dog, or just walking down the street, checking in. Knees soft, abdomen tight, pelvis tucked, rib cage lifted, shoulders back, and head up. From knees up to my head, small adjustments as I move my body into proper position.

What I have noticed, as I make these shifts, is that they affect how I look, how I move, and....surprisingly to me, how my knees feel, and my balance. I am left with a sense of discovery. So this is how it feels to be more coordinated or athletic in how you move through the world. As someone who never felt coordinated or athletic in any way, and I still don't,...there is a better sense of what it must be like.

And, it brings me to my point. The power of making subtle shifts. What makes the difference between the work of an artist that knocks your socks off, and someone who has not yet reached that level of mastery? I propose that it is small and subtle things, that cumulatively end up in a place that is refined, balance, and complete, in a way that other work is not.

The master has learned the nuances of the material. How to adjust there pressure just so, to accomplish with ease what they set out to do. That nuanced sensitivity takes time and hands on effort to develop. It does not come with the first time you sit down and do something. It is entirely possible to do most things adequately at first. But to master it, it takes an attention to details and nuances that are not seen by the amateur. It takes an understanding of when and how best to finish a piece. It takes a strong sense of design and balance. An ability to edit.

All these things may happen in almost an unconscious manner with a master of their craft. They are taken into consideration as they move through the process of creation. At one point, they were done with effort and concentration. And there is still effort, but it becomes second nature, and full anticipation of where they are going and what must be done. My goal in the gym is for those positions and movements to become second nature. And in the studio, I continue to learn about how to move my work to a place were it is fully balanced and aligned.

What do you think? Have you seen your work develop in a way that reflects an increased understanding of material, process, design, or finish? Are you integrating that understanding into your approach to design, and material? Does it give you a sense of accomplishment?

If not, maybe it is time for some focus on the essentials in the studio. Where do you need more attention? What are your weaknesses? Do you need someone to help you reach your goals?

Deadline Approaching for ACRE's of Opportunity

2008-08-30T18:01:00.006-05:00

Once again, the National Polymer Clay Guild is providing a perfect opportunity for someone who has been considering doing a wholesale show. They will again have a sponsored booth at the ACRE show in Las Vegas in the spring of 2009. Three artists will share the space, display there work, and take orders! Last year three very talented artists took advantage of this opportunity; Meisha Barbee, also a Niche 2008 award winner, Sandra McCaw, whose work has been featured on and in numerous books, and Lindly Haunani, a finalist for the Niche award in 2008, and the co-author of an upcoming book about color. These women happened to have some wonderful credentials, but not one of them had done a wholesale show in the past. They saw this as an opportunity to take that step, while minimizing the financial risk involved.

In addition to being able to avoid the booth fee, the participants recieved mentoring in order to be fully prepared for the show. Meisha said, "Prior to the ACRE show, I didn’t even have a colored business card. Well, now I have a beautiful business card, several postcards, and I designed and printed a full colored brochure and price sheet. I even learned how to send my brochure and pricing information via the Internet.”

Sandra had similar feelings, "it really forced me to get my professional act together and I am looking forward with confidence to the next wholesale show. This mentoring opportunity…truly did give me a hand up and made a seemingly daunting task manageable."

And Lindly felt that their experiences could help guide the next group with more information and data to draw on, helping them to prepare a realistic budget for their expenses. While they did not pay for the booth itself, they still had to provide displays and marketing materials, shipping and travel costs, and other expenses associated with their stay in Las Vegas.

If you work in polymer clay, are a member of the NPCG (or want to be!), and want to do your first wholesale show, be sure to check this opportunity out before the deadline passes. Applications must be submitted prior to September 10th. Applications are accepted on-line through the CaFE system.

How Much Do I Need to Bring?

2008-08-24T18:35:00.003-05:00

This was the question I desperately searched in vain to find an answer to as I began to prepare for my first show. When will I know if I have enough work? An artist I met with the other day posed that question to me.

The simple answer, bring as much work as you can. The problem with this answer is that it can lead to frantic late nights, making a few dozen more pairs of earrings, ten new pendants and a couple of bracelets for good measure.

You will always have the wrong inventory, or not enough. Someone will want something in a color that you are sold out of. Or a style that you only made a few of, and they sold better than expected. The reality is, that it is impossible to give an adequate answer to the question. It is fraught with all sorts of complications from the nature of the show, your price points, and maybe even the price of gas that week, or the weather.

Having said that, you can look at it another way. What is your goal in terms of sales for the show? How much do you hope to sell. Since it is rare to sell out every item that you have...it does happen, but not too often,...you could aim to have at least 1.5 to 2 x's the dollar amount of your goal in sales.

How do you set your goal for sales, you ask. How many hours is the show? What is the average sale that you make? What if you made one or two sales per hour? How much would that represent in dollars? Or what are your costs of doing a show, plus your time to do the show, plus a profit? Still stumped? How much can fit in or on your display and not look overly crowded, or overly sparse? Have that much and maybe another 30 to 50% to restock as a minimum.

Having more than these amounts is not problematic, but sometimes having no clue as to how much to make can hold people back from making that step. These answers are not perfect. They are just ways to think about how much work you might need. With experience, you will develop a sense of what is right. But the best way to learn is just that, through experience.

So, ...what are you waiting for?

Another Reason to Find YOUR Voice

2008-08-12T12:59:00.005-05:00

Once again, the issue of voice arises. What makes your work identifiably yours, and belonging to no one else? And why in the world is it such a big deal?

When you first start out, voice is hard to grasp, or develop. Technique takes center stage. But you know you are seeing it when you can look at a picture and immediately identify it as belong to a specific person. Or, your mouth drops open when you see something for the first time, and you gasp. Or you just feel compelled to touch. You can't stop the "oooohhh..." from floating out of your mouth.

Why am I bringing it up again? I was listening to the radio this morning in the car on the way to an appointment. The conversation was about our dependence on oil from other countries, and whether or not we could become energy independent. At one point in the discussion, a light bulb clicked on in my head. The guest on the program spoke about how oil is a commodity like iPod's, flowers, or rice. And people will buy a commodity based on price, availability and convenience.

The question that immediately popped into my head was, "Can craft be a commodity?" And, I am sure you know the answer, "Yes." Without a doubt. I instantly thought of the many, many jewelry artists I have seen making fused dichroic glass. At one time, there was a "wow" factor to it. But now, unless the artist has created a unique way of incorporating the glass into the piece of jewelry, there is no compulsion to buy from one artist versus another, unless it is based on price, convenience, or perhaps personal relationship.

The same can be said of so many other craft objects. If you go to enough craft shows, you will see many of the same things, again and again. But, at that same show, there will be a few artists that pull you in. They are doing something that is different and unique. As I write about this, I can think of several artists right off the top of my head whose work has that flavor. They range from ceramics to sculpture to jewelry. Their work stays in my head because it was so fresh and unique, and their style speaks to me on some level. I have to stop, and look and maybe even buy.

My daughter is beginning to dabble in photography. We have had lots of conversations lately about photographs, and one thing she has said repeatedly, is that a picture of a sunset is not art....unless you are somehow looking at it in a new and fresh way. We were at the New Hampshire Craftsman's Guild Show last week, and she saw some pictures of boats tied up to a dock. Four or five rowboats of various colors. You know the picture, I am sure. She loved it. I preferred the picture of the sole boat, white, tied to a buoy in a mist. Monochromatic, and definitely one with a mood. It was a twist on the boat picture. I pointed it out to her. She loved the one with all the colors. This was in the first tent we visited.

As we walked the show, she started to notice several other photographers with essentially the same picture. That image had become commoditized. Buying one versus another would likely be based more on price than on anything else. She now looked at that picture as just another sunset shot.

Is that why you want someone to buy your work? Because you have the best price on this object. An object that can be found in subtle variations, from multiple sources. I don't. I want them to buy it because the love it. Because if they don't buy it, it will stay in their head. They will wish they had it.

There are times that the commodity item fills the bill nicely. And there are plenty of successful businesses built on making and selling commodity type items. But, if you are going to be in that market, recognize the competition will be fierce, and you will always be squeezed on price. Your creative energy will likely be focused more on cost cutting than on design innovations. If the business side of things is what excites you the most, that might be just the right fit for you. If, on the other hand, it is the art, or creative side that makes you get out of bed in the morning, then avoiding be just another commodity is essential to your success.

We all have a voice. A unique set of experiences and inspirations. How does your work reflect the path of your life? Does it? If it doesn't, then perhaps it is time to spend some play time in the studio. Experimenting. Asking "What if?" When you find it, you will know. It will be singing to you loud and clear, asking, "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you!" And then, the party will really begin!

On a More Positive Note

2008-08-05T11:19:00.004-05:00

I received a concerned note from one of the organizers of the Connecticut Guild retreat, after my most recent posts. It struck me over the last few days, how I had a slew of comments to each of these posts. They must have struck a chord with others out there as well. But there is a danger as soon as something is written down, that it is magnified. So little events, that in no way were under the control of the retreat organizers, take on greater significance and impact. The magnifying glass of examination, apparently also blows things up to larger than life impact.

I don't want to now say, "It was nothing." Things happened that made me pause, and made me think. And those are the things I am prone to write about. The process helps me understand life a bit better, and be better prepared the next time around. Most of what I described comes from a place better known, for lack of a better term, as "human nature". Our innate struggles as we bumble through our lives. I personally have found this type of examination and exploration helps me better navigate through them in the future.

I think the title of my last post was provocative, generating some of the response. Using the word "bully" is something of a red flag. But I am not sure how else to describe how simple requests can feel complicated on the other side. Pressured? Maybe. Neither quite describes the nuance of the sensation.

Overall the retreat was terrific, on many, many levels. First and foremost, seeing people I do not see frequently enough. That face-to-face time, whether across a table in the workroom, or wandering around the workroom, at lunch, or on Saturday night, in the lounge,....it all reinforces the sense of community that draws us to attend retreats in the first place. Inspiration. Laughter. Friendship.

I was making cranes for the Crane Project most of the weekend. It was a great opportunity for people to see first hand what I am working on. Saturday night I had a chance to talk to the whole group about the project, and how it all began. The response was fantastic. I gave a few lessons in paper crane folding. Several people volunteered to help with making the little washers that are just above and below each crane on the cables. There will be over 8000 of those little washers! That is a lot of washers! And I received $100 in donations, for the project. Donations that are sorely needed! But the encouragement was the most wonderful thing. That left me with a rich sense of what a wonderful, sharing, and supportive community this truly is. The connections, contacts and experiences that people in that room had were amazing.

I finally made a video I had been planning for about two weeks. As I told everyone at the retreat on Saturday night, I had folded a crane to represent Bobby a few days prior to the retreat. I never knew Bobby personally, but his story played an important role in shifting how I looked at my cranes, and what they could represent. Once again, the production is far from perfect, but I think it conveys his story, and why I feel compelled to take on this major project. I have titled the video Bobby's Crane. I struggled with my video editing software yesterday, so the title is not on the video itself. Things I could do the last time I made a video suddenly seemed impossible! But the message comes through. Hope you like it.

Is It Bullying or Just An Innocent Request?

2008-08-04T14:52:00.005-05:00

I found myself in an awkward position several times during the retreat weekend. I had brought some of my new work to show, and sell. It was wonderful to have a group huddled around the work, touching, "oohing", and "aahing". When you have spent months, or longer, working out a new line of work, there is nothing more gratifying than seeing other people appreciating it. And when that appreciation extends into purchases, it doesn't get much better than that. Voting with dollars is the biggest "yes" you can get about your work.

But, I had not anticipated another side of that appreciation, and it had to do with the environment I was in. I had many requests to show exactly how I make the beads I use in my new Shibori line. How do I get them so uniform in size? How do I do that surface design? On one level it is flattering. They so connect with the work, that they want to make it themselves. But, on the other hand, I am not ready to share just yet. It is what I am selling. My income depends upon this work, and these designs. It is too new to be firmly recognizable as my work. It is less than a year old.

What exactly are the costs of my laying it all out there at a retreat.....doing a demo? First, I will be giving away my "intellectual property". Exactly how I make these beads, in form and surface design, is my intellectual property. Just like companies that make widgets, that knowledge has value. Others may copy what I am doing, but there is no reason for me to hand it to them on a silver platter. Why do you think companies like Apple voraciously defend their patents and copyrights? Their knowledge is too valuable to lose. Right now, I feel protective of the knowledge of how I make these beads.

If I decide I want to share it, it might make more sense for me to teach in a class where I am being paid to teach what I have developed. It is at least acknowledging that the time and creative energy that went into this work is worth something. Whether it is in the form of a DVD that you have made, a book, or a classroom, if you are being compensated, you are acknowledging you are sharing something of worth, as is the recipient.

Sometimes we give stuff away freely and without the need or desire for compensation. I did a demo at the retreat of some designs I came up with a while back, and knew I was never going to use. Sharing it meant someone else, who might connect with the idea more than I did, could run with it. I did it willingly and freely. It felt right.

The problem with the retreat environment, with demos on the schedule every half hour, is that a perception may develop that everyone shares everything they know. Holding back is selfish. Especially to someone who is not aware of the complete landscape of where this medium fits into people's lives. Some play with it as an outlet from their regular job. For others, it is a job. And others float back and forth in the mid-zone.

It is not too hard to politely turn down a request to teach something that you are not ready to share. The challenge I found, was having the request made multiple times by the same person. I think the intention was made without fully grasping the consequences to me, and thus the persistence in asking. I was polite but firm in my resistance to teach this particular technique. I repeatedly said, "I am not ready to let go of this yet. They are new designs."

I found my response became more strained when faced with the same request again and again from a few people. I held my line. But would someone else who was not standing on such firm ground, eventually give in to the request, not able to say "No" just one more time? The recipients of the knowledge shared might walk away pleased with what they have learned, but will they understand the resentment they might have created in the person they dragged the information out of? I am guessing they just don't know what it is like on the other side of the equation, and why there is resistance to sharing.

Just because someone asks, it does not mean you have to share. You share because you want to. I am not saying this from being a cut throat business person. I am saying it from the point of view of being pragmatic. I can make a choice; to share or not to share. It is my choice to make. And the timing is up to me. I may disappoint a few people along the way, but in the end, I would rather do that than carry around the resentment of feeling bullied into sharing something I was not ready to share.

If teaching or writing is the primary source of income for your business as an Artrepreneur, the decision process might be different. You may be interested in demonstrating your teaching abilities to potential students.....giving them a taste of what they might learn from you in a more extensive class. Or you want to practice and refine your teaching skills. These are valid reasons to perhaps share more willingly and openly. But the context of those choices, or an alternative choice are not always recognized by others. Even when we explicitly state our reason.

It never feels good to say "No, I am not going to share this." It feels even worse when you have to say it again and again and again. But worse than that, giving in when you know in your heart, you do not want to, at least not yet. Approach these choices with a conscious awareness of the trade-offs. And whatever your choice, make sure it comes from what you need right now, and not the external volume. Remember the old Gallo wine commercial...."We will sell no wine before it's time." We must not share our designs and techniques, until the time and circumstances feel right. Then we can let it flow as freely as the wine!

Creative Retreat

2008-07-28T13:09:00.003-05:00

Each year, for the last few years, I have tried to attend a creative retreat. A chance to get away from the normal routine and immerse myself in a creative environment. I recently returned from the Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild Clay ConneCTions 2008 retreat. It was held over the past weekend, and I had a wonderful time, learning, meeting, re-connecting, and claying. The Connecticut Guild is strong, and does a wonderful job putting together this biennial retreat. The very first retreat I attended was put on by the Connecticut Guild in 2004.

One of the best parts of a retreat is the opportunity to meet, and begin to know, people who you might otherwise not get the opportunity to spend time with. Whether it is the person who is sitting across the table from you, or someone leading a demonstration of a technique, or your neighbor at the breakfast table. There are many opportunities to connect, and get to know more people in the broader community. This retreat was no exception for me. Some acquaintances were renewed or deepened, and others began. Either way, it was one of the most valuable gifts that I take away from any retreat experience.

I had a chance to learn a few new tricks and techniques. One of which I have already played around with, and may incorporate into some new crane patterns for next year. I now am a "licensed operator" of the Polymer Clay Express extruder, and will play around in the coming months with some of the new extrusion dies I purchased at the retreat. I love the openness of Polymer Clay Express to consider adding new dies based on requests from users. This makes for a richer tool base for everyone. I am awaiting the delivery of one of their new clay rollers....NOT a pasta machine!....but one built for the strains of conditioning a stiffer material. Wider, stronger, and better designed. I was told it is expected to be delivered in December. I also purchased a motor for my pasta machine. I have begun to experience tendinitis in my elbow....perhaps from all those cranes I have been making!

Over the last few years, I have begun to witness the downside of retreats. It is not something that is in the control of the organizers, and it is behavior that is not limited to creative retreats. Get enough people together, and you are bound to have a bit of toxic energy infecting the event. Fortunately, it is generally so far under the radar that most people do not see it, nor are they affected directly by it. But, it can have long term consequences that can affect all of us.

The source of most of it, is the source of most toxic stuff that floats around in our lives. Envy, deception, misunderstandings, etc. Most of it can be cut short, and often is. But sometimes, it becomes strong enough to do damage. To hurt the vulnerable. To discourage them from attending these sorts of events in the future.

There are definite "classes" within the creative world, just as any other community. We may talk about how wonderful it is that we all get along, and share, and respect.....but, when people are at different places on various spectrum; from experience, to ambition, to knowledge, "classes" form. I remember when I was at the Synergy conference in Baltimore in February. This was one of the best conferences I had ever attended. The concentration of talent and experience in one place was amazing. But it also could easily bring out the most deep-seated sense of inadequacy in nearly anyone.

I remember walking into the large main room at one point, and noticing a table full of "names"...people of significant profile and accomplishment. My first reaction, was one that I am not proud to admit. Why are they all sitting together, isolating themselves? I reacted from a place of inadequacy. That I was not feeling "good enough" to sit at that table. Then, thank goodness, I stopped right there and realized something deeper was going on. I was looking at this table by looking at the surface accomplishments of this group. In reality, this group of people had known each other for years. They had watched each others struggles and growth, and were there for each other through personal challenges, and triumphs. This is why they were together. They were friends relishing in the opportunity to see one another, and catch up with each other.

How often do we look at someone who has accomplished something in their artistic career by their resume? How often do we attempt to get to know that person as a person? Are we hoping to get something from being in proximity to them? And if they disappoint us how do we react? Do we translate those disappointments into an assessment of them as a person? And if we do, is it valid?

I have seen people hurt by the thoughtless spreading of nothing more than gossip. What happens when you are on the receiving end of some of this "hot stuff". Gossip that has it's primary value in the name attached to it? When we pick up the ball and spread the dirt, we are complicit in the damage done. We can say we were only passing on what was told to us. We did not start it. But it is feeding the beast.

What if instead, we turned to the source and said "No, thanks." Deflate the balloon a bit. As soon as we hear it, we feel the need to do something with it. Just don't pick it up. Put it down, and walk away.

And if it is about someone you like and respect, explicitly turn it down. What happens when we just pass the dirt along to the target of the gossip, "so that they know"? Hurt. Hurt with no outlet. No way for the issue to be resolved. The best thing is to just walk away. If someone feels more important by knocking down another artist, then you have elevated them by receiving the gossip. Don't do it.

As my profile in the polymer clay world has risen, the gossip value of my name has most likely increased. I try to stay away from the places where the gossip is most prolific. I have built a virtual cocoon of protection around myself. Not that I want to live in the illusion of my perfection, but rather, I don't need to hear idle speculation or gossip about who I am, and why I am doing things. I am deeply familiar with my own inadequacies. When the gossip does filter my way, I am often surprised as much by the content as by the source. Having that chatter in my head does nothing to nurture my creative self. If anything it chips away at it.

