Learning Curve

In the five months or so that I have been selling online, these are some of the things that I have learned:

1.  Do not forget why you do what you do.

When I first ventured into making jewelry, all I wanted was to make my own set of Goddess prayer beads.  As I said in my Artfire Bio Page, that little, seemingly harmless "experiment" has turned into a passion for making beautiful things that other people can wear.  I make jewelry because I love jewelry -- and I love them because a favorite piece always brightens my day when I put it on no matter how gloomy it is outside (or inside me).  I realized that I found fullfilment in making something by hand that has the ability to make someone feel good about themselves, to add a bit to their confidence, uplift their mood or simply make them smile. I make jewelry because it is a way for me to reach out to people I will probably never cross paths with and let them know that they are special and that