As an artist, we have duty to protect ourselves. How can we be creative if we don't? Your real friends will help you see the full you, but in the context of a relationship built on knowledge and understanding. They will help you be a better you. Gossip never does that. So the next time it comes your way, say, "No thanks, I'm on a gossip-free diet. It doesn't agree with me." You'll feel like you just lost ten pounds!

Don't let the possible negatives keep you away from a wonderful nourishing and enriching experience. Don't expect a lot of work to be done. But do plan on laughing, playing, and making a few new friends.

Are You Running a Non-Profit?

2008-07-22T12:19:00.004-05:00

Back to the issue of pricing.

I recently wrote about how I had to make a dramatic increase in the price of my cranes, and I want to explore a little further one of the traps that caught me, and I think sometimes catches other people in a pricing bind.

Have you ever said something along the lines of, "I want people to be able to afford it."

I have.

When I have talked about the crane pricing with people, who were often encouraging me to raise the price, I would say something along the lines of, "It's just an ornament. How much will people really pay for it? I can't really charge more for it."

Maybe. Maybe not. I had raised the prices incrementally a few times, but never as much as I really should have been.

The question that is being ignored in this type of market focused pricing is, "Can you afford to sell it at that price?" Are you essentially subsidizing your product? And is that really your intent?

When I finally started to look at the grim reality of the time I was putting into the cranes, and how much I was charging, I began to realize I was underwriting people's desires to own a crane, without taking fully into account my time and expenses. I am usually pretty generous, but even I saw the extremes of the situation I had created. I responded to the market demand for more intricate patterns on the surface of the crane, without adequately compensating myself. There was important information that I refused to see. Looking to the market is important, but not all the important information is found there.

Prices are often based on "How much would someone pay for this?" It can be easier than figuring out actual costs. And, it is easier than trying to determine how much our time is worth.

But, is it sometimes translated into, "How much am I comfortable asking someone to pay for this?" "Will people think less of me if I charge too much?"

Some people might. But some might also think less of you for charging too little. Guess what, it doesn't matter. What matters is what you need to earn to make a reasonable wage for your efforts. You are the one with the best information about what that might be. Not the people with all the opinions. They might also think that your hair is too long or too short. Or that you should wear blue more often. People have opinions. It does not mean we have to tie ourselves up in knots trying to satisfy everyone's perceived opinions and needs. We need to take care of ourselves, and respect our time and effort. Setting a fair price...for you, as well as for the market, is where to begin.

What if the product is just too expensive if you make a fair wage?

There are many options at this point. You can stop selling, and decide you want to just make things for the joy of it. You can consider how to make the product for less. What steps or elements can you eliminate? Think about what are the essential elements of your work. Can you focus more on this, and eliminate the extraneous? Can you purchase your materials for less? Exercise your creativity in a new way. Brainstorm about how to make your product affordable and profitable.

Since I have raised the price of the cranes, I have not received any new orders. But it is summer, and it is typically slower. New jewelry orders are more than taking up the slack. In the end, I am fine with whatever happens. I could not afford to continue to wear myself out. I showed one of my accounts the new solid colored cranes this afternoon, and she liked them better than she thought she was going to. She said she will order some of them in the fall.

The joy of doing work you love is quickly erased when you work your fingers raw, and find your bank account is not reflecting your energy expenditure. Making art is doing something wonderful for the world. But, you still need to make a living. Don't lose sight of that essential truth.

Can You Afford NOT to Advertise?

2008-07-16T09:44:00.007-05:00

Do you do advertising?

Where, and how often?

Advertising can be a leap of faith. It is often hard to measure the effectiveness of an ad, at least in the short-term. And ads will often need to have repeated exposure to maximize their effect.

I am relying more and more on advertising now that I have focused on wholesale, and have virtually eliminated the retail side of my business. With a disciplined approach, and some effective images, ads can definitely work.

I do most of my advertising through Wholesalecrafts.com. They offer a few options. One is their Buyer's Guide, which is like a catalog of craft artists. It has ads ranging in size from full page to 1/12 of a page. I have run 1/12 , 1/6, 1/3, and soon will be running a full page ad in the Guide. And I have found, size matters, as does repetition. The most recent guide went out a few weeks ago, and I came back from New York with three messages on my machine, and continued to get calls through the week. Not all are placing orders, and the orders placed have been conservative. No surprise there.

But part of what has helped me is that I am sticking with the advertising, in spite of being fully aware of how bad the economy is right now. The last Buyer's Guide was the thinnest I can recall seeing. Especially for that time of year. I had a third of a page ad, and it got noticed. People are asking for information, visiting my page on Wholesalecrafts.com, and placing orders. Three good measures of an ad's effectiveness. With less ads, it is easier to be seen. With pictures that I know work well, it is easier to get a good outcome.

I debated whether I should run another ad in the next issue which will go out in September. I finally decided that I should. People will place orders for the holidays, although they are likely to be smaller and later. And from the sounds of it, fewer artists will be running ads. I was offered the chance to bump up to a full page ad at a terrific price. It was a no-brainer. Yes.

The biggest obstacle to the decision is truly psychological. Am I the type of artist who would run a full page ad? In other words, had I crossed some imaginary line in my head that gave me permission to be so bold? No, but I decided I needed to do it anyway. Act as if. The best part is that I had fewer creative limitations. I could design the ad myself. I love doing that sort of thing, and spent too much time this weekend designing and refining my ad.

In addition to the Buyer's Guide I often run a co-op ad in Niche magazine. Niche goes to galleries across the country who purchase handcrafted work. My target market. I get a better price by doing a co-op ad with Wholesalecrafts.com. And I get exposure to the market that would be most interested in buying my work. It has led to some terrific accounts.

How can I afford it? I guess I have come to see I can't afford not to. If I hold back from advertising, I will disappear into the ether. Visibility matters if you want to sell your work. It is about seeing your work as a product, rather than an extension of yourself, and then doing what it takes to make sure that your market sees your work, and knows about it. I have said this before, and I likely will say it again. Marketing your work is a bit like dating. Sitting at home waiting for Prince Charming to come knocking on the door is about as effective as making your work and waiting to be discovered. Might happen. But, probably not. It takes effort. It takes putting yourself out there for others to see. Simply listing your work on Wholesalecrafts.com, Etsy, or Trunkt is not enough.

Sellers on Etsy rely on the Showcase, and Treasuries to be seen. Flickr users will often join many groups where they can post their pictures to increase their exposure. I have come to look at the expense of advertising as the equivalent to the booth fee at a retail show, with less wear and tear on my body and my work. It takes time to build an audience for your work, but given enough patience and time, and yes, money, it is possible.

What do you do to have your work seen?

Origami Convention in New York

2008-06-27T19:28:00.001-05:00

Origami USA will hold their 50th annual convention in New York City this weekend, at the Fashion Institute of Technology. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be an exhibit of origami works open to the public. I will have several items in the exhibit. Sadly, I did not take pictures before shipping them off to New York, but, there are several items made from polymer clay, a crane made from felt, held together by needle felting, and a wire mesh flower. If you are in the area, and have the time, pop on over to the exhibit for a look. You will be amazed at what people are folding these days.

I will be in the vendor area on Saturday and Sunday with cranes, happicoats and cicadas. I will also be doing a demonstration of folding polymer clay on Monday morning.

If you come by, be sure to say hello!

Digging a Hole with a Teaspoon

2008-06-24T17:42:00.008-05:00

You have heard the expression of a death by a thousand cuts. This idea is similar. Digging a hole with a teaspoon is slow and you don't really see the progress you are making until suddenly you look up one day and wonder, "How did I get here?"

This is a lesson in not doing as I have done. Heed the warnings.

The problem is, you may, like me, not see how bad it is until the hole is much deeper than you intended. I am talking about pricing. Specifically underpricing. The biggest part of the trap for me, was the idea that "people won't pay more than $xx for this." And I let that idea guide my decisions for too long, even while seeing warning signs along the way.

Cranes. Of course. I seem to live and breath cranes. Cranes to sell. Crane to memorialize. And in this case, the intersection of the two was part of what made me wake up. Let me begin by saying I had increased my crane price three times in the last few years. The wholesale price had doubled over that time.

But....and this is a very big but....the product I am selling today is not the same product I was making and selling then. At first the surface design was fairly simple. And they were not sold in any special packaging, But, I added the packaging and informational inserts, and increased the price significantly. Sales took off. I was a happy camper.

Then, I started playing. I started to do more involved canework on the surface of the cranes here and there. And the customers loved it. "Send more of those ones with all the detailed patterns. Everyone loved them!" I would be pleased with the feedback, but also sigh a bit as I realized it would be more work. Soon that was nearly all I was selling. Meanwhile, the price had only gone up by about a dollar, but the labor was about fourfold more. Folding cranes for the Crane Project put into sharp focus for me just how long it was taking me to make these intricately patterned cranes. I saw what I had been trying to ignore.

Initially when I would ship the cranes across country, I could ship to California or Washington state, Priority Mail, for only about $6 or $7. I offered free shipping. I figured I could easily absorb that into the price structure. Last summer though, the Post Office revamped their price structure, and suddenly it was more than double that cost to ship across country. Ouch! This spring, the prices took another big jump. I had added a shipping surcharge to crane orders west of the Mississippi, but it was not going to be enough.

Then, the breakage started. I had shipped for two years with not one crane breaking. Now, changes in clay formulation have presented challenges. I have had to revamp my packaging, adding further costs. Not to mention the credits or re-shipments I had to make each time a broken crane was reported.

Can you feel my pain?

I had no room in my price structure for all of these problems to converge. But converge they did. With six more crane orders still to ship under the old price schedule, I knew I had to take action. It was time to begin to fill in the hole, and the teaspoon was not going to work. It was time to put things back in order quickly.

My prices have nearly doubled for the intricate cranes that everyone wants. If they want to pay the old prices, they will have to purchase the "Elemental cranes". Solid colors, to represent the five "elements", air, water, earth, fire, and metal. In between those prices I have cranes with crackled leaf.

I am now shipping FedEx Ground, at a much better rate. And I seemed to have solved the problem of breakage for now.

The reaction is unclear. But, in the end, I could not continue on the path I had been traveling.

Lessons, summarized:

1. If you add to your product, acknowledge that. It is a different product. Change the price. Rename it if you need to. Not all cranes were created equally, but I was pricing them as if they were. Some of you will be saying, of course. I would never do that. I hope you are right. But sometimes we do things that don't make sense, because they will be "easier".

2. Don't undervalue your labor. I was doing what I hate. I had gotten myself into a place that all I was doing was covering the costs of my materials and overhead, so I could make more cranes. Don't do that. It does not respect you. If you find yourself saying, "people won't pay...." Stop. If half the people will pay the new price, I will have the same dollar business, for half the work. I can definitely live with that. Too many people have also told me stories of raising prices, and losing their "high maintenance" customers. Another potential benefit.

3. Sometimes we need to re-evaluate suppliers. I had gotten comfortable with shipping my work by Priority Mail. I knew the drill. It was convenient. I didn't want to have to research alternatives. But in the end, I have a good service, for a much lower cost. And, my husband has a FedEx center right near where he works. I don't even have to leave home!

4. Things will change. At some point something you depended upon, and thought you knew will change. You will have to figure out a new way of doing things. I tried to avoid dealing with these issues for too long. I wanted them to go away. I did not have time. (Can you hear the two year-old tantrum welling up?) Once I decided on a plan of action, it was actually less stressful than trying to pretend the problem was not there, or that it would go away on it's own accord. It is not easy to own up to it, but I really did not want to have to deal with this. But being in business for yourself, there will be things that you have to do that you do not want to do. Unless you have employees, there is no one to delegate responsibility for these tasks. So buck up, and deal! And remind yourself how much you are happier doing what you are doing now...in spite of these kinds of stresses. And if you are not, then maybe a bigger change is in order......

Too Busy

2008-06-12T19:15:00.004-05:00

Have you missed me?

I have missed the time I had been spending writing here, but lately it seems like that is a luxury for which there is no room. I thought I worked a lot before. Now I have had to cut out lots of little "extras", .... like writing in this blog.

So what have I been up to?

First, cleaning out space. A few weeks back I rented a dumpster. Nothing is more satisfying than clearing out lots of clutter, and ending up with space. Our basement was filled to the gills and beyond. It is gratifying to finally have begun to re-establish order where before it was sheer chaos.

Part of the motivation to do this was I was desperate for space. The Crane Project is taking up more and more room. Both storing the cranes, and work space to string cranes up on cables. My work spaces were becoming unworkable. The change has made a large space available to me in the basement, and now I can safely have them out of danger, and more easily do the work I need to do with them.

I also decided it was time I admit that my dining room had stopped being a dining room several years ago when I started selling lots of cranes. It had become my crane packaging and inventory area, and shipping area. But I never fully admitted that. Even though hosting a meal in the room would have been impossible.

So the hutch was cleared out, the table moved to a wall, and a second table brought into the room. My computer came downstairs, along with all my paperwork. Getting an order out the door has become more efficient. It is still chaotic because I have not had the time to organize my office "stuff", but already, it is feeling much better than what existed before. And my husband has taken over the office space upstairs. He has a place to read, to play his guitars, and do yoga.

I have set a tough schedule for myself to complete cranes for the Crane Project. Sixteen cranes a day. Seven days a week. Right now, I am two days behind schedule, or thirty-two cranes. I hope to make eight more before I go to bed tonight so that the deficit shrinks just a little. But it is gratifying to watch the number climb. I just crossed 800 cranes tonight. It is also stunning to see how many that is. And to realize that is it only a year and two months of a war that is already over five years in length.

The motivation for staying on schedule is because it may put me in position to "catch up" at about the time of the inaugural in January of 2009. I like the idea of that deadline. A karma shift of sorts.

The waxed paper cranes are getting folded here and there. I bring a bag with paper squares with me where ever I go. I have folded over 500, and received nearly 100 from other folders. Last night, about 15 to 20 were folded before and during my daughter's band concert. I even taught my dentist and her assistant how to fold cranes last week. I have a new idea that I will be working on in the coming days to recruit more folders.

I still don't know where this project will be installed. It is one of the first questions I get, and all I can say still is "I don't know." All I can do is trust. I am continuing my search for a place, as well as funding options. Filling out applications, and learning.

I have also been dealing with some difficult choices in my business. I will write more about that soon. All I can say for now was once I made the choice it felt better than it did when I was avoiding the inevitable. Once I crossed the dreaded line, answers and solutions seem to fall into place. I don't know how it will work out, but I do know I feel comfortable with my decision, regardless of the outcome.

For the time being, my posts will probably continue to be sporadic. This post is more scattered than I like, but I guess that is a reflection of my state of mind right now. A bit like a pinball bouncing around. Time to bounce back into my studio, and make a few more cranes....

What Do You Know?

2008-06-06T20:56:00.004-05:00

It always surprises me how much insight is possible in the obvious. But it is only when we step outside our normal framework that we can perhaps have the vantage point to see.

When I began this journey into becoming a working crafts person, I found there were many steps and hurdles along the way. First, it was developing the technical skill with my material. I can still remember Nancy Markoe at a class at the Arts Business Institute. She was reminding us that no matter how much we learned and understood about the business of craft, in the end we had to also spend time in the studio, honing our skill. We had to be able to have our hands understand the material. She used an example of making a handle for a mug 100 times before you might begin to be competent at that task, and develop the muscle memory of the task. Her words ring even more true for me now.

I have come to understand that we often start from where we are. Obvious, yes. The experiences we have had will color what we see as possible. For me, jewelry was an obvious thing to make. I have worn jewelry for as long as I can remember. I have collections of antique and vintage jewelry. At a craft show, I have always been drawn to the jewelry. I know jewelry. I love jewelry. And my cranes came from a connection to that origami form.

But recently, I began to venture outside the familiar. When I began work on the Crane Project, I was scared to death. I knew nothing about this new terrain, or a project of this size or scale. I knew I was going to have to find a place to install the project. How do you find that? How does it get installed? How do I get the money to pay for it? How in the world does something so big and overwhelming ever happen?

I am still learning answers to many of those questions. But in the process, I have had my world expanded a bit. What seemed beyond me, and a world inhabited by others, more daring or more creative now seems like a place I might want to visit. I have had several ideas stirring up lately that I am excited about exploring. I don't know when there will be time to get to them, but nonetheless, I have experienced a shift.

When we move beyond what we know it is stretching our muscles. It may hurt. We may be rejected. We may not fit in. But, it may be worth the aches and pains on the way to creative growth. We grow when we go somewhere new, or try something different than what we already know how to do well. Growth is seldom going to happen by sticking with what you already know.

In the last few months, I have applied for, and been rejected for, several grants. A year ago, the idea of a grant was not even on my radar. I have now learned more about that process, and will continue to refine my approach. I have learned more about budgeting for a project. I have asked all sorts of people for all sorts of help. Some say no, but others say yes. Some days I feel like a politician running for office and trying to raise funds for the campaign. It is not what you are in this for, but if you don't do it, the other opportunities may not come your way.

By taking this step across the imaginary line of what I saw as possible, into the impossible, I feel like I am Alice in Wonderland. I have entered a new place, with all sorts of doors to explore and possibilities to consider. I may decide I want to go back to the safety of what I knew before, but I may end up feeling a creative expansion that would not have been possible if I did not step across that imaginary line. The line was only there in my head. I decided what I could do, and what was not possible. The line is mutable though. We can redraw it at any time. We can venture into areas we thought were off limits.

What you know and what you have done before does not have to set the boundaries for where you go in the future. They can be a foundation. A stepping stone. A safe harbor. We get to choose.

Do you have any lines you want to redraw?

Questioning

2008-06-02T20:57:00.003-05:00

I have making only rare appearances lately, because I have had to make a choice. Write on the blog, or try to keep my head above water? I have a few posts in my head that need more time and reflection to do them a good service.

Today, I am going to cheat. We have had a book floating around the house for the last few weeks. My husband took a trip out to Kripalu, a yoga retreat center in western Massachusetts, and brought back The Book of Questions, by Gregory Stock, Ph.D. It is a wonderful way of opening up conversation with kids who are teens and older, with a spouse or partner, or a friend. It is also great to just flip through on your own and ponder.

Here are a few of the questions, from a quick and random flip through:

1. What has been your biggest disappointment in life? your biggest failure?(#197)

2. Would you like to be famous? in what way? (#85)

3. If you knew you could devote yourself to any single occupation - music, writing, acting, business, politics, medicine, etc. -and be among the best and most successful in the world at it, what would you choose? If you knew you only had a 10 percent chance at being so successful, would you still put in the effort? (#36)

4. Would you rather be extremely successful professionally and have a tolerable yet unexciting private life, or have an extremely happy private life and only a tolerable and uninspiring professional life? (#14)

4a. The follow-up to this question: Since so many place great emphasis on a happy private life, why do people end up putting more energy into their professional lives? If you feel your private life is more important to you, do your priorities support this? Are you simply unwilling to admit that work is more important? Do you hope that professional success will somehow magically lead to personal happiness?

5. A close friend asks - and genuinely wants - your honest opinion about something, but your opinion is one that he is likely to find quite painful. For example, your friend is an artist and asks your honest estimate of being successful. You think he is an atrocious artist who hasn't the slightest chance of success. What would you do? (#144)

The book is full of these kinds of questions, and some silly and outrageous ones too. If you have a long car ride ahead, or maybe want some entertainment other than television for a vacation trip, I highly recommend getting a copy of the book. You will probably learn a few things about yourself as well as those around you.

What Does Survival Mean to You?

2008-05-25T22:00:00.005-05:00

The current economy has put many small business people, including artrepreneurs, in a survivor frame of mind. Some businesses have shut down. Those of us who are still in business want to survive, with the hopes of thriving when times are good. The e-mail lists that keep members up to date with funding and grant opportunities have been reflecting the hard times. Less money is available to support the arts. News reports tell us that people are spending more on energy and food, and paychecks are flat. It is any surprise that people are spending less on art and craft?

So, what does survival mean to you?

Does it mean hunkering down, and not spending a dime unless your life depends upon it? Does it mean looking for ways to cut down on your expenses? Are you doing more shows in the hopes of generating more income? Taking a second, or heaven forbid, a third job?

On one discussion board there is a lot of discussion about spending money on advertising. Should I or shouldn't I types of discussions. There is also regular discussions about how bad business is right now.

I find myself going against the grain in many respects. I don't know that I have this figured out for anyone but myself.....and I am not even so sure I have it figured out for myself, but I will share with you some of my thinking, and strategy. Rather than copying exactly what I am doing, I hope that it just provides you another way to think about your own business, and what is working or not working for you. How can you make it through this time, and do even better in the future?

1. Shows. Do more shows and you will make more money. The thinking is that even if you are making less money than you used to at a show, you will make up the difference in volume.

This could be dangerous thinking. It is the same type of logic used when someone claims they covered their "booth fee" at a show. Anyone who does a show knows there are many other expenses related to doing a show beyond the booth fee. Mileage would be right near the top these days, even for a fairly local show. An hour commute each way may not make sense at $4.00 per gallon. But then you may have a few hundred dollars for three or four nights in a hotel, plus meals. Did you have to pay extra for electricity? What other expenses do you have when you do a show? Flowers for your booth? Time out of your studio? Or at the very least, the cost of the goods you sell at the show.

Does it make sense to do more shows, if the bottom line is already very thin? Are the shows you are adding going to be better than the ones you already have on your schedule, or will they just make the bottom line even more strained? In the end, more shows may just mean more wear and tear on you, your work, and your displays, without doing anything to increase the bottom line.

My own strategy this year was to eliminate retail shows. It just was not profitable enough over all for me to continue to pour more money into doing retail shows. I have not completely ruled them out, but for now, there are none on my schedule. In spite of this, my sales are up a few percent, and my bottom line is significantly better than a year ago. If you are doing retail shows, recognize this is a tough economic climate, and it will not take much for a marginally acceptable show to move into financial drain.

2. Advertising. One strategy that many small businesses have in tough times is to cut back on the extras....like advertising. Artists in particular it seems, struggle with advertising dollars. It is hard to spend money on advertising when you are not seeing the direct and immediate result of your expenditure. When you do a show, you can immediately see if the investment paid off.
Advertising is much more slippery.

First, you have an endless pool of choices as to where you will advertise. You need to figure out where the best fit for your dollar lies. If you have not thought about who your customer is, and how to best reach them, you could be throwing good money down the drain.

Secondly, advertising is expense that has to be considered an investment. I am using business school jargon here to make a point. Let's dissect it. Expenses are things that you spend money on to keep the business running. They include materials, rent, show fees, jury fees, etc. Investments are often made for a longer time horizon. It is the money we spend on capital equipment, or assets we purchase for the long term growth of the company. That camera to take better photos of your work. The spot welder to make you more efficient welding jump rings. The new kiln that is more energy efficient. Even though advertising is classified as an expense when it comes to our taxes, we really need to think of it as an investment in the long term growth of our business.

The money I have spent over the last two and a half years on advertising has not been spent without a lot of angst. But, it seems to be making a difference. The orders are trickling in. I am not swamped, but I have had a steady stream of orders since the beginning of the year. Orders from ACRE are planned for delivery right into the fall. I know I will have income to take me through the summer, and into the busier fall months.

What if I cut off the advertising to save money? I suspect I would also cut off the flow of orders. Out of sight and out of mind. And when the economy got better and I decided to spend on advertising again, I would be rebuilding. Looking at it another way, if more people are cutting back now, any advertising I do in this environment will have greater impact because there is lesser competition for the eyes of the buyers. I will be the first to tell you this is a hard spent dollar, but I have also seen the fruits of the steady investment in a targeted advertising program.

3. New Work. I have beat this drum before. If you are not continually offering a fresh take on your work, then you may find that your sales will suffer. This does not mean complete reinvention, unless you are so inspired, but rather continual innovation. In terms of the toothpaste model, what is new and improved with your work? Nothing seems to capture the imagination of buyers of art and craft as much as the new. Something they have not seen or imagined before. Keep them surprised, and you will be more likely to keep them as customers.

I have also found, nothing keeps me as excited about my work and the direction it is taking as that continual exploration of the new. If I am excited about my work, buyers will be more likely to connect with me and my work.

4. Cutting costs. Yes, cutting costs is important. Where can you spend less? Are there shows that you would be better off not doing? Is there a more efficient and cost effective way to put together a catalog? Is there a way to find multiple uses for one marketing tool? This year I have started using my postcards as the color images for my catalogs. It gives me a high quality image, a lower overall cost, and more flexibility.

Are you being as efficient as possible in your energy use? Are you running partial loads in a kiln, or curing? Is your equipment energy efficient? If not, how much would it cost to upgrade, versus how much you would save?

Are you taking advantage of bulk discounts? Sometimes when money is tight we hesitate to buy anymore of an item than we need right now? What if you bought enough for six months to a year? How much would you save in quantity discounts?

5. Are you out looking for new customers? Are you waiting for customers to come to you? Or, are you doing everything you can to try and find a few new customers?

When you are doing a show, are you making sure you are reaching out to your mailing list before the show to maximize your chance of success? Have you followed up on leads? How do you stay in touch with your current buyers if you sell wholesale or through galleries? There are many options; phone calls, postcards, newsletters, perhaps a combination of these.

If you have come up with some new work, what are you doing to publicize that work? Press releases, submitting images to magazines related to your media, entering contests. Right now if you have more time than money, it is important to get creative about how to create some "free advertising" for your work.

These are just a few things that I have been considering as I try and navigate these difficult times. I have heard a few say that the problems are because of people saying times are bad. If the media wasn't reporting so much bad news, things would not be so bad. I would call this ostrich thinking. Others are so focused on the bad news they can't think straight. Burying themselves in the reality of the bad news.

Once again, I find myself trying to carve a path somewhere up the middle; recognizing the challenges, but trying to optimize my chances for success as I make my way forward. It means holding two opposite points realities simultaneously; the economy is bad, and we can succeed. It is almost like patting your head, and rubbing your belly. Difficult, but with practice, we get better at it.

Here is wishing you success in spite of.... In honor of the Phoenix landing on Mars successfully, imagine your business as the phoenix rising from the ashes of a tattered economy. Going against the tide.

My Buddy, Doubt

2008-05-23T08:06:00.005-05:00

I am sure you have met my buddy. He goes by the name Doubt.

Doubt is one of those buddies who is faithful and loyal. But, also one that you are not always so sure you want to see! Things may seem to be going along just great. All the gears are turning, and there is a nice hum in the background. Then Doubt crosses the doorway, and everything comes to a screeching halt.

"Am I doing the right thing?"

"What was I thinking?"

"Is anyone really going to like/buy this?"

"This is already being done, and done better."

"I'll never be as good as..., so why even bother."

Many of the above thoughts have popped into my head at one point or another. Sometimes, I have weeks where the thoughts are popping up in my head like a paparazzi's flash. Blinding me. Everything gets thrown into doubt, and I have moved from the solid shores, to being perched on the wobbly rock in the middle of a fast moving stream. I can feel the anxiety bubbling up.

But, I have learned something over time.

First, I have learned to say "Stop!" Stop letting this doubt overtake all other thoughts in your head. Stop and think for a minute.

I recently saw an article about another memorial project using origami cranes. They had over four thousand cranes completed, and they were going to be showing the project on the mall at the Washington Memorial in D.C. this Memorial Day weekend.

My first thought, honestly, was "What is the point of doing what I am doing? It has already been done. I am far from finished."

Then the Stop sign went up, and I took a breath.

This is the dialogue I began instead. "What they have done is similar, but not quite the same. It is wonderful that they are able to have their project in Washington, D.C. this weekend so that people will see and be reminded. It is wonderful that there are other like minded people out there taking actions such as your own. It should be celebrated.....and reinforced with your own work, which is similar, but still different."

Am I rationalizing? Maybe. But maybe I am just adding perspective and depth to my initial reaction that was fear driven. The fear that I am not good enough. That others are better, and that no one will be at all interested in my project by the time I finish.

No matter where we are as artists, Doubt is going to show up. Unannounced. And it is up to us to decide how long of a visit he makes. Will he sleep on the couch, or the guest room? Will he be sitting in your living room channel surfing while you wonder why you ever thought you had what it takes to do this?

Or will he be acknowledged, and then shown the door?

Will he be embraced, or just waved to politely?

We really do get to choose how we react. The stop sign is the first step. Stop the flood of negativity that comes along with the doubt, and begin to bring in some rationale thought, and then.....get back to work!

Following a Path to Joy

2008-05-15T21:59:00.003-05:00

Almost eight years ago my dad died suddenly from a heart attack. He actually had at least three heart attacks over a few days. The second one brought him to the hospital, and he ended up with a stent in his heart. But, his heart never stabilized, and later that night he had another heart attack that ruptured his left ventricle. This one was fatal.

At first I was doing what I could to help my mother through this difficult time. But over the next few months, I found that his death affected me more than I thought it did. I found myself slipping into a deep depression. Finally, I sought out a therapist. Eight years, and several therapists later, I think of my Dad, and miss him, but I have also made some deep changes in the way I live my life, and along the way found more joy than I thought was possible.

Why am I sharing this with you? It relates a bit to the post I had recently about Critical Balance. Until this crisis sent me to therapy, I did not realize how much all the negative "stuff" I carried around in my head, and repeated to myself over and over again, inhibited my creativity, and diminished my life overall.

I continue therapy, even though depression is gone from my life, because I have come to realize the work to stay present, and not get caught up in all that "stuff" is something that is on-going. Once a month I get to check-in with the best therapist I could ever have. And once a month I meet with an amazing group of women, and we reflect and share on different aspects of our lives and our experiences. In this process, I can see better where I have been, and how far I have come. I can find where the residue of pain still resides, and carefully explore and heal. And I stay in touch with "me." And if you want to find your voice, there is no better place to start!

This past week, we met, and we wrote about the joy that is in our lives. We were in tears, and laughing, sometimes simultaneously as we shared our reflections. Tonight, I shared with my kids what I wrote, and given their response, I decided to post it here, with the background. I have come to believe, the work I did "on myself" was the best work I ever did to nurture my creative being.

So here goes....

I start to reflect upon my day and the little moments that made me smile, or feel in that moment. What unifies those moments is simply presence. Presence to what is. Presence to a moment that can’t be captured and preserved on film, or in words, or in any way at all as completely as just being there at that moment.

My mom calls to thank me for coming over and for the card from me that she found after we left. We talk for maybe ten minutes, and it is a nice re-connection and reinforcement of our relationship and our bond as mother and daughter.

I take a tray of beads out of the oven. As I collect them into my hand, and then into a container, the subtle sparkle and pattern catches my eye and makes me smile. Yes! This time it worked. These will make some nice pieces. But, just now, they bring me a moment of joy. I roll them around for a moment, in the container, enjoying the visual and tactile experience.

Later I am making cranes. I cover a sheet of clay with a variety of cane slices. The mix of color and pattern sings on this one. I smile in a moment of “yes!”

Packaging and sorting cranes to fill orders. These normally tedious tasks feel good today. I enjoy seeing each crane on the shred, and in it’s own little box. Soon two orders are picked and in boxes to ship. I take pleasure in the ease with which this happened today.

At dinner, I take in Colleen. Her eyes sparkle as she talks. A smile illuminates her already luminous face. We all laugh together as Kaela exudes joy and excitement at all the possible directions her life could take. Each fulfilling an aspect of her being. She can barely get the words out in a coherent sentence, she is so happy about all that lies before her like a feast.

My life is one of abundance. Simple moments. The excitement of the dog to do a trick and get a treat. The sound of my coffee press makes as it slides down. Dave’s voice on the phone.

I had moments of stress and frustration today. But the joy of the moment can be found like sparkling jewels scattered throughout my day.

My little mantra these days is “Create abundance.” Perhaps I don’t need to say create. Maybe it is just about noticing. Being present to all that is here for me already.

....so, what do you think? Does it make you want to start noticing the jewels in your own life? I can guarantee they are there. It is not about the big "wow!" moments. Those are good, but the sustenance comes from finding joy in the moment. The mundane, everyday moments. And, when we find it there, we have less "need" for the other kinds of that the commercials want us to believe are only a purchase away.

If you'd like, feel free to leave a jewel or two in the comments!

Rules, Schmules...

2008-05-11T21:55:00.003-05:00

I have read one too many posts on what artists should or should not do in their blog, and/or website. Face it, as a rule, artists are not generally so in love with the technology side of the web. When we are told all the things we should be doing, or that we are doing it wrong, the first impulse might rightly be to throw up our hands and say, "Forget it. I can't do that, so why even bother?"

I do a lot of things wrong according to the rules. And somehow, this blog goes on....

Post at least three times a week, and predictably. I post sporadically. Sometimes nearly every day, and then I may go a week or more without posting. "Good blogs" post at least three times a week.

Images. Lots of images. Make sure that people coming to your blog can see your work. I have a teensy excuse on this blog, since it is not exclusively about my work. But on my crane blog, I have a scarcity of images there as well. I guess for me, the blog is the words behind the work. Both the studio work, and the other work that an artist engages in on a regular basis. My website, on the other hand, is image rich and text poor. Together they fill out the picture.

Keep entries short. Too much text turns off readers. Sorry readers, but when I get on a roll I am not going to say, "Oops, I am at the third paragraph, I better tie this up here". I write about what is on my mind. If I can do that in three paragraphs...uh, five?....great. But more often than not it takes me more than that to process the idea and communicate it coherently.

Feeds, etc. I think there is an RSS feed somewhere on the page. Is it easy to find? I don't know. I don't even really know what an RSS feed is to tell you the truth. Could I do better with this part of things? Absolutely. Is it worth my time and money? I frankly don't think so right now. It is low, low, low on the list, and the list is long. Somehow, in spite of my absolute ignorance, and neglect here, people still find my blog, and even subscribe! I love you subscribers out there!

Hire someone to do your website. Broke this rule too. But I pay a bit more to get template options with my website host. It means I can update my web page regularly without having to write code. I am not going to learn code. I am not interested. But I want to be able to update my web page fairly frequently and easily. Is the template exactly the way I want? Nope. But it does the job. I compromise on layout, fonts, colors, etc so that I can at least have images on the web.

In the end, I would rather suffer the wrath and criticism and "just do it", than not do it for fear of doing it wrong. I have made plenty of mistakes along the way. I am continuing to make mistakes. I will tweak, and play and continue to evolve as I continue to work my blogs and my website. I don't want to do it totally by the rules, because in the end, it is mine. Just like I want my art work to reflect how I see the world, I want my blog to reflect my thoughts and experiences. I use Blogger because they are easy, and Google takes care of so many things for me that I do not want to learn. I will risk the imperfection.

How much of the writing about the rules of how we engage with this technology is shutting down voices that we would all benefit from hearing? Isn't this the benefit of the Internet? The rules are still evolving and we can decide how we want it to work for us?

Are you on the sidelines? Do you have a point of view, something you want to say or share? But the idea of doing it the wrong way is just not worth the risk? Trust me, it is. Go ahead and do it wrong, if you have the inkling of a desire. Do it the best way you are able with the time, money, and savvy that you can muster. And if someone tells you that you are clueless, nod in agreement. Yup, you are. But in spite of that you are blogging, or have a website, or whatever. And each day you are learning a little bit more.

The democracy of the web depends on us being able to do this imperfectly. I would rather see some one's amazing work or words up on the web without all the right feeds and widgets, and so on, than have them stay away because we built the technology wall too high.

Being open to learn new things is great. But feeling like we have to do it perfectly in order to do it at all is destructive. The way I look at it, we are about in kindergarten when it comes to the Internet. There is more time for recess than for dissertations. And everyone gets a turn, not just those who are at the front of the line.

Maintaining Critical Balance

2008-05-06T18:02:00.003-05:00

One of the biggest challenges we face as people who rely on our creative output is to maintain the delicate balance between being creative, and engaging our critical eye. Too much in one direction, and we risk never reaching our potential in developing our technique or our design ability. Or, too much in the other direction, and we may never get beyond the sketching or thinking stage.

Criticism is a sharp knife. It can be used as a fine editing tool. Honing our design, refining our technique. All good chefs will tell you a well sharpened knife is an essential tool. A dull knife can make a mess of things, and make the job harder to accomplish. Without the critical eye looking at what we have done, we can only get so far. The critical eye can see the weaknesses that need shoring up, as well as the strengths that maybe should be amplified. It can see what is distracting and needs to be removed.

But that same sharp knife that can be a tool can turn into a weapon that shuts down our creative energy if we do not know how to rein it in properly.

Each needs it's time and place. Creativity is often best served by being unleashed without the critical constraints. Let it go where it wants to go, and play around and explore. Only when it reaches a resting point is it safe to let the critical forces out. Then it is time to step back from your creation, and see it as a product, an output, now removed from you, and ask, "What could be better?" This is not about whether you are an artist who is "good enough". It is about how you, where you are right now, can become better. How your work can become stronger. You are always good enough. But, your work can always be stronger. We never are at a point where our work is "perfect".

So, either alone, or with others, we must critique. Looking to see what worked, and what did not. How to make a piece even stronger than what we have already wrought. Without this important stage, we will never reach our full potential. Once we go through that stage of critiquing, we then need to tell the critical voices that their services are no longer needed for now, and we will call them back when we need them. Then we can get back to work, either reworking, or working anew on this idea that inspired us.

When we try to critique as we create, it is too easy to get caught up in out inadequacies when what we need to be doing, is getting caught up in the creative process. The other problem we often have is making the output of our creativity to be too precious. Our self-esteem becomes deeply entwined into the output. We can't hear the critique in a productive way, if our identity is enmeshed in our work. Our work is our work. It is not us. Some it is will be crap, and some of it will blow us away. We need to accept both for what they are, and learn from both. No one, not even the most amazing artist, whose work you adore, turns out one masterpiece after another. We all have a range. The challenge is to raise the quality overall....the junk is better than it used to be, and the best work gets better.

One of the important lessons I learned from the book Art & Fear, was the value of crappy work. This is when we can have fun. Take that piece that bombed, and have some fun. If you want to lose that sense of preciousness of your work, this is a perfect place to begin. Use those pieces as a place to learn. A place to explore and experiment, and to go places you wouldn't dare under normal circumstances. If you hate it, you can't ruin it. But you can have fun and learn.

The bottom line....The process of creating is precious. Protect it from the critics. The product is just product. It is not precious. It is not us. Let the critics come out and have their say when you are ready to pause. Listen. Notice. See it as a way to learn and grow. And then thank your critics for their input, and tell them to go back in their closet. And get back to having fun creating, testing, playing, experimenting..... Own the process. It is sacred. And control the critics, their weapons can be valuable tools or deadly weapons.

What Can You Do After A Bad Show?

2008-05-04T16:16:00.002-05:00

Throw in the towel? Decide you were crazy to even think this could work?

Those are possibilities, but maybe not the best ones.

First, sit down with a pad of paper. Divide it into two columns. In one column, write down everything that went wrong. Everything you wished you could have a do over on. Everything that you felt 'in over your head' about. For instance, you did not cover your costs. The weather was horrible. You had work stolen. You heard people whispering about how high your prices were to their friend as they walked out of your booth. You were sick as a dog, and you had no choice but to do the show anyway. You forgot half your work, and your were hours from home. Your neighbor kept coming into your booth and complaining about everything. Your booth was in the worst spot in the world.

In the other column, write down everything that was positive about the show. The people who bought your work were in love with it. The weather was gorgeous. Your neighbor at the show was a gem. You made a connection for a possible new outlet for your work, or two other shows that might be a good fit for your work. You found out about a great display at a reasonable cost. Someone gave you a great idea for a new product to try and work on.

These are just a few of some of the good and bad things that have happened to me at shows....and a few fictional ones for kicks! No matter how bad a show has been, I have always walked away with a bit more knowledge or insight. Some of the insight came from what went wrong, and some was gained from a positive experience.

Without looking at the experience, good and bad, we are leaving the outcome of future shows to chance. The more we understand why something is working for us, or what needs to change, the more we can move towards the success we want.

If a show is bad, it is easy to blame the weather, the price of gas, or the promoter. But at every bad show I have had, other artists have done well. Actually, there was one show....I guess you could call it the exception that proves the rule, where no one did well. Many different things can contribute to bad sales at a show. A recent survey by the NAIA (National Association of Independent Artists) is a real Buyer's Beware wake up call for artists about trusting the reputation of a show before investigating further for yourself. Artists who had participated in the Coconut Grove show in Florida were surveyed and it was fascinating to see the effects of charging a gate fee, or inviting other "attractions" to a show can have on the artists' sales. The group also has a survey of the Artists' Landscape on the website, and it is a bleak one. Artists are aging and retiring. Collectors are no-shows at shows. They too are aging, and less interested in acquiring more "stuff".

Are we back to throwing in the towel? That might seem pretty attractive after reading either or both of these surveys.

I think rather than throw in the towel, it is important to look at your approach from the ground up, and start thinking about what is working, and what is not. Thus the list.

Look around at how people are buying luxury goods these days. After all, craft is a luxury good, isn't it? If the way you, your friends and associates, your neighbors, you or your spouses co-workers are indulging themselves, is at the mall, or on the internet, is it any wonder that sales are down at a craft show? If people are spending $25 in gas, $30 in admission fees, and another $15 to $20 on food at a show, is it any wonder that many in the middle class are feeling too pinched to spend another $50, or $250 to purchase a hand-crafted treasure? Is it any wonder that they might feel as if just looking is what is in their budget?

And yet, some people are selling. Some people are succeeding.

It is time for a critical eye on every aspect of what we do. Is our display the best it can be? Is our work priced right? Is this the right show for our work? Have we done anything new lately? Is there another, perhaps better, way to reach your customer? What have you done to add value to your work? This could be through building your reputation in your media, to packaging, to advertising, to adding context or story to your work.

Sitting in the corner of your booth, engrossed in a Sudoko puzzle is not the path to success. Go to a show as a customer. Walk the show and observe. Which booths draw you in? Why? Which artists make you want to buy from them? Why? Which booths do you walk right past without barely a glance? Why? Visit shops and galleries that carry handcrafted work and notice the same thing. What makes you enjoy the experience? Which work draws you in, and why? Is there any work that makes you say...if only they would do, "x", then that piece would be amazing! Now, think about your own work, your booth, your selling style. Where can you improve? What can you do differently? No matter how long you have been in business this type of exercise can be helpful to shake you out of your routine. It can help you see what else is drawing the eyeballs and dollars of your potential customers.

What if you do all that, and you still feel stuck? Then it might be time for outside help, paid consultant or artist friend. If your blindspots seem to be unmoveable, it might be worth the investment. But doing the work on your own first, will make any time spent with a consultant more effective. They will better be able to get a grasp on where you are struggling. The more efficiently you can help them get there with you, the faster they may help you find some solutions. And we all know, time is money.

The same old, same old, is not going to work.

What will you do differently at your next show? Or will you do shows anymore? Maybe your answer will be to find an entirely different route to reach your customers. We can't just wait out the bad economy. We have to work smarter. Things are changing, and what worked ten, twenty years ago, may not work for anyone anymore. It may be time to forge a new path.

Whose Job is it Anyway??

2008-05-01T20:18:00.004-05:00

Negative reports began to surface within hours of the end of the ACRE show. There were not enough buyers. They were not placing orders. The promoter should have done more.

And yet, there are voices out there of people who did well. People who made connections and placed orders. What does one artist do that is different and works from another artist who struggles?

This eye-catching display belongs to Judy Belcher, shown here setting up and hamming it up. It could not be more simple, or more effective. Her palette is primarily black and white, with touches of color.....just like her booth. To reinforce the medium of polymer clay and the location of the show, she made some poker chips with her name and booth number for people to take with them. She was prepared with support material, and had a special offer for those who placed an order. She had strong work and a positive attitude. Her "be-back's" came back.

Another artist who did a terrific job of reinforcing a message with their work was Joyce Fritz. Joyce makes bugs that you want to touch and to own. Whimsical, beautiful, colorful bugs, with enough realism to amaze. And, she wears several of them at once, strategically placed, as a bug would land. On her shoulder, her back, here and there on her sweater or jacket. She had beetles that had beautiful landscape canework on the wings. And it was all displayed in cigar boxes on tables with green netting. In a simple way, she created a magical space in her ten by ten foot space. When someone placed an order, they got a little bug to wear on their badge. Advertising that traveled the show. More brilliance that worked.

These ladies did not spend time in the aisles griping about the lousy turnout. They were in their booth and ready to greet anyone who stopped by their booth. Their work was strong. It had fresh elements. Their displays worked to complement their work. And they knew they were their to sell, not to socialize or complain. That was for non-show hours, if at all.

There were many other artists who had positive experiences. I do not know those stories as well as these two. The economy is awful. Galleries are going out of business. Others are hanging on, but their business is down. It is effecting all of us. But, those who do more than complain, who work a bit harder and a bit smarter will come out of this period stronger and wiser. That is the side I am working to be on.

How about you? This is a year to survive. To hang on and bring your best game forward. Complaining has never gained anyone business. Complaining has never made work sell.

What do you need to be doing?

Advertise. Ads, postcards, e-newsletters, etc. Stay in the consciousness of your customers and potential customers. Over and over again, I heard people tell me about how they had seen me at other wholesale shows....which I did not attend. Why? They had seen my ads at about the same time period. Advertising can work. But it has to be sustained, and with strong images.

Innovate. Is your work stale? Is it time for some new designs?

Story/Theme. Does your work have a story or a theme? Have you shared that? Are you thinking at all about the kinds of things that are going on in the world right now, and how your work might tie into that? Environmental issues....is your work green? Price points for a soft economy....do you have work at a lower price point? Peace was a theme I saw frequently in artist's work.

Do you need help? with your booth, with your sales technique, with your marketing materials? If people are going to wait to place orders after the show, do you have materials to send them off with, or to reach out to them with after the show? If you don't know where to begin, find someone to help.

Back From Sin City

2008-04-30T10:10:00.006-05:00

I got back last night from my trip to Las Vegas for the ACRE 2008 wholesale craft show. Once again, I find the preparation, and the show itself has left me worn out. But, with past experience in mind, I planned a bit of down time. It is unlikely that I will do no work. I just can't completely tear myself away, but a slower, gentler schedule, and a few diversions are just what I need right now.

The show was a good one. I was happy with my display, and with the sales I had, and connections I made. A show presents many opportunities beyond the sales of product, and I was able to take advantage of a few of those. I had a few new things to think about, and will share some of those in future posts.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll share a few pictures, and even a video.....

Lindly Haunani, me, Sandra McCaw, and Meisha Barbee in the National Polymer Clay booth. These woman did a fantastic job, coordinating their displays, and preparing themselves for the show. Each one did a terrific job of representing the possibilities of the medium. And it appears they are willing to "pay it forward"....helping the next group of polymer clay artists to take this step.

This is my booth. I was happy with how it worked out. It was easy to ship, and set up, and worked well. My sister-in-law, Linda Ruel Flynn, was there for a few days, and she was a tremendous help to me in the set-up and display. She has been the interim director of the Fiber Art Center in Amherst, MA, as well as the past retail gallery manager. With this experience as a buyer, and in setting up retail displays, she helped me edit down, and tweak the display so that it worked well, and looked good. She ended up helping a few other artists with their displays. The woman has a real talent for seeing the possibilities in the work, and helping people put their best foot forward.

Here you can see a little better view of one of the "tables". I used two EZ pedestals as the base for the tables, and a sheet of masonite, with a "brushed steel" contact paper adhered to the surface, for the top. The earring rack in this display was made from two rails which are used to hang posters, the clips which go inside the rails, ball chain, duct tape, two small slats of wood with some more contact paper, and polymer clay for the bases. I liked how the display worked to show off the earrings, and how the ball chains help the earrings stay in place. I will have to play with this idea a bit more.

Finally, a bit of the fountain show at the Bellagio on the strip....

Tag, Your It

2008-04-20T21:04:00.005-05:00

Being tagged as a blogger is a bit different than the childhood game of tag. Then it was more of an aggressive act. But being tagged as a blogger is more of a call out to say, "I read your blog, and I like it." Much better than the feeling I used to get being tagged in the game, as a kid. But now, I have to take on the task of acknowledging other bloggers whose words inspire or amuse. And, sadly, it has taken me a month to pick up the task. So, here goes.

Vickie Hallmark at Fiber.Art.Glass generously gave this blog a nod. The rules were as follows:

1. Place the name of the person and URL on your blog.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write seven things about yourself.
4. Name seven of your favorite weblogs.
5. Send an email letting those bloggers know they have been tagged.

Seven things about me:

1. I am 6'-1-1/2" tall. I hated it when I was young, and swore I would not have kids....lest I have a daughter who would be so tall. Well, fortunately, I have learned to never say never....and I have two lovely, tall daughters. They have taught me more than they can imagine.

2. I love to garden. This time of year is my favorite. Plants are bursting forth from the ground, and growing fast enough to see the changes from day to day. Color is back after a winter of snow, ice, or brown and grey.

3. I was married on a 60' yacht in Long Island Sound, off the coast of Connecticut on a beautiful August afternoon. It was a beautiful and memorial day for us, and for our guests. And it made it easy to keep the wedding small.

4. I discover more by accident than by intent. It is usually when I am heading in one direction that I will discover something far more interesting. I have learned to be open to those possibilities, because they will regularly appear.

5. I have five brothers and sisters. I was in the middle. Number three. I have a brother who is a year and two days older, and one who is an Irish twin....two weeks shy of year younger than me. I learned much about making compromises from growing up in a large family.

6. I have never traveled to Europe or Asia, yet I find much inspiration in the landscape and art of those parts of the world. I do want to travel more broadly one day, but for now, I am more of a homebody.

7. The best years of my life are still ahead! I guess you could say I am an eternal optimist!

Seven blogs I enjoy:

1. Polymer Clay Daily is a daily must read for me. I love to see what latest treasure Cynthia has uncovered.....and sometimes we are lucky enough to see some of what she has been up to in her own studio.

2. Craftcast with Alison Lee is a blog and podcast. I have loved her interviews with various artists. She has such a warm style, and consistently gets others to open up and talk about their inspiration or creative style.

3. Susan Lumoto Rose is a fellow polymer clay artist, and web guru extraordinaire....that is the only thing that explains how she can consistently find so many interesting and intriguing tidbits from all over the web, for her blog, Polymer Clay Notes.

4. Janice Abarbanel is a multi-media artist. Metal, bead crochet, and polymer clay are all transformed under her talented hands. She has a great blog as well.

5. I am a Project Runway addict. And thanks to Kim Cavender, I stumbled across Project Rungay, and there has been no turning back. These guys have an addiction deeper than my own, but they bring a whole new dimension that is worth a regular visit.

6. The best place to spend a few hours on the web....TEDtalks. Guaranteed inspiration abounds.

7. One of the people who inspired me to blog is Libby Mills. I still enjoy reading her posts and seeing the latest direction her art is taking. She is a talented woman, and a terrific person.

I hope you all have fun exploring some of these links.

Shipping A Booth, and other Weighty Matters

2008-04-16T12:17:00.007-05:00

Another obstacle that I had to overcome to move my business forward was figuring out how to ship a booth, or components of it, in order to do a show thousands of miles away. I knew I was ready to do a wholesale show, or as ready as I would ever be, but I was not sure I was ready to tackle shipping my stuff cross country.

When you are driving to a show, if you have a big enough vehicle, you can bring just about whatever you want to set up your booth. If you have to haul your stuff any distance from your car or van to set-up, then you might consider weight and volume, but otherwise, convenience, and having the best display possible is what overrides the weight and volume concerns.

But, if you have to ship, weight and volume translates quickly into cost. The cost of shipping is directly correlated to these two factors. And, at some shows there is also drayage charges. Drayage is a weight based charge that is applied at some facilities for transport of your materials from the loading dock to your booth. Both ways. This can add up fast, if your work and/or are heavy, it can easily add up to thousands of dollars. Fortunately, the ACRE show includes the drayage cost in the booth fee. But, since i will I have to ship my paraphenelia from Massachusetts to Las Vegas, weight matters.

Last year, I partially dodged the issue. I shipped some things, and rented others. But this year, I wanted to cross the line, and rent only the bare minimum. A small table for writing orders, and to stash things under, crossbars, and added padding under the standard carpet that comes with the booth. The padding is an indulgence, but sometimes you just have to take care of yourself, and the visitors to your booth! So my rental charges this year are about a third to a quarter of what I spent last year, and I will have extra electricity.

Part of the money I saved went to purchasing a shipping crate. I was fortunate enough to have purchased two fiber crates, that are often used to ship those pop-up style booths, for a song. But they are limited in what can fit inside them. I used one of them to package up my lights, banners and a few odds and ends. I still needed something to pack my pedestals into. The pedestals are going to be the foundation of my booth. They are 42 inches tall, and 24 inches wide when flat, so I needed a container to accommodate them. In addition, the "table" tops that I will lay across the pedestals are 48 inches long. Knowing these dimensions, I hit the web.

This is what I ended up with. It is hard to tell from the picture, but it has wheels, and a handle built in. Straps are attached to securely close the case. And the lid, telescopes on the base. So it can be 6" high, or 10 inches high, depending upon what and how much you put in the case.

After the cases were packed, I added some plastic strapping cord to secure the crates for their long distance travel.

Each container was less than 150 pounds, which meant I could ship them UPS ground. And I could track on line to see the safe arrival of my containers to their intended destination.

Most shows have an advance warehouse. A place where artists can ship their booth and other materials ahead of time. There is usually a deadline for arrival of your goods so that they can be staged at the appropriate time for transportation to the venue. And if all goes well, when you arrive at your booth, all your containers are sitting there waiting for you. But, you need to plan backwards from that deadline to make sure everything is out the door in time to make the trip.

It is a good idea to print out your shipping labels for the return trip at home and bring them with you. It will make that end of the process go much more smoothly. You also want to make certain to have all the paperwork for the shipment to the venue. You never know....

If you ship your materials by freight, there are a few other things to consider. First, a pallet or other way to be able to move your materials with a fork lift is important. The weight of the pallet, becomes a part of the cost of shipping. If you work from home, and thus would ship from home, you would need to pay extra for the lift truck. This is a truck that has a platform on the back that can raise and lower to move your stuff off the ground and up onto the truck.

You will also need a bill of lading. The form will come from the shipper, but it will list what you have in the crates or cartons. You do not need to go into a great deal of detail. "Trade show booth" could be sufficient.

I will show you more of the lightweight, transportable booth I came up with in a future post. So, stay tuned.

Making Light Work of It

2008-04-13T18:07:00.003-05:00

It is finally time for me to finish up the discussion I began about lighting. I began writing about how important it is to have good lighting to show off your work to best advantage. Ambient light is often inadequate, and sometimes off-color.

So, now that you know you want lights, where do you begin?

Clip on lights are an option. Jennifer posted a link to her booth with the clip on lights in the comments of my last post. You can see how she had a light fixture for approximately every three feet or so of wall width. If your work is displayed on the walls or very close to the walls, this may be a great solution. But, what if you work is in the middle of the booth somewhere, and not on a fixture that can easily have a clip on light attached? Then what?

Track lights are probably the most common solution. And they are not that complicated to do.

There are a few basic components:

1. The track(s).
2. The light fixtures which are inserted into the track.
3. Bulbs for the light fixtures.
4. A cord attachment for the track.
5. A crossbar to attach the lights to.
6. Something to hold the track onto the crossbar.
7. A power strip or two.

If you can build something with Legos or Tinkertoys you can put up a track light. It really is that simple.

There are lots of places to find track lighting components. Stores like Home Depot or Lowe's, or on-line stores like USA lights. I ordered tracks from Home Depot on-line recently, and it was easy, and got just what I wanted.

So, what do you need to consider when you start looking at the many options that are out there?

1. Color. Black is a good choice. White electrical components can sometimes yellow over time, and black will tend to "disappear."

2. Rotation. How far can the lights rotate or angle so that you can position them just the way you want? I had lights similar to the ones shown in the USA Lights link above, and I found I could only rotate the lights about 200 degrees, and there was very little ability to adjust the angle of the light. The lights I recently purchased have nearly 360 degree rotation, plus I can adjust the angle of the light.

3. Bulbs. You want to choose lights that have a shielded halogen bulb. This will reduce the fire hazard potential of the lights, and will also reduce any problems you might have with certain venues that are very strict about lights that can be used. Also look at the wattage. Most are 50 or 75 watts. Make sure and purchase a few more than you need. You never know when a bulb might burn out or otherwise fail.

4. Track. How much track? The limitation of how many lights you can put on a track are physical more than electrical. But you also want to spread the lights out over enough space that you can adequately light the whole space. At least two, probably three or four tracks are needed.

5. Plug. Purchasing track lighting means you need to get all the components separately. Some people will wire in the track directly in line, but for a craft show, you want to be able to plug it in. So you need to purchase a plug for the track. You can also purchase elements that will allow you to join tracks, and use one plug for two or three tracks.

Before the show, and preferably not the night before, you want to practice putting together the lights and track,....a dry run. First, unpack the track. You may need to remove an endcap on the track with a screw driver so that you can then insert the connector for the plug. This is usually tightened in place with a screwdriver.

Unpack the light fixtures, and determine how to insert to bulbs. Keep the packaging for the light fixtures. It is a good way to transport them to and from the show. The lights general go on the track with a push and a twist. You will usually get a sense of whether or not it has engaged properly. Put several lights on the track, and then plug in the track to your power strip, and turn on the power.

Did the lights go on? If so cheer and pat yourself on the back. You can do this!!

If not, don't panic. I usually find this means that the light was not properly inserted into the track. Often turning off the power, removing the light or lights that fail to light, and re-inserting them into the track is all it takes to fix the problem. But, I will admit that a few times it has taken several tries before I achieve success.

Now, you can remove each light fixture, with the light bulb in place, and return it to the package I suggested you save.

How is the track attached to a crossbar? There are several options. One is the plastic zip ties that are strong, inexpensive, and relative easy to use. Another is velcro strips....hooks on one side, and fuzz on the other. Easy on and off, and re-usable. You can find them at the big box stores, or office supply stores where they have things to control the mass of wires coming off the computer or home entertainment centers.

Not so bad, huh? I hope if you are considering doing a show, and issues like lighting are holding you back, this little primer will help. It really is doable. After a few shows you will be wondering what all the anxiety was about.

Shining a Light on Things

2008-04-01T20:36:00.004-05:00

If you plan to do shows, retail or wholesale, lighting is something that you will have to figure out. It was the also one of the parts of doing shows that scared the heck out of me. Electricity has this affect on me. Watts, volts, amps....my head starts spinning. This big dark cloud settles in and I find ten other reasons why I don't want to go there.

But, I did want to go there. I wanted to do shows, specifically juried shows, so I was going to have to figure it out. After several years of doing shows, I think I have finally reached a degree of comfort with this area that had previously seemed elusive. So, let me share what I have learned, and maybe help alleviate any anxieties you may have had around this area, and maybe shorten your learning curve.

Let's start with why. Why do you need lights? Because you want your work to be seen in the best light possible (Pun fully intended!). Without lighting, your work can be almost invisible. I was next to an artist at a small show this past December who had part of her work hung up on panels, with lights illuminating the panels. The rest of the work was sitting out on a table. The ambient light in the room was limited at best. As a result, the work on the table was hard to see. The color, the detail, were all lost in the dim light. It had to have had an affect on her sales. The only work that people were looking at was the work on the panels. It was terrific that she was selling some of this work, but what potential sales did she miss by having half of her work in the dark?

How much light do you need? Let's talk about the 10 ft by 10 ft booth, standard at most juried shows. Some shows will include electricity with your booth fee. Often this is about 300 to 500 watts. It is not enough. Trust me. I have tried to use that much in the past. It is not enough. 1000 watts is a better level of lighting. Most track light fixtures are 50 watts. So this means 20 fixtures. Yes, twenty.

I have finally accepted that this is what I need to do. I have done shows with 300 to 500 watts, and have been perpetually frustrated by my inability to adequately light the work. Some of the work is well lit, and other pieces are sitting in shadow. Not the presentation that I want. If you have dark walls, you definitely will need lots of light. Black walls are popular for colorful work, because it makes the work seem to "Pop!" But it also absorbs a lot of the light in the booth.

What kind of light? Ideally you want to use halogen lights. They have a full spectrum quality. You want the colors of your work to be as true to what they would appear in natural light as possible.

What kinds of fixtures? Track lights are the most common kinds of light used in a craft booth. They give you lots of flexibility as far as placement, and direction. But they have potential pitfalls as well. It is important to be sure that lights are not pointing at your customers faces, blinding them, or that they are not hung too low so that tall visitors to your booth risk scalp burns. Many fire codes also require that the track be at least eight feet off the ground.

On a recent webcast that was available to ACRE show participants, Bruce Baker touched on this topic. One of the booths he showed caught my eye. It had several crossbars in the booth space. One across the front, and then one from front to back, and another from side to side. Lights were arrayed along these central crossbars aimed at the work in the booth. Baker recommends that lights be placed above where the visitors to your booth will stand. If the lights are hung on the front crossbar, pointing into the booth space, as soon as the customers walk into your booth, they will block the path of the light onto your work. And as they turn around to leave the booth, they get a blast of bright light in their eyes. Not a good parting experience.

There are other options of course. Some jewelry cases come with lights. Under shelf lights are great for work that is displayed on nearly any type of shelving. But even with these types of lights, you will want to have some overhead light.

So, where do you begin? There are companies that specialize in tradeshow lighting. Look through Crafts Report, and you will see plenty of advertisements. Or go to the local Home Depot or Lowe's. You will find track, lights, cords, and all the components you need to install your lights.

In my next post I will show you what some of those components look like and how you can hang them, for those of you who are like I was a few years ago....in the dark!

Crane Videos Up on YouTube

2008-03-31T06:30:00.005-05:00

I have finished editing two videos about how to fold a crane from polymer clay, and posted them on YouTube for public viewing. I made quite a few beginner's errors, but I hope it still manages to convey the process reasonably well.

Folding Polymer Clay Cranes, Part 1

and

Folding Polymer Clay Cranes, Part 2

One of the biggest mistakes I learned, was thinking I could turn the camera sideways to film. While that might work wonderfully for still images to frame the image just the way you want, it doesn't work at all in video. The editing software accommodated my mistake, so, I had already invested lots and lots and lots of time by the time I uploaded it to YouTube. The result is a somewhat distorted image when posted on YouTube. Oh, well. No time for now to redo the filming. But if I ever decide to make a new video, I will have learned!

Another thing I learned; ten minute time limit on YouTube. The first cut of the video was about 16 minutes long. So, several re-cuts later, it is two videos, and a little choppier for all the re-editing. Have I set your expectations low enough yet?? :-)

I am sharing what I have learned in the last four plus years about how to fold polymer clay. Little tips and tricks learned with trial and error. My hope is that people will be willing to make a donation to this project in return for the information I am sharing. Granted, YouTube is all about free sharing of information and entertainment. But, it is also a fast, and accessible way for me to create a video about the cranes and get it out there. I am trusting the universe that if I share this, I will get what I need in return.

I know some will be surprised by my decision to share this process. It is something that I have built my business upon. It is a product that is distinctive to me. But I am ready to do this. The world could use a few more cranes. And, I do want to raise funds to support the Crane Project. It is counter intuitive perhaps to think that people will pay for something I have shared at no cost. But, people will pay an instructor, buy a book or magazine, or a DVD. It is kind of like the model some musicians are using. Pay what you want for the download. Trusting the universe. Not the kind of business model they teach in business school, but one that feels like the right one for me right now for this project. I will let you know how it turns out.

Margaux Lange, Whimsy and brains

2008-03-28T07:05:00.007-05:00

I am a big fan of Margaux Lange's work. She uses traditional metalsmithing techniques, with new materials to create fresh and vibrant jewelry with Barbie doll parts as the focal point. I found Margaux's work shortly after a neighbor's outrage over what her daughter and my daughter's had done to Barbie dolls. Let's just say, it started with haircuts. This was the perfect antidote to my neighbor's outrage at the plastic surgery that had taken place. What Margaus is doing with Barbie, is artistry. But, it also has the whimsy appropriate to the material.

Margaux has a blog that I visit from time to time, and I just caught up this morning. She has a terrific post on the New Wave artists at ACC. We had some discussion of these artists at the Synergy conference occurring upstairs, excited by the possibilities this represented for new media such as polymer clay. But I for one, was not aware of how much controversy and confusion the presense of these artists was generating on the floor, among both the new and the established artists.

I think it is instructive of the turmoil of transistion. And if you think that the craft business is not in transistion, think again. As I posted last night, things are in motion, and if you don't move along with it, you will be left behind.

Artists like Margaux are embracing, and making sites like Etsy work. She references an indie retail show that was a complete bust for her. In all of this she is not sure where she fits as a craft artist at times. But, frankly, I think many of us feel that way these days. How much of the new do we want to try out? And how much of the traditional ways of being in business work just fine?

I don't think there is any one answer. I do think we have to continual monitor, measure and experiment. Trying out the new, and checking in regularly to see of the old is still working as well as it used to. Promoters and galleries are in a similar position. If they keep doing what they did ten years ago, they will find themselves in a fight for survival.

And we need communication. Without it there is distrust and animosity. That is clear from Margaux's post. It will not be resolved quickly and easily, but a peace will be reached eventually, most likely from a cross-pollination of the old and new.

I hear people sometimes speak dismissively of Etsy as a place where there is too many artists with low price and poor workmanship. That is there. But there is also work that is beautifully crafted, and not the least bit inexpensive. It hasn't been an outlet that works for me, but I have found success with wholesalecrafts.com, a site that is has it's share of derision. Both sites require more time and money spent than just putting items up on a page to make them work to best advantage. But both offer ways to maximize the chance to succeed. Showcases and Treasuries on Etsy. Featured items and co-op ads with wholesalecrafts.com.

It is up to us to try and keep from feeling personally threatened by all the change that is going on around us. Change represents energy, and energy is what craft needs to stay alive and vital. When you feel yourself dismissing or criticizing some new faction in the world of craft, stop and ask yourself a few questions.

"Why is it bad?"

"How much do you really know about it?"

"Is there anyone involved whose work you respect?"

"What are they finding that you have not seen?"

The more conflict there is in the transistion, from either direction, the longer and more painful it will be. The more open exchange there is, the more chance there is for growth by all parties.

Things will always change. Are you open to change?

Maybe, This Stuff Works...

2008-03-27T22:03:00.002-05:00

Just about five years ago, I started down the path of playing with polymer clay, and not long after, learning everything I could about the business of being in craft. You might think that someone with an MBA, would not need to learn much. But I have never in my life presumed expertise. And, after working in so many industries in the past, I knew I would have to learn what made the business of craft tick.

What have I learned in the last five years? LOTS! Some things the hard way, some the traditional way. But I certainly know more now than I did then. I'll try to summarize a few of those lessons here,

1. Doing matters. In the end, without action, it is nothing. Talk truly is cheap. Acting takes guts and often funds. But without taking action of some sort, nothing happens. And even when things go wrong....there is always an opportunity to learn, or to gain experience. Nothing has ever been a complete waste of my time. A few things came close. But I never came close to making those mistakes again.

2. The most successful are those who are usually just plugging away. You seldom see them complaining about much. Not because they are successful, and have nothing to complain about. No. It seems to me, that more often it is because they see little is gained from the complaint.

Complaining about ignorant or irritating customers, wholesale or retail, seldom does much except allow you to spend more time in a time drain. Complaining about artists who rip off others seldom is a well-spring for creativity. Complaining about how lousy the market is does not help you find new customers.

The successful are not Pollyannas. If anything they are hyper-realists. They realize that the only thing that is going to get them closer to their goals, whatever they might be is themselves. And no amount of complaining ever moved anyone forward. Usually it keeps them firmly planted in place as the rest of the world moves forward.

3. Perfectionism can be a crutch. It can be a way to avoid trying. It can be an excuse for item number 1. Good enough really is good enough. Don't get me wrong, craftsmanship matters. But, there is a line. Cross that line and you will never have anything leave your studio, and you will never be able re-coupe your investment in time if you try to sell your work.

4. Craftsmanship develops best in volume. Make something over and over and over again, and you will learn it and understand it in ways that are not possible in the first, the fifth, or possibly even the 100th piece.

5. Pricing never ever gets easy. You just reach a point of peace. You know you are covering your costs. You know your work will sell at a price. You are not selling it faster than you can make it. An equilibrium of sorts is reached, but it never maintains itself indefinitely.

6. Packaging matters. The best work in the world is enhanced with good marketing support materials. Some sort of packaging that tells your story or presents the work to best advantage will nearly always help sell the work a bit better than without it.

7. Understanding your customer is essential. It will help you answer so many other questions about how to bring your product to market. What shows to do? Pricing. Packaging. Colors. Designs. Where to advertise or publicize.

8. Even in a good market some will fail. Likewise in a lousy market some will succeed. Our success is more often influenced by our own actions than by those of the general climate. Those things matter, but they are not the only factor.

9. The world keeps moving, and so should you. New designs. New markets. New ways of getting your work out into the market. The internet is going to play an integral role as we move forward. If you are reading this you probably already sense this, if not know it and live it. Stay still and you will be left behind.

10. Going it alone is lonely. I love time on my own. But I can't say I would ever have learned as much, or gone as far as I have so far without the company of others.....virtually or in person. That new person at the show that you have been doing for years may know just the web guru that you need. The craftsperson who seems to be able to set up his booth with his eyes closed, because he probably can....will probably have some good advice if you are willing to listen. Sharing your dreams with others may mean that when they see the opportunity that is perfect for you, you will find out. Be a friend and make a friend. Your business will benefit, and so will you.

The title? It seems as if I should be in a lull right now. The economy is faltering. I had a large order with a catalog company cancelled. And yet, I am working like crazy. Orders are coming in. Opportunities dropping in my lap.

Why? Luck, perhaps. But maybe because I am working to stay focused on these essentials. I don't know. But I do know that the more I do that is alignment with the things I profess here, the more success comes my way. I get it wrong, like anyone. But I allow myself the error, and move forward. I hope that you can do the same with your business, and that it brings you the same satisfaction and success. I am looking forward to the lessons that the next five years will bring.

The 1000 Fan Model....modified

2008-03-19T17:08:00.004-05:00

I found out about the idea of 1000 Fans through the Polymer Clay Notes blog. She recently pointed her readers to The Technium blog of Kevin Kelly where he outlines the 1000 Fan approach to building a business.

What he points out, and I believe can be easily missed, is that the 1000 number is a bit arbitrary. It is a number that represents a goal or target. A number that can be imagined, counted, created. It is a concrete representation of what you want to work towards to build a business that allows you to make a living.

So how many True Fans do you need to make a living?? That depends to some degree upon your business model. How do you sell your work? Retail or wholesale? Either way, what is your average sale? About what proportion of your sales come from repeat customers? Finally, what level of income do you want to acheive?

Based on looking at this information, I now have a target goal for a total number of wholesale accounts. 100. (0r more!) What I like about this is it establishes a measurable goal. Right now, I have 40+ active accounts. So, if I can get to 70 to 80 active accounts by the end of this year, I will be moving a good way towards that goal.

I like the idea of having a number of accounts as a target. I have been dissatisfied with measuring my business solely by sales, or by profitability. Those numbers matter, don't get me wrong. But, in my head, target a specific number of new, active accounts feels more viable than aiming for a growth in sales dollars. And in today's economic decline, getting those accounts lined up now, could potentially postition me well for when things turn around. And they will turn around. They always do.

This model of a number of fans can work for retail as well as wholesale. It can work if you teach to generate income. How many loyal students do you want to have? How many collectors? The bottom line is to convert your goal for making a living with your work into a target number. And then get busy, and work towards that target!

Judy's Brain Bits

2008-03-18T09:13:00.006-05:00

This charming little phrase came out of a conversation with my husband this weekend. I was telling him that I couldn' t possibly cram one more thing onto my to-do list, or activities. I was full, beyond full, with commitments. If he tried, my head would explode, and he would have little bits of grey matter scattered, all over the place to clean up.

To which he replied, "Judy's Brain Bits". Over much laughter, we decided it would make a great name for a rock band!

So, what is on that list threatening the integrity of my cranium?

Preparing for ACRE is near the top. I have been trying to design the "invisible booth". A booth that seems to magically disappoear...fading back so all that is apparent is the work. Instead of trying to Wow! anyone with my booth design prowess, in an obvious way, at least, I am trying to Wow! them with my work. So I have been planning displays, determining what to rent, what I need to buy, and how to ship things. I have been figuring out which pictures I want to use for oversized images. I thinnk I have settled on the ones below.

I have been working on that mailing list, and deciding on a special offer to put on the postcard. That has to go out by the end of the week.

I need to come up with a "starter set". A way for someone to easily order a starter collection of jewelry to carry in their shop or gallery.

I have decided I will be putting together a video of how to fold a crane from polymer clay, that I will put on YouTube. My reason? To solicit donations for The Crane Project. More to come on the video later. The project is plugging along, slower than I would like right at the moment, with a few setbacks, but when I have a few hours, I am in the studio, cranking out cranes. I have about 200 cranes produced, but I have also applied for one grant, and have another grant application that has to be submitted in the next few weeks. The last one is with the Artist Valentine grant program I had written about earlier.

The other grant was with a group called Creative Capital Foundation. They have a great approach that focuses on developing artists in ways that will make their investment more meaningful in the long run. They also ask the artists to donate back to the organization a portion of any income generated by the project they fund. Paying back, so that others can benefit in the future. I will find out in June if I proceed to the next phase for that grant application process.

I have been playing around with a few other design ideas, one can be seen above in the green shibori necklace, in the second row, on the left. I am calling it Shibori Fringe.

Several orders have had to go out, and I am behind on one.

I had a wonderful opportunity to go up to New Hampshire for an evening meeting of the New Hampshire Polymer Clay Guild one night last week. I have gotten to know quite a few members through regional retreats, or through visits to the League of New Hampshire Craftsman's Guild fair at Mt. Sunapee, each summer. So, it is always nice to revisit and reacquaint, as well as to meet a few new faces. The reason for my visit was a roundtable discussion about the business of craft. Kathleen Dustin was also a part of the meeting, so it was wonderful to hear some of her insights into the market, pricing, and her approach to selling her work.

The things that remain on that list, untouched...

Making sure I have all the samples I need for the show.

Finalizing my price list, and getting it printed.

Figuring out how I will ship my materials to Las Vegas for the show.

Putting together an up to date press kit for the show.

Application for a display space nearby for next year....perhaps for the cranes.

I am sure there are many other things I have neglected, but they will pop up and make an appearance in that challenged grey matter if they are essential. And sometimes I forget a few things I intended to do, but the world never ends, does it? Perhaps those things were meant to fall of the list.

History Lesson

2008-03-16T07:57:00.007-05:00

At the recent Synergy Conference, during one of the panel discussions, Elise Winte rs commented that it would be wonderful if people could see the drawer full of "stuff" that precedes a more fully developed design. Her message was that work does not emerge fully developed. It takes time, trial, error, and a whole lotta ugly sometimes, before a concept reaches a point of "wow".

When I was preparing for my presentation at the conference, I had about 80 artists respond to a survey I put together. One of the comments that stayed with me was about a wish to have kept better records of the development of their work over time. Photos, etc.

Perhaps this is why I felt compelled to spend several hours yesterday, making my own little archive. And as I approach five years of polymer clay addiction, it is probably timely. That, and the fact that I finally had gotten around to setting up a Flickr account.

I highly recommend the journey. While much of the older work is truly cringe worthy, it is also intriguing to me to see patterns emerge. By collecting a selection of images from the hundreds and hundreds on my computer I can see a story. Watching how an idea starts in a rough form, and gradually develops with time. This collection shows some of the development behind my jewelry designs.

When you look at the series of crane pictures, it demonstrate what happens when you do something over and over again. You get better at it. The same can be seen with the vessels.

The earliest work is all over the place. Yet, there are certain things that appealed to me then, and appeal to me still. Who I was as an artist exists within some of that early work. I just couldn't see where I wanted to go with it yet.

In a way it is like any scrapbook of photos. When we look at old pictures of ourselves we cringe at the hairstyles and the fashion. But we also marvel at our youth. Perhaps we looked better than we thought we did at the time. Likewise, I cringed at designs, at finishing, at the photos themselves. But, I also see things there that I still connect with. Or some element that I want to go back and revisit again sometime in the future. Possibilities to still be explored.

I hope, in addition to providing you with a few good laughs, you will also see some of the process of how work emerges and develops. And I hope that you will make your own little archive of your history as an artist. What Elise is doing with her Polymer Art Archives looks at the overall history of the media. Our personal history is full of information as well. Take some time, and look the virtual scrapbook of your work. What patterns emerge? Where have you grown? Is there anything there that you want to revisit and go deeper into?

Deadlines

2008-03-13T10:25:00.004-05:00

My daughter and I were having a conversation the other day about working. She told me she could never be an entrepreneur. She could not imagine working so hard. I love it when someone makes an observation like this. It makes me pause and step back from what I am doing everyday, and see it in a new light.

I do work a lot. Every day. All seven. Too many hours by most any standard. But, for the most part, no one is making me work so much. No one but my own drive and desire. We recently had someone here doing some work on our house, and I commented to him about the hours he worked. He did this as a second job. His weekends, and long evenings were spent in a second job. He quickly questioned my comment in light of my own behavior. He had observed my workaholic tendencies as he spent time in our house. Once again, I had to step back and look at things from another point of view.

As my daughter and I talked, what I began to realize is that the "work" part of what I do is often around deadlines or drudge work that needs to be done. That is the part that most feels like work. But it is only a fraction of the time I spend "working". In comparison, I probably spend less time per week in these tasks that feel like work, than my husband spends at his job in a week. Most of what I do, I enjoy tremendously and so, feel pulled to spend the time doing it.

As I juggle several deadlines in the coming weeks, I am feeling a bit more overwhelmed and under more stress than I normally do. As I work towards these deadlines, I wonder if this is where the line between doing this as work, or as an avocation may lie. As a job, deadlines are regularly popping up on the radar. Show applications. Dates to ship work. Submission deadlines. Deadlines for running an ad, or doing a mailing. With a deadline we can't always follow our muse into the studio. Sometimes we have to shift our focus to the task that must be completed.

But, deadlines may also serve a purpose. A reason to push a piece further. A reason to get the photos taken. A reason to create a body of work. Without deadlines, sometimes things will drift about, to and fro, perhaps never getting the final focus and push to move it to completion.

Are you able to follow your muse at will? If so, do you sometimes find that it is hard to maintain focus or commitment? Or do you find that other obligations are your biggest challenge? Does the idea of the commitment of deadlines keep you from moving from a passionate avocation to an artrepreneur? Are deadlines a spur to move, or a roadblock in your life?

Asking

2008-03-10T18:11:00.004-05:00

Can you ask for what you need or want? I don’t mean ask in the hypothetical sense, but really ask.
When I met my husband, it was love at first sight. We hit it off immediately. Within six weeks, he made a hypothetical proposal. Not the most romantic proposition, but he clearly wanted to know where he stood before he took the risk of asking for real. “Hypothetically” he asked, ”if I was to ask you to marry me, what do you think you would say?” Finding out what someone is likely to say before you ask the question makes it much easier to decide if you want to take the plunge for real. If the answer looks iffy, it is safer to avoid asking for real.
So what does this have to do with being an Artrepreneur? Well, let’s say you get people to your booth at a show. Or you get a gallery interested in your work. Can you close the sale? Can you ask for the order, or, do they walk away saying they have to think about it? And as they walk away, are you left saying, “What did I do wrong? Why didn’t they place the order?”
First, ask this. Did I ask for the sale?
Or, did I find out what the obstacles are to placing a sale? Did I ask, “What else do you need to know about my work to make a decision? Is there any questions I can clear up for you?”
At this moment, you are asking them to move from being on the fence, to making a choice. You are giving them a chance to voice their objections, if they have any. They may have a few issues that remain in their head. But, given the chance to verbalize these objections, they may, given a bit more space to talk, continue to talk themselves right out of their objections, and right into an order. If they had been able to leave the booth first, to think about it, the next thing they think about might be the work they are considering by another artist. You and your work are out of sight, out of mind.
The response might be, “I just want to be able to think about it a bit more. I think I have all the information I need”. At this point, you could thank them, and ask them to be sure to contact you if they have any questions.
Or, is it possible to create a sense of urgency? “This product line has been doing very well. I just introduced it, and already it is selling very well. As I receive more orders, my lead times will get longer. I know you are excited about this work, and I would hate to see you have to wait an excessive amount of time to get it for yourself.” Then wait. They may still move on. But, this new piece of information might just be the thing that helps them make a decision.
Asking for the sale is difficult. It is like asking for a date, or for another’s hand in marriage. We are risking rejection. So, we need to feel a degree of confidence to do that easily and comfortably. If we feel unsure about our work, our prices, our ability to satisfy the expectations of a potential customer, those words may not be able to comfortably fall out of our mouth. We rationalize our hesitancy by saying we don’t want to be pushy.
If you read through these scenarios, and say to yourself, “I couldn’t do that.” Maybe, you need to stop and ask why? Why not? Is there something about your work that feels uncertain? What is it? And, what can you do about it? How can you feel more confident about the work that you are putting out there so that you can comfortably have this dialogue with a potential customer? Answering this question may be what is needed to help eliminate the roadblock to asking for the order.
If you still feel like you can’t do it, ask yourself this, “Could I sell someone else’s work?” Think of another artist whose work you admire. Could you sell that work? Could you comfortably tell someone what is wonderful and unique about their work, and why they would want to own a piece for themselves, or place an order for their gallery? If you can, then your ability to sell is not where the problem lies. You need to fall in love with your own work. You need to believe that someone would want own your work, or carry it in a gallery. When you get to that point, these scenarios will naturally happen.
If you believe in your work. If you know your prices are fair and reasonable. If you know the customer loves the work. If all of these things are true, there is no reason in the world that you should not ask for the sale. You can deliver a value to the customer in return for the money they are spending. But, if you do not ask, do not assume that having good work is enough. Sometimes it is, but sometimes, people want you to ask!

Dream a Little Dream for You...

2008-03-03T06:59:00.008-05:00

At the Synergy conference in Baltimore I taught a class called "Should I, or Shouldn't I?" The premise of the class was to help people decide whether or not they should take the leap into making their craft into a business. Now, you might think since the name of this blog is Artrepreneur, I think everyone should make that leap. But that is not the case.

I started out that class with two questions:

"What would you be doing in your life if you knew you absolutely could not fail?"

and

"What do you need to think about differently to
have the life your desire?"

I found these questions in a post on Tammy Vitale's blog. I was in the middle of preparing for the class, and these two jumped out at me as being the perfect way to launch my class. What is you dream? And what is in the way? In order to really decide what is right for you, these are questions you need to answer. I can tell you what my answer is, but it has nothing to do with your dreams, and your life. These questions, by the way, come from a book by Ken D. Foster, called, Ask and You Will Succeed: 1001 Ordinary Questions to Create Extraordinary Results

I wasn't always so clear on this idea that everyone needs to choose the right path for them, and where they are in their life. I guess you could say I was a little bit evangelical in my desire to have others experience how wonderful it is to be able to be in business as an artist. I was projecting my own enthusiasm on others. For someone who needed a nudge in that direction, and wanted to know that it was possible and worth the risk, I might have been on target in my encouragement. But for people who did not have that dream, I was completely misguided. If I subjected you to this, I can only apologize.

What I have come to understand, particularly as I began to explore this question of Should I or Shouldn't I, is that if it is not something you passionately or deeply desire, you should probably not travel down this rocky path. It ain't easy. To quote one of the artists who responded to a survey I did to prepare for this class:

“…, be realistic about what you'll earn. It's probably never going to be as much as you'd like. You should have a passion for what you're doing and the feeling that you'd shrivel up and die if you COULDN'T do it!”

There is more wisdom there than I could possibly express in a million blog posts. It is a struggle. But if you have to do it, you should! And if you feel like you can't, then it is matter of figuring out your particular roadblocks, and whether or not you can work around them.

So why did I decide I should? When I was a little girl, I spent hours upon hours drawing, and making things. I would sit on the front step with a friend, and we would draw. I would take classes as often as my parents would sign me up for one. I went through magazines that my mother bought, looking for craft projects I could do. I had to make things. I had to draw. Nobody ever had to compell me to do it.

But, when I was a deciding on where to go to college, and what to study, I found myself putting all that away. It was put in the hobby box, and it was time to get serious and pursue a career that would provide me with a paycheck. I was good in math and science, so I studied chemistry. Was I passionate about math and science. No. By my junior year, I knew I was going down the wrong path, but I was so used to doing what was expected of me, that I continued on. When I graduated, I knew I was not a chemist. Not in my heart at least. So, I went into sales, selling industrial gases. I was not necessarily drawn to sales either, but I knew it was going to be a better fit than the lab.

I went on to get my MBA, which I actually really enjoyed. Marketing has lots of room for creativity, and I enjoyed the math of finance and accounting. I went on to various marketing jobs. Always believing that I was going to find the job that was the right fit for me. I had thought the idea of starting my own business was attractive....but doing what??

I never did find the job that was the perfect fit. I wanted to fit it. I tried to make myself fit in. But I didn't. Sunday night became a time of dread. Back to work on Monday. Pretty soon it was Sunday afternoon, or Sunday morning. I would start buying the occasional lottery ticket when the misery index climbed. It was my way out. My path to my dream. If I win the lottery, I can go to art school, and be an artist!

Eventually, I was taking a career planning class at one of my jobs,....a particularly miserable job....and the main question we had to ask was, what is your ideal job. My answer, Artist. As if,.... But I could identify what it was about being an artist that I wanted in my job. Creative. Independent. Self-directed. Maybe I could find those things in another job?

I went on to one more job earning a regular paycheck. This time with a small start-up company. I ran marketing department, and had several people reporting to me. It wasn't too long before I found this job did not fit either. I also found myself pregnant soon after I started this job. A job that had me on the road often, and frequently over the weekend as well as during the week. I envisioned myself traveling all the time, and having a nanny to take care of my soon to be baby. I then thought about how I was away on weekends. How I was often working ten or twelve hours per day. Was this kid even going to know me? How much of an influence would I even be in their life? That was when things shifted for me. That was when I finally gave myself permission to step off the path that I was on, which I never really wanted to be on.

After this, it took me nearly ten years, and lots of false starts to find out what I wanted to be doing the rest of my life. But I did find it. I don't have the big paycheck or title anymore. But I also have never been happier. I am living my dream. One day I realized it had been years since I had bought a lottery ticket. I didn't need the escape hatch anymore. I was where I wanted to be.

So, are you living your dream? If not, what is in the way? What can you do to make your dream a reality? Even if you decide to pursue the dream it may take many years to get to the point that you realize that you are finally doing exactly what you want to be doing with your life. But, it does not mean that you shouldn't take that first step.

Tedium Central

2008-03-02T12:01:00.003-05:00

I am doing a task I have known I should do for a long time, but never quite got around to it. I am building a mailing list of galleries. With the ACRE show coming up, I want to do what I can to maximize my success at the show....and the return on the money spent doing the show!

When I first starting selling at retail shows, I began my mailing list with the names of friends and acquaintances. It is the classic place to begin when you are starting from scratch. Over time, I added to that list with people who would sign my mailing list book at a show, or buy work from me at a show. Over time I have built up a decent size list.

Putting together a mailing list for a wholesale show is in some ways easier, and in some ways more tedious. With the internet, there is a wealth of information at our fingertips. But it means spending time sorting through all that information to find the shops and galleries that appear to be the best fit for your work.

How do you begin?? If you have done some wholesale sales, you have a start. If you have had any one ask you if you sell wholesale, they go on the list. Over the last several years, this list has grown to just over 100 entries. I have used this list in the past for an e-mail newsletter, and for my postcard mailing before ACRE last year.

But, the economy is tougher now. Now is not the time to put off doing the things we know we need to do to grow our business. So, I have spent the last two days adding to that list, and it now approaches 300 entries. How?

1. Magazines. American Style. Crafts Report. Looking at ads and gallery profiles. Sometimes it is an ad for an artist's work that has a list of several galleries that carry their work. If the work is similar enough in style (contemporary vs. rustic, colorful, etc.) than I add those galleries or shops to my list.

2. Internet. This is a multi-webbed approach, much like the internet itself. I might start searching for a gallery with Google, to find a street address, and then see several artists whose names come up in the search, because they have their work in that gallery. If I recognize an artist as someone whose work I think would complement my own, I go to their website and see if they have a list of shops and galleries. This can be a gold mine of information.

The other approach on-line is to go to artist's websites directly and see where they list to purchase their work. Inevitably, I find myself bouncing between these approaches. I may get a list of galleries from one site, but then I need to fill in information about the mailing addresses, and it is back to Google. Before long, I am on another artist's website.

There is no guarantee that the gallery or shop is still in business, or that you can find a good address. There is no guarantee that they will be going to the ACRE show.

But.....it is a numbers game. The more people I get my work in front of, the more opportunities I will have to sell my work. If you want to think of it the other way, you have to get a certain number of rejections to get to the "yes!" This task could be building the number of "no's" to help find the "yes!"es.

Sometimes, when the economy is strong, and your work is in demand, you can coast along without doing all those things you know you should do, but never get around to. When the economy is slow, the most savvy will survive. And the savvy are working every opportunity they can to increase their chances of success.

The way I see it, I could spend this time whining about how crappy the economy is, and how so few people are buying craft......or.......I can get busy and find those people that are. This is not likely to be a stellar year for business overall. But even in the worst of times, some thrive. Sometimes it is because they are offering a product or service that is in greater demand when times are tough. Or, sometimes, it is because they put in that extra effort. They work to go against the flow, and build a strong business in spite of the economy. When the economy turns around, they already have momentum in their favor, and will likely be positioned for greater growth. That is where I want to position myself.

So I sit here at the computer. Googling. Sorting. Searching.

In the end, it will likely be time well spent.

Artist, Hobbyist, Professional, Amateur....or?

2008-02-29T16:12:00.006-05:00

One of the best things about the Synergy conference is that it is generating discussions. Discussions that occurred at the conference, and discussions that are spilling over into the blogosphere. There is one going on right now that began with Susan Lumoto, at Polymer Clay Notes, and was picked up by Libby Mills, at her blog. I feel compelled to jump in.

I have used the words hobbyist and artist in the past to refer to people who create. But who is the hobbyist, and who is the artist? And who gets to decide? Likewise, what makes a person a professional?

Libby's post has caused me to consider when and how I use these terms. I could mean one thing, but someone else might receive it differently than I intended. What do I mean when I say artist? Who is a hobbyist? Are they mutually exclusive? Who is an amateur, and who decides who is a professional?

hob·by 1 /ˈhɒbi/
–noun, plural -bies.
1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or
relaxation and not as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.

art·ist /ˈɑrtɪst/
–noun
1. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily
subject to aesthetic criteria.

2. a person who practices one of the fine arts,
esp. a painter or sculptor.
3. a person whose trade or profession requires a
knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc.: a commercial artist.
4. a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer: a mime artist; an artist of the dance.
5. a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.
6. a person who is expert at trickery or deceit: He's an artist with cards.
7. Obsolete. an artisan.

according to dictionary.com

According to the dictionary definition, a hobbyist is someone who pursues something for fun or leisure. Yet, we can all think of someone whose hobby consumes their life. The job helps them make a living, but the hobby gives them a reason to get out of bed, or keeps them up late at night.

When I look at the definitions for artist, the verbs used to describe an artist is someone who is producing, practicing, working. There is a certain level of skill or knowledge implied in some of the definitions.

If I think about some of the presentations last week at the Synergy conference, being an artist is about achieving a certain level of workmanship, having a distinctive voice, and perhaps even wanting to tell a story with your work, or make some kind of a statement.

The problem I have with all of this, is I was calling myself an artist well before I reached any of those milestones. Was I wrong to call myself an artist? I certainly did not have the degree. I was not selling my work. My workmanship was not at a level I aspire to today.

Taking on the title of artist for myself, was an act of healing. An act of owning my passion and embracing it fully. It was the realization that someone does not confer the title "Artist" onto you like the Queen confers knighthood. No one taps you on the shoulder with a paintbrush. The title comes from inside. For me, owning the title was the renewal of a journey.

From the time I was a little girl, sitting on the front steps with my pad of paper and pencil drawing a picture, I have been an artist, whether I called myself that or not. Working and working to learn how to do a better job drawing a face, or a tree. I did it because I had to do it.

What about professional versus amateur? In general, whether it is in the arts, or any other area, professionals are paid, amateurs are not. Yet, look at the endorsements recieved by Olympic athletes, who are probably at the peak of their athletic performance. By the rules, they are amateurs, in spite of these endorsements and the paychecks that come along with that. No wonder we get confused by these terms.

For me, when I began to sell my work, I began to look at my work through another set of eyes. I began to ask, "Is this at a quality level that someone would pay for?" Eventually, I saw that having a voice or distinctive style, was something that benefited me in the marketplace. It created a signature to my work. In the production work, a deeper understanding of the material was gained. Time spent working with the clay led to more ideas for me, than sitting down to stare at the empty table, pondering what to make today.

I guess it is not so much about whether or not you are selling your work that makes one a professional. Maybe it is more about embracing the idea of trying to do the best work that you can. Looking with a critical eye at your own work, not to judge your adequacy or inadequacy as an artist, but instead, to see if you can do better. Perhaps it is aspiring to a level of excellence, versus accepting "good enough" as your standard.

My kids are very tall. There was no avoiding this given their genetic make-up. They are at an age where this fact gets pointed out to them regularly by their peers. It occurred to me the other day, as my younger daughter talked about people reacting to her height at a visit to a new school, that the observation is not about the how tall she is. It is about what height seems to represent. Taller equals older, more powerful, in control. Adults can be all those things when you are a kid, and adults are nearly always taller than kids.

When people point out to my daughter that she is taller, they are reacting perhaps to what that represents for them. Is this person older? Is she more powerful? No. Not by virtue of her height at least. But sometimes people have to process a subconscious reaction to her height by pointing it out. She knows she is tall. But the other person has to figure out what that means for them. This is where the need to comment comes from.

Perhaps the need to categorize someone as an artist or hobbyist is more about where we place ourself. It may be a way of saying we have crossed a line that we have established, and by categorizing others, we are trying to say where we fall on the spectrum between hobbyist and artist. Who do we consider to be our peers? But for some, artist may imply someone who takes themselves too seriously. For someone else, hobbyist maybe someone who doesn't take their art seriously enough. But, maybe they are both wrong. Maybe we are the only ones who can decide where we lie on the spectrum. And maybe, we can be both at various times.

I am not sure there is a clear cut way to use these words without potentially stepping on someone's toes. But perhaps thinking about our intent, and why we are using a word is a starting point. And on the receiving end, if it strikes you that someone has implied something with the use of these words that seems misplaced, ask them what they meant. They may not have an answer right off the bat. But at least the question might make them think about it a bit more deeply. Just like Libby made me think. BTW, Libby, I think you are an artist who just happens to not want to have a business selling your work.

Owning Up

2008-02-28T16:38:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we screw up. Even under the very best of intentions, things go wrong. But just like we learned back in grade school, owning up, taking responsibility, really is the best way to move through the problem, and then be able to move forward.

I wrote last year about how I was going to be working with a catalog company. I was excited by the possibility, but also a bit anxious about what that might entail as far as production, and would I be able to live up to my end of the bargain.

Doing the work to make sure that I would be able to meet the demand, helped me to look at my production process differently. I started to see that if I could make a dozen cranes at one time, all with the same pattern, it would actually be easier than trying to make a dozen different cranes. Thus began the idea of exclusive designs for each year.

As I began to prepare myself to fill orders for the catalog company, I anxiously awaited the initial order from them. The contract I signed stated I would need to ship cranes to them by early January. But it was mid-December before I got the order. The first order was for 54 cranes, and I began making them right away. I wanted to be sure I fulfilled my responsibility. The ship date had been moved to a later date, so I felt comfortable that I would be able to easily manage it and the orders I had at the time.

Less than two weeks before I was supposed to ship this first order, on a Friday afternoon, after 4 p.m. I got a call from the catalog company. They wanted to cancel the purchase order. No reason was given. No sense of whether or not there would be a future order. Just a call saying the purchase order was cancelled. By this time I had made and boxed up nearly 40 cranes. All done in a design that was exclusive to them. I was so surprised by this I had little to no response, and there were no real answers to the few questions I stammered out.

Now what?

Fortunately, I have a resident contracts expert in my husband. He helped me draft a letter requesting payment for the cranes I had made for them. According to contracts law, I was due compensation for the cranes I made for them, against their purchase order. He even went so far as to tell me that I should ship them out on the date they were originally scheduled to ship. This is where I took my own counsel and decided a crane in the hand is better than no cranes, and no check.

Today I spoke with the catalog company. The woman I had been working with owned up. She told me they were going through a difficult financial period. They had readjusted the products they were carrying. They were struggling to pay their existing vendors. (My instinct about holding onto those cranes was the right one!) They were not prepared to compensate me for the cranes I had already made for them.

It was easy for me to be gracious, and ask for a compromise in return. She had been honest with me, and so I knew where I stood. I asked that we cancel the contract, and that I be released from having the design held exclusively for them. It was as close to a win-win as we were going to get in the situation. She was happy to accomodate me, and there were no angry words or accusations.

It could have been nasty, and vindictive. I read about such exchanges from time to time on the discussion forums. I could have stood up for "my rights". But all that would have happened is that I would have spewed a lot of frustration and anger. I asked them to compensate me, and meet their obligations. She was honest, and told me where they stood. I had a fall back position, and I was happy to go there. I could easily do business with them again.....not sure if I want to!......but should she end up somewhere else down the round, I have not burned a bridge, and I know she is someone I can trust. And she knows that I can behave professionally.

We sometimes focus all our energy on our reputation for the quality of work we produce. But the reputation we develop as a business person is also important. How are you to work with? Do you meet your obligations? If you can't, do you own up, or leave people hanging? It is never easy to let people down. But to do it in a responsible way is always better than to quietly slink away hoping the problem will go away. It won't. And your reputation will suffer.

It really is as simple as the lessons we learn in grade school. Be honest. Don't make promises you can't keep. And if you do, own up.

Rest, Process and Integrate

2008-02-26T12:35:00.003-05:00

I am still trying to process all that happened in Baltimore at the Synergy Conference. There are lots of summaries and reviews everywhere on the web. Since I took so few notes, I am not going to be much help with any details, for those of you who could not make it. But, I can offer some impressions....

1. Energy. There is nothing so electric as more than 200 people in a conference room who are all passionate about the same material. People who are at the forefront of the medium, and people who are virtually brand new. The trip to Baltimore was worth it just to be present in that conference room with all those people.

2. More thoughts on Energy. Synergy was a marathon. There was so much to offer, and so little time to absorb. So many people to connect with. So little time for a real conversation. I ended up skipping three of the seven classes I signed up for. On Monday afternoon I took the afternoon off to work on my presentation for the next day, and then ended up having a lovely conversation with Mari, whom I had not seen since I took a class with Kathleen Dustin back in 2004. No sooner did I leave that conversation, with the intent to head back to the hotel and work on that presentation, and I got snagged for a quick webcast interview. It will be posted on You Tube when it is done, so I will let you know when it is up there.

I eventually did get to the hotel, and did a quick review of my presentation, before I had to head back to the conference center. I missed the preview of the gallery, but it was worth taking a little time out to rest, and to connect.

3. Voice. A big topic at the conference, was finding your voice. This is easier said than done, of course. One reason why I do not take classes anymore, and I only took one, was because I find it is too easy to pick up the "accent" or "dialect" of the instructor.

My brother hated French in high school and struggled with it. He moved to French speaking Quebec after college for several years. He came back home with a French accent. He eventually lost that, but picked up a Boston accent, which he never had growing up in the area. I share this story as an illustration. Some people are very vulnerable to picking up someone's accent without even consciously thinking about it. If I sit down and talk with Leslie Blackford for more than five minutes, I will walk away talking like her for at least the next minute or two. I find her accent enchanting, and musical. I have to stop myself from continuing the charade of speaking like Leslie.

I do not want to carry another artist in my head for too long. Others can stay true to themselves without any problem. It is not easy, and sometimes we have to walk away from temptation.

4. There is nothing like meeting people face to face. Over and over again people exclaimed at putting the face with the name that had become so familiar on-line. Surprises that few "look like their work". "I thought you would be shorter, taller," .....or that the work would be bigger or smaller. I can't think of another time when so many polymer clay artists gathered in one spot and had a chance to meet and greet. Having a face and a voice to put with the name, or the blog, or the message on a forum will enrich connections for many.

5. Getting so many people together and having a conversation about things like workmanship, voice, our history as a medium, and it's influences, and where it is going is a wonderful idea. Opinions may not have changed, but at least we were thinking about it, and looking at our medium as something that can fit into the larger context of craft. It is a wonderful hobby medium since it is so accessible, but it also has the potential to extend far beyond that, and some of the people in that room are pushing those boundaries.

6. I had a blast teaching. This was a bit of a surprise. I found people were engaging, and did a wonderful job of adding to the material I was presenting. So "thank you" to any and all who attended either of my classes. It was fun!

7. Rest, Process, and Integrate. The next days, weeks and months will be about processing, resting and integrating what I learned, saw and heard at Synergy. Things will simmer and perculate in the coming days and weeks I am sure. Resting will have to wait a few more days. I have too many commitments on the calendar for too much rest right now.

8. Self-care. I found myself often needing a bit of time alone or quiet time in the day. Perhaps when you get used to working in isolation most of the time, three long days of classes and socializing is more than can be absorbed. I never made it down to the ACC show in the convention center, which is a shame, since I was right there. The schedule was tight, and when I had a bit of time, the last thing I wanted was more visual stimulation. In the past I would have pushed through and ignored my need for this time, but by skipping a few classes, and spending a bit of time alone, or talking with a friend one-on-one, I was better able to enjoy the moments I chose to participate. We really don't have to "do it all" to get the most out of an experience.

9. The "wow" of the new. Over and over, I heard exclaimations of excitement about Kathleen Dustin's new work, Ford + Forlano's new work, and I was excited to see new work from Judy Kuskin. Even when an artist has a strong, recognizable style, such as these polymer clay luminaries, it is important to continue to explore new terrain. Many others had new work at the show as well. Loretta Lam talked about developing several new lines of work before she headed to the Rosen show in Philadelphia, and what a wonderful response it received. This is the "continuous improvement" of the artrepreneur. What have you done lately?

Time to get the butt back in the studio chair. I missed my studio, and my family. It is good to be home.

Thank you to the extremely hard working people who put together, and managed to pull off an incredible event. Kudos all around.

The Elasticity of Time

2008-02-19T15:01:00.003-05:00

It has happened once more. The time seems to stretch out in front of me. I am not panicked. Everything seems doable. And then,

SNAP!!!!

The time might have been stretching out there....much like a rubber band. And now someone let go and, Whoa!!! What happened. All the sudden days went to hours, and time is in compression. The to-do list far exceeds the time allotment. I am like a stressed out designer on Project Runway, as Tim Gunn is telling them they have one hour left "to finish their garments, and get their models to hair and make-up." "Make it work!" he exclaims.....and they are missing the skirt, or pants, or some important part of the outfit. You can literally read the panic on their face. "I am going home" it says.

Well, so far, no model has walked that runway half dressed. A few things have been glued and pinned together and sent down that runway with a prayer. But no one has been half dressed.

Things will get done. And some things won't. As I drove back from dropping my kids off for their afternoon class, and the list was cycling through my head, over and over again....how can I make this happen. It occurred to me.

I couldn't. But it was okay. I had the essentials together.

Pare back and breathe. Let the most important things come to the forefront.

Laundry. Packing. Finishing up the presentation. If I don't bring a single thing to sell, it would be fine. It is not the reason I am going to the National Polymer Clay Guild, Synergy Conference. It is an opportunity to spend time with other artists, and to give a presentation. Those are the things that matter. If I try to cram ten zillion other things into the next 18 hours, I will make myself and everyone around me insane. Not worth it. None of it would make as much of a difference to my experience as spending a bit more time on refining my presentation.

Sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up in the possibilities. Perhaps it is a hang over from Girl Scouts. Being prepared. Not disappointing anyone. But the price of that sometimes is a high degree of stress, and a lack of focus on what really matters.

Now, I can fit in that workout tonight before I go. Maybe, when I leave the house tomorrow, everyone won't be breathing a sigh of relief that I am gone!

The thing about rubber bands is when they are relaxed, they are more flexible. So, now that the tension is out of that rubber band of time, and everything is shorter, it is time for some of that flexibility. Time to let go of the things that don't matter.

Writing this blog. Completely optional. But when I have learned a lesson as important as the one I am learning today, I like to share. I hope it helps someone else.

Now, I have some packing to do.

Hope to post from Baltimore.

How Many Balls Can I Juggle?

2008-02-17T15:09:00.005-05:00

The problem with juggling so many balls in the air right now, is that there is little down time to reflect on what is going on, and perhaps share a bit of that with you here. What I have been thinking about is what we can do if we just take a step forward. I had written previously about whether or not you live life waiting for a permission slip to follow your dreams or you big ideas. I guess I find myself having signed an awful lot of permission slips!

But, somewhere along the line I went from the person who seldom stepped outside of the prescribed lines, to a person who is willing to act on her dreams. I don't know why or how that happened exactly, other than perhaps the experience of doing it again and again shifts the axis of your world a little bit. The voice that says"Yeah, but you can't do that..." has been quieted. She still is there, but there is another voice. The one that says, "Well, why not?" Or, "I can at least try."

And it is about the trying. If we stay too focused on the end goal, and how big and overwhelming that goal may be, we will never begin. But if we say, let's just see what we can do. It gives us room to fail, without calling ourselves a failure. Why, because we tried. And with each small step that we take to move closer and closer to the goal or dream, it seems less impossible. We can do the small steps.

There is that critic that says, "Sure, you can do a little bit of it, but come on. It is too big, it will take too long, cost to much,....it is just TOO HARD. Give up now before you get disappointed."

Have you had that conversation with yourself? Does the critic always reign supreme and get in the last word? Or are you persistent, and passionate enough about your dream that in spite of all the logic that the critic is throwing your way, you still want to go ahead.

I am in over my head. If I listed all the things I am juggling right now, you would consider me certifiable. But you know what, I am making progress towards each goal I am working on. I am learning a lot about how much is possible. "No" is more impossible for me these days.

I am learning to say, "Why the hell not?"

Ask yourself that next time. Why not? Why shouldn't you go after your dream, or your BHAG. Look around you. Look at some of the amazing things that people have done and accomplished. Were they any more special than you or me? Most likely, not.

I had a conversation recently with a "high profile" artist. Someone with a "name". She was trying to tell me how her career, and where she was, was simply a fluke. Luck. But as she told me the story, what evolved was the story of someone who created her own luck. She had an idea....a "crazy, half-baked idea", if the critic had the final word. She began to figure out what she would need to do to make that idea into reality. And she started taking the steps to make it happen. And as more of her story comes out, it is clear this is a pattern in her life. She doesn't wait for someone to plan her career for her. She dreams her dreams, and then acts upon them.

We all have dreams. But not everyone is willing to go after their dreams. Preferring the safety of what they already have, and know. And not every dream is possible. But, more are possible than most of us are willing to believe, or act upon.

Frankly, sometimes in life we have to approach things like a bungee jumper. Be scared, trust the cord, and jump anyway.

A Day to Spread the Love

2008-02-14T08:03:00.005-05:00

Valentine's Day has gotten a little more complicated around our house now that we have a tween and teen. My younger daughter doesn't want to have any thing to do with public displays of affection. My oldest loves the holiday, but feels unsure about handing out Valentine's to her friends....what if no one else is? Remember those days. I gave her advice that I am not sure I could have followed at that age.

I told her to,"Listen to your heart. You are all about expressing your love and friendship. This holiday is made for you. And the world needs more love and kindness. Give out the Valentine's to friends. Don't make the world a little sadder just so you can be like everyone else."

I can sense her pull to follow this instinct. But the same pull in the other direction to fit in. To be like everyone else. There is comfort in that instinct. But there also may be a certain flatness. A little less joy.

In the financial world there is a term called beta. Beta is a reflection of risk. A stock that has a high beta value, is one that has a high degree of volatility. There is a great chance for big returns, .....or big losses. Sometimes in life, and in our art, or our businesses, we face that choice. Do we play it safe, or do we take a chance on the big return? Just like in our finances, it is best to have a balance. Maintaining some degree of safety, but also taking some risks. Knowing what your risks are, and being prepared to accept them if things don't turn out the way you want.

My daughter went off to school today with about a dozen valentines. She plans to hand them out to friends at lunch time. She worries about friends who may not get one, but see that someone else did. She worries about whether or not she should give on to that "special friend". But, she is going to give them out in spite of her worries. Taking the chance of looking silly to some. But also being able to tell her friends that they are special to her.

Readers, this is my Valentine to you. I hope that someone expresses to you today, how special you are to them. With flowers, chocolates, a card, or words. And I hope you can step outside your comfort zone and tell someone that they are a good friend, or that they make your life a little more special.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
-Helen Keller
Happy Valentine's Day!!

A Chance to Vote for American Craft

2008-02-13T13:27:00.007-05:00

George W. Bush has apparently signed the bill that will send tax rebate checks out to most Americans in the coming months, with the intent of stimulating the economy. The checks will vary in amount, from $300 to well over $1000. Since this idea came up, there has been much discussion in the media about how people will spend this money, and whether or not it will benefit the economy. There has been people concerned that it will go to purchasing electronic equipment that is made overseas, and the money will quickly leave our economy.

I have a suggestion. Take a pledge. A pledge to buy American Craft.

With at least some portion of your rebate, buy something made by hand, by an American artist. I am not normally one for jingoism. But, I can't imagine anything that could do more to get the money into the economy that will have so many benefits. Small business, the artist who works alone, or with a small number of employees, will be a direct beneficiary. That money will go right back into circulation, in our economy, probably to purchase more supplies, or services to support their business. You will bring a bit of beauty into your life, and you will be a patron of the arts! You don't have to make donations of millions of dollars so that a wing can be added to a museum to be a patron of the arts. All it really takes is buying the work of artists. Large or small, it all adds up, and begins to make for viable careers.

Do I have a personal interest in seeing this happen? Maybe. But I feel like I am part of a community of talented people who make the world a little more beautiful with the work they do. But, they face an uphill battle to stay in business. I want to see them succeed. If I didn't, I wouldn't write this blog. My motivation is to see the world be a bit more beautiful. To be surrounded by more art, wherever I go. And if it means asking people to make a pledge to buy some art with their rebate, I am willing to do that!

Take the pledge.

Copy one or more of these images, and add it to your blog, or your website. Print it out as labels, and put it on postcards, or envelopes, or wherever you can use it to remind someone that they have the power to take an act in favor of beauty. Let's make this a contagion on the internet., and beyond. Around the holidays, there was the Pledge to Buy Handmade. Let's build on that idea. We can make a difference in the world. And it starts with our actions. Act on behalf of beauty. Put aside the whole check if you can, or a portion of it you can manage, and buy American Craft. And if you have enough "stuff" in your life, perhaps someone you know would be cheered by a handcrafted gift.

Does the world need more plasma TV's, or more art? You have a choice. You can make a difference.

My Oprah Moment,...or Not??

2008-02-12T12:20:00.000-05:00

I saw a message on a discussion board yesterday about my cranes. Someone was posting because she thought she saw my cranes on the Oprah Winfrey show in the bedroom of a home being redone by Nate, the home dec guru of the show. You can imagine the excitement there was in my house for about ten minutes when we thought that my cranes had been on Oprah!

I seldom get a chance to watch her show these days, or much television at all, other than my faithful viewing of Project Runway! And we don't have Tivo, or any other way to record shows. How could I find out if this was indeed true? I went to the website, and poked around. All I could find was a video of the before shots of the house, and there were several paper cranes hanging in one girl's room. Was this the reported crane sighting? Perhaps someone mistook these paper cranes for my polymer clay ones? As far as I know this is the case. the after video doesn't show the girls rooms.

If you saw the show, or better yet recorded the show, maybe you can confirm for me that this is a case of mistaken identity. I have sent off an e-mail to the show, but given the number of emails they recieve, it is unlikely that I will hear from them any time soon. Were any of my polymer clay cranes really on the Oprah show?? I doubt it, but I am holding out for confirmation! Someone out there must have a recording of the show.....

Something to Think About..

2008-02-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

Just a link today. Something to ponder over the weekend. A less is more kind of post.

Using Your Camera as a Design Tool

2008-02-06T17:07:00.000-05:00

When I am working on laying out a new piece, particular if it is large, involved, or a new design, I find that it is a process of simmering, tasting and adjusting. I start out with a general idea, and begin to layout the components for the design. I will get to a certain point and feel like it has to sit with me for awhile. I don't feel certain enough about where I am going to move ahead without some time and space. Time for things to simmer. Some things end up sitting for months! Never getting to a point where I feel like I have a clear direction to resolve whatever it is that feels unresolved for me.

Sometimes I will ask the opinions of my husband or kids, but that rarely helps me work out those ones that just feel "off". I think it may be they don't always have a vocabulary to express why they like or don't like something. It is usually a yes or no, or they respond to an area that I feel more certainty about already.

Recently, I have begun to use my camera to evaluate a piece. I have found that I see things in a photo that are not as apparent to me when I am working with a piece on the table.

While these two photos show essentially the same necklace, there is a difference in how the pods are aligned on each one. The piece on the far left was my first attempt. I wasn't really satisfied with it, but I couldn't tell you why. But after I took a picture, I found I was not happy with how the beads that are on the inner part of each pod seemed to create a line, that to my eye, detracted from the pod forms. When I have arranged them this way, and they were all the same color, it has worked better, but here, I was not satisfied with the outcome. After playing around with the piece, and realigning the pod components, I found it was closer to my inspiration, ....the ocean. It had more of the feel and energy of waves and tumbling water....at least to my eyes! Design is subjective. What appeals to me, may be less appealing to someone else. But in this case, I knew I was less satisfied with the first arrangement than with the second. But it wasn't until I took a picture that I could clearly see what it was that was bothering me with the first attempt.

Similarly, I was planning on creating a collar style necklace with the shibori beads. I began to select colors and beads, and lay them out on my table. The top picture is the first iteration.

I took a picture, and then rearranged the beads so that the ones that were towards the back came to the front, and the ones in the center front went back. After looking at the pictures, I decided I didn't like either one. In the second arrangement, I found that the beads in the center were too drab and flat, especially for the position. But the two areas of light yellow beads about collarbone level in the first arrangement bothered me as well. The created a sense of discontinuity for me. My eye would be drawn there, and get stuck.

Plan B...or perhaps C? I got rid of the drab beads, and added more of the lighter colored beads. Both lines of beads were going from light to dark now, but the end point has less contrast in value and color. I abandoned the idea of a collar style necklace, and decided to create a kinetic shibori bead necklaces, that would be more wearable.

It is now a long strand, about 36" total length, but joined together so that the wearer can decide which color will lay where. Perhaps the lighter colors towards the front in the warmer months, and darker in the cooler months. Or in between for those hard to decide days! The beads have a small blue lace agate bead as a spacer.

Hammer and Nail

2008-02-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

Have you heard the expression, "if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail"? I think if you immerse yourself deeply enough into your media, the world starts to get translated by what you can do with that medium.

Today I went to the first day of my print making class. I have been interested in printmaking for a long time, but it never seemed to come together. Either the class was cancelled due to low enrollment, or the timing didn't work with my schedule. I am excited about the possibilities of playing around with this new process. It can't be too surprising that I was quickly jumping to the conclusion that I could create print plates with polymer clay. :-)

I find the books I buy, and the classes I am most interested in taking are seldom ones that are directly about polymer clay. There is something about exploring a new media and the ways in which it is used that makes me rethink my familiar ground.

It is like when you travel to a new place. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, colors are all new. There is so much to take in. It heightens your awareness. When you get back to familiar, and comfortable ground, some of the new is bound to seep in. There is a new appreciation for that home ground, but there is also a fresh perspective, a new insight. For me, this idea of looking in unfamiliar places is the best way to keep my creative juices flowing.

I may just end up playing for several weeks with this new process. And I don't know which way the influence will go.....will polymer clay influence my printmaking process, or will printmaking influence my polymer clay work? Either way, I am looking forward to this creative holiday. I be sure to share some of what I create along the way.

Distraction

2008-02-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

Want to waste five minutes. Go take the quiz. I spent the last thirty seconds trying out colors that it was rejecting (steel grey, pale yellow, eggshell), and forgot colors like pink.

The Crane Project Blog

2008-02-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

I have begun another blog to chronicle the evolution of what I have dubbed "The Crane Project." I will write about why I have taken on this project. Thoughts I have about the war and it's impact. I will also have a running count on the blog of the number of casualties from the war, and the number of cranes I have made.

I will write about my process to try and find a place to eventually exhibit the cranes. I will share with you my efforts to get grants or raise funds to help cover the costs of this project. I hope you are along for the journey....if for no other reason that it inspires you to take on that BHAG that lives inside you!

The Mystery Revealed....

2008-01-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

I alluded to a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) in my last post. The thing about BHAG's is that they are a bit scary. Big + Hairy = Scary. And Audacious. As in, "What are you thinking?" Or, "Who do you think you are?" So is it any wonder that I was not quite ready to reveal the exact nature of my BHAG?

Well, I have begun to let a few people peak under the covers. I have made a few tentative steps to let a little air around the idea. And in the process I have learned something. As Big, Hairy, (Scary), and Audacious (Bold) as this idea may be, or any BHAG for that matter, without letting it out into the air, it will probably never happen. Trying to protect ourselves by keeping the idea close only makes it less likely that the idea will move forward. Sending those first few e-mails emboldened me. It made me realize that the only way that this idea would happen is if I let the BHAG out of the bag, and let the universe give it some momentum.

If you know anything about me, and my work, you may have suspected that it has something to do with cranes. And you would be right. When this BHAG first started to form in my head, it was the idea that I would love to see 1000 cranes made from polymer clay, all together in an installation. It immediately went into the "Nice idea, as if that would ever happen" file. But every now and then, I would bring it out and reflect on the idea. Yep. It would be cool. Back in the file.

But recently the idea has taken a bit of a turn, and given it some new propulsion. It feels like something I have to do.

My BHAG is this; I want to create a crane for each soldier who has lost their life in Iraq. Each crane will be made from translucent clay, and on each wing their will be a name, the date the soldier died, where in Iraq they died, and how (hostile/non-hostile, IED, mortar, illness, ....). I want to have all these cranes, at least 4000 of them, all together in one space. Ideally a white room. Arranged by date. As you pass through the exhibit, you pass by the lives that have been lost. Each one ennumerated in a crane.

The crane is a powerful symbol for this idea in my mind. As a symbol of peace, and a symbol of long life, it will honor each of these men and woman. Regardless of our feelings about the war, or the soldier's feelings about being there, they are lives that need to be recognized and honored. A decision was made that led to this massive loss of life, which pales in comparison to the loss of Iraqi lives. The war has faded into the background. It goes on in spite of a general sense from many that the continuation of the war makes no sense. I want a visual image of these lives. I want to recognize them, and recognize the price of this political decision.

Some will hate this idea. That is okay. This is just something that I know I need to do. It comes from my heart.

I plan to start a new blog. One that will track this project. The ups and downs and ins and outs. The count of lives. The count of cranes. I will eventually start a way to raise funds to support this project. More will come about that later.

The biggest obstacle, .....aside from making all those cranes!!....is finding a place to install a project like this. This is the universe part. I am making this public so that as this project unfolds, a place may emerge. Perhaps several.

I will still post here.

I know.

"How does she find the time?"

I don't know. I just don't worry about that. The time will take care of itself. I will fold the cranes, as I continue on with my other work and the rest of my life. Stay tuned.....

Pretty Big and Audacious, huh? I think the hairiness diminished a bit by letting it out of the bag. I am more sure I need to do this, and that eventually it will happen.

The Idea that Won't Go Away

2008-01-26T16:37:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had an idea for something, something so big, so impossible, that you want to be able to just walk away from it? I have had just such an idea for about two years now. And every time it comes up, I think, "Well that's silly. How in the world would you make that happen?" And I move on. At least for a while.

What seems to happen, is that the idea keeps resurfacing. And each time it takes on a little more substance. In the last few days, it has gotten bones. A structure. It doesn't look quite so impossible. Or so outlandish.

Now this is one of those "BIG" ideas. What some people call a BHAG. A Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal. It means stepping into completely unfamiliar territory to make it happen. It means it has been hard for me to wrap my head around how I could possibly make it happen.

But then, at the same time, I know that others have done things that are comparable. Knowing this doesn't mean it is easy, or that it will ultimately be doable by me. But it does mean that it is possible. And if it is possible, and it keeps coming back to me, perhaps I need to take it seriously.....and in the process, take myself seriously too.

Isn't that what we are doing when we have an Impossible Dream. We may want to believe it is impossible. It means it just can't be done. Because then we can comfortably walk away. But each time this dream comes up for me, I know, somewhere in the back of my mind, that others have done comparable things. It is possible, and it is not going away. But, I have just not been ready. And that is where the truth lies. Having these dreams means stretching outside what is familiar and known. Holding on to them means we want to see if we can make them happen someday. We recognize our current limitations, but we are not silly to dream these dreams. Even if we dare not admit the details of our dreams to anyone!

As this idea is taking a more concrete form in my head over the last few days, I am seeing various pieces of things that have been out there floating around as vague ideas, starting to coalesce. It still feels pretty impossible. But I also feel like I want to start to push the idea from an idea into becoming something more tangible.

I am researching things like installations, venues, fundraising, grants. The actual art work is completely within my capabilities, although it will be time consuming, and I may need to enlist some help because of the simple scale of this idea. How to take this idea, this thought, and make it into a reality is the challenge. It may never happen. But I am going to begin to take some steps to try to make it work.

My first step is to write this here. To admit to myself and the world, that I am ready and willing to begin to explore this new territory. The details of the dream are less important than this shift that has happened in me. That is where our greatest barriers often lie. Inside. I will admit to being scared, and overwhelmed. But, I have to say there is also a certain amount of glee and sheer excitement about simply saying "yes". Yes, this is worth exploring. This is worth investing some time and energy to see where you can take it. Wish me luck! And if you know of any grant money around.....

A New Focus

2008-01-24T08:53:00.001-05:00

I have made a decision to focus on selling wholesale this year. My decision has come from several vantage points. First, I have seen terrific growth in this area of my business, and I want to be able to continue that growth. Second, retail shows have been more problematic for me.

Retail shows are a terrific way to get a first hand reaction to your work. This can be misleading and confusing though. I have had shows where the work flew out of my booth, and another show with the same work was dismal. Which information was correct? Both, most likely. Demographics, flucuations in the economy, weather, and many other factors can effect the outcome of a show. My energy level, or my display can also have an effect.

And retail shows are time consuming. Before the show I typically will do a mailing. This means updating my mailing list, printing out labels, and stamping postcards. A day to pack things up and organize. A day to travel and set up. Three days at a show, tearing down and traveling home on that last day. Crash and burn for at least a day. A week out of the studio. If the show was great, this was a week well spent. If not, it was a week away from family, and out of the studio. Then there are sales taxes to be paid, credit card sales to be entered, unloading the van, and putting everything away again. And more names to add to the mailing list.

In the past, I have felt unable to really think through, and follow through on developing a consistent and cohesive marketing plan for my work. It has been catch as catch can. Part of why I want to try focusing just on wholesale this year is because I want to be able to give enough attention to marketing that it can be more effective, and opportunities are not dropped or lost for lack of follow through.

Here is part of what I want to do;

1. Mailings. I still will do postcard mailings, but now they will be to galleries, and planned to promote some sort of special offer. A call to action, if you will. I also plan to mail out my new catalog to anyone who as ordered from me in the past or has asked for information. It will build on the past interest, and perhaps generate some sales. Too often in the past, I would send out a catalog after an inquiry, but leave it at that. I will make use of the mailing list of galleries I have built up over the last three years.

2. Newsletters. This is a step I have already begun. I sent out my first e-newsletter this week using Mail Chimp. They have a 30 day free trial, and flexible pricing plan that works for my volume and frequency. And it works! I had an order within 12 hours of my first mailing. I plan to send one out every other month, alternating with the postcard mailing. Not all galleries even use e-mail. But for those that do, it is a great way to stay in touch and let them know what is new with your work. These newsletter services would work well for retail as well. The nice thing about services such as Mail Chimp, or Constant Contact, is that they tell you how many people opened your email. How many times, and which links people clicked on. They clean up the list automatically, removing bounced e-mails. You could do this your self with a standard e-mail, but the background information is helpful to gauge the success of your newsletter.

3. Advertising. One of the tenets of effective advertising is repetition. Some people will contact you with the first advertisement. But others will have to see your ad repeated times before they take action. In the last year, I focused my advertising dollars on the Buyer's Guide put out by Wholesalecrafts.com. It is open to anyone who is on their site, and it goes out four times a year. I had planned to only do two ads last year, but ended up going with four. I also increased the size of my ad. The results were well worth the expense.

This year I plan to run ads in at least one, maybe two periodicals on an on-going basis. I am starting with Niche magazine, put out by the Rosen Group, and sent to galleries. I can run a co-op ad, again through Wholesalecrafts.com, and gain broader exposure for my work.

What I have learned in the last year of running the ads in the Buyer's Guide is that I get a different clientele contacting me as a result of these ads. I get phone calls from galleries who do not visit the Wholesalecrafts.com website, and do not want to place an order on-line. They prefer to talk to me on the phone. Perhaps have a catalog to peruse at their leisure. Some customers love the flexibility of ordering on-line, but others prefer a different approach. Being able to respond to all the various styles of your clientele is important.

4. Wholesale show(s). I will be doing the ACRE show in Las Vegas again this year. This show gave me exposure to buyers who like to come and see and touch the work in person before placing an order. Doing the show last year took me out of my comfort zone, but was well worth every minute of anxiety.

My approach to this is pretty much like it has been all along with my business. It is a trial. An experiment. I will allow myself this year of focus and see what happens. I may even do a retail show or two this year. But maybe not. I like the idea of traveling only once this year to do the wholesale show. I like the idea of taking the money I would have spent on retail shows this year, and using it to boost my advertising, and exposure.

I will let you know how this experiment works out. I am sure I will have more adjustments to make next year, but I feel like I have a map for the coming year. Each time we try something new, we learn new things. We may learn that it doesn't work for us, but we know it with certainty rather than fear.

Facing the Absolute Truth

2008-01-22T18:33:00.000-05:00

Fact. We will all die eventually. A woman who has crossed my path in recent days has me thinking about how we come to terms with that fact, may just affect how we live the time we have.

Kimberly is my hero right now. Kimberly will be turning forty in February. In spite of doctor's predictions. I first met Kimberly, in passing, at a retreat last year. This was a day long retreat focused on personal growth and healing. At the time, she was not expected to live another year. Yet, she was spending a day, reflecting, examining, and opening her heart to the possible. Now you might expect given the circumstances that she might have spent that time in agonizing about how unfair it was, and why was this happening to her, and she had so many things she still wanted to do.

Kimberly was there to live her life, long or short, in the fullest way possible. This year when I went to the retreat again, there was Kimberly. I can't tell you how it made my heart lift to see her. Her hair was thin, and her face puffy from the ravages of the medications she has been taking. But her spirit was clearly alive. Her smile lit up her face, and her voice was one of hope and optimism.

We got to talking over lunch, and at one point we began talking about the cranes. I shared a few of the stories I have heard over the years from people about their connections with the cranes. This was when Kimberly exclaimed that I may have just solved her problem. She was planning a birthday party, for herself, in Key West, Florida next month. She and a dozen of her friends would be meeting up to celebrate her life, and the fact that she was still here to celebrate this birthday. She wanted to give a gift to each of her friends. Something that they would have, long after she was gone, that could help them remember her, and what her life was about. The cranes were the answer.

I will be making a dozen cranes for Kimberly in the coming days. They will have her birthdate under the wings. They will be small enough so someone can hold it in their hands, and remember Kimberly....and just how cute, and wonderful, and spiritual she is,... or was.

I have been blessed to have people like Kimberly come into my life. The cranes have brought these stories to me again and again. And each time I am connected to something way bigger than me.

I can only hope that I can face life with the courage, spirit, and joie de vivre that Kimberly does each and every day. I think of her, and I smile. Life is challenging and full of bumps and bruises. But, are we embracing the potential that it has to offer, everyday? Do we embrace life enough to want to work on our personal growth even as we stare down death?

Have you ever wondered what kind of art would you make if you were told you only had six months to live? Have you ever thought, maybe you should not wait until then to begin to make that art? Maybe, you won't get the six months warning.

Send your prayers and thoughts of healing Kimberly's way. The world could use someone like her a while longer. And go make some art like your life depended upon it. The world will be a richer place because of it.

Does Being in Business Make You a Better Artist?

2008-01-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

I am teaching a class at the Synergy conference in Baltimore next month, called "Should I, or Shouldn't I?" The class is about how to decide whether or not you should try and make money with your craft. In preparation for that class, I sent out some surveys to various artists to get a sense of how being in or out of the business side of art has affected them. What did they learn? What did they wish they knew? How do they make money with their art/craft?

I received an e-mail back from Elise Winters that was full of insight. One of the things she said that has had me thinking all week is that is that sometimes artist believe that they must be in business to be taken seriously as artists. It is Elise's belief that sometimes, the business can become a diversion to developing as an artist.

The subtitle of my blog, "the collision of business and art" implies that there is not always a comfortable alliance between these two worlds of commerce and creation. Many firmly believe that you cannot be true to your art, and be successful in business. I guess I would like to believe that there are no hard and fast rules in this regard. In fact, while being in business did not make me a more authentic artist, it did help me develop as an artist in other ways.

For one thing, it got me in the studio on a regular (daily) basis. And I absolutely believe that you must spend time in the studio to develop you skills, and to develop your voice. Neither of those happen without time in the studio. You can hone other skills, like your powers of observation, without being in the studio. But ultimately your hands need to connect with your medium. You need to be able to know intuitively the limits of your medium. You don't learn this by reading about it, or by spending a few hours a week creating. You learn it by getting your hands dirty.

It also forced me to pay attention to details. Details that are often referred to as finish. Present your work to a gallery owner, or at a craft show, and the first thing someone does is pick it up and start turn it this way and that. Inspecting the finish. How does the back look? How does it feel? How does it fasten? What types of materials are you using? It is easy to ignore these details when you are starting out. Stopping work on a project before attending to these details. Hoping no one will notice that glob of glue on the back that you used to attach the pin back. Under the scruntiny of another person's eyes, you will look more critically at your own work.

But business can become a trap. You can find financial success with work, and get stuck in that style for too long. Long past the time that the public interest has peaked, and your own inspiration has faded. You may find yourself looking too much to external sources of inspiration....fashion, someone else's success....rather than internally to your own creative well spring.

Time spent building a business can be time out of the studio. If you want to create "art" for "art's sake", selling your work can be a distration. But financing that pursuit might be a bit more challenging.

In my own case, I had been looking around for what I was going to be doing in my life. I was half-heartedly trying to enter the world of children's book publishing. So when polymer clay fell into my lap, and I fell in love with the possibilities of this medium, I was soon thinking that I wanted to figure out how I could do this as a business. I had already run a business. I had a business background. I didn't know what form the business might take. But I knew that eventually that was my goal. Perhaps as someone who has a degree in business, and not in art, it was more comfortable terrain.

But first, I had to learn as much as I could about what I could do with this material. At one point my husband referred to this time, and money, spent on experimenting and learning as my art school tuition. I guess you could say I was "home schooled in art". A business professor might have looked at this time as one of research and product development. I probably dove into the world of commerce prematurely. But, as many have said before me, I would rather regret the action taken, than the opportunity passed. And once I dove in, I learned far more than I would have continuing to work away on my own. Even if what I learned was that I was not ready for prime time yet!

It is a delicate balancing act, juggling commerce and creation. And each person has their own tipping point where things go too far one way or another. We must know what our own motivations and goals are before we know if we are in balance.

If your in my class in Baltimore, I have much more wisdom from Elise and others to share. I hope I see you there!

"How Did You Think of That?"

2008-01-11T12:29:00.000-05:00

Or, "Where did you get that idea?" I have heard those questions often. And usually the answer is so mundane or ordinary, I am sure it is less than satisfying for those posing the question. But it is the reality.

The ideas are out there everywhere, all around us. What is important is honing your ability to notice and pay attention to the inspiration that surrounds you. Kim Cavender quotes Grant Diffendaffer in her blog.

"Making something you have never imagined will greatly increase your ability to imagine things you have never made, and then go on to make them."

Kathleen Dustin talks in her blog about being inspired by tall grasses in the wind to create a fabulous new purse design. As she says in her blog entry, she sees her job as an artist is one of paying attention.

So many times I have come upon a good idea, on the way to something else. Something unexpected catches my eye. If I had not learned to pause at this moment, the inspiration would have disappeared into the ether, gone for good most likely.

I think I have always been someone who just can get caught up in the simple act of observation. I can destract myself from the discomfort of dentistry by "analyzing" the ceiling, or some other thing within my view. I used to take a bus back and forth to school when I was in business school. I remember passing the time on the ride by doing drawings in my head. I would study the back of someone's head as if I was trying to draw it. Noticing shadows and details. The wrinkles on the neck. The hair, or shape of a head. When I was following the exercises in The Artist's Way, and writing my "pages", I would sometimes write what I saw out the window, especially the sky. I would try to describe the color and light as best I could in words. Here are a few of those excerpts;

"I can hear the birds outside this morning since the windows are open. It is such a different scene outside the window now compared to the winter. Green leaves everywhere. There are only tiny bits of sky visible between the leaves. Even the tree trunks are partially or largely obscured by the leaves. The leaves cause the sunlight coming in the window to dance."

"The sky is a hard silvery blue right now. There is a small band of peach colored sky along the northwest horizon. It is getting darker out as I sit here writing this. It looks more like evening than morning."

Do you give yourself the time to pause and reflect when something catches your eye. You may stop for half a second. But do you then think about what it is that made you stop?

What if this power of observation is not something that you have honed quite yet? If you want to work on this ability to notice, I recommend spending a few minutes every day observing one thing, the same thing, everyday, and try to put into words what you have seen. The sky is great because it is always changing. But pick the same time each day, and you will incorporate the passage of time into your observations as well. Days lengthening or shortening will change the quality of the light.

Have you ever seen those film clips on YouTube of photos that people take of themselves each day? The pictures flash by, with clothes and hair changing, but little else. Glasses seem to float on the face as they move around just a bit each day. If writing is not your thing, maybe you could do a portrait each day of a spouse, yourself or your pet. They don't have to be super refined or finished. Just the same thing, every day. If you do this for a month, you will find yourself noticing things by the end of that month that you never saw before.

Learning to pay attention takes practice. And once you are paying attention, it won't automatically translate into a new body of work. It may mean that you will start to find inspiration in the ordinary and everyday. It really is out there for all of us to access. We just have to notice.

Competitive Advantage

2008-01-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

In business school, especially in marketing, there is a lot of talk about competitive advantage. Positioning yourself or your product to achieve competitive advantage in the market place. In the world of art or craft, no one uses words like that. But, an issue that is always able to stir up interest actually may be all about competitive advantage.

Voice. Your creative voice. In the end, finding your own voice, your style, your own unique way of expression is ultimately the best way to create competitive advantage.

Let's step away from art or craft for a minute, and talk about cola, or tissues, or diapers. Do you think of Coke(TM), Kleenex(TM), or Pampers(TM)? Each of these companies created an identity so strong for their products, that their brand name is virtually synonymous with the product name. Certainly, we can all name products that compete with each of these businesses, but they do not spring to mind as quickly as these.

Back to the world of art. Vincent Van Gogh, Monet, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack. Do you get an immediate visual image with each of these names? I do. These artist each have a voice that is strong and recognizable, that in business terms could be called brand identity.

When I started out selling my work, my focus was on technique. I thought it was all about being good at doing something. Well, that only carries you so far. What truly creates competitive advantage in the business of craft is having a distinctive voice. Kim Cavender is actually running a contest right now that is all about this very thing. Identify the artist for the images shown in her blog post.

By developing a strong and distinctive voice, you will not only have your work become recognizable, but, anyone copying your work will be seen as doing just that. There are painters who are masterly at creating technically accurate copies of another artists work. And much can be learned in that process. But, it is the difference between Coke, and the store brand cola. It will never have the same perceived value in the broader market as the original. Sure, there are plenty of people who might be very satisfied with a brilliantly executed copy at a reduced price. But, will the copyist every reach the same degree of satisfaction in the creation of the work as the originator? And, it will never be valued as highly as the work of the originator.

This past weekend, I attended an open house for a school we are looking at for my younger daughter. This school is very unique in it's approach and philosophy. It follows the guidelines of an essential school. Students do not get letter grades. They build a portfolio of work. They get a narrative assessment of their work. And they are evaluated on a gradient of learning....a learning curve if you will. Everyone starts out as "Just Beginning". You are not expected to master the work when you are just beginning. Mistakes are welcome. They are part of the learning process. Things are learned with practice and experience. Eventually, typically over a period of two years, a student will reach a point of mastery, where expectations are met, and they are ready to move onto a higher level.

When we start our in our craft or our artwork, we are just beginning. We practice and refine our skills by copying that which has come before us. Eventually, we may tire of a technique we master, and then move onto another technique and master that. I recently heard an interview with Nick Lowe, the musician, who described this process beautifully. He talked about how as a musician learn, they mimic the work of other musicians whose work they admire. There is something in that artist's work they connect with. Then they move onto another artist, and another, and another. But at some point, they stop looking outside to learn. They take the pieces that they have learned, and start taking parts of them and putting them together in new and different ways. It is not always about reinventing as much as rethinking. Combining things together in a way that others may not have explored. Taking the pieces that speak to your heart, and inspire you, and putting them together in a way that feels right for you.

I think this quote from Marc Chagall sums it up nicely,

"If I create from the heart,
nearly everything works.
If I create from the head,
almost nothing."

Where are you on the continuum of just beginning to mastery? Have you begun to discover your competitive advantage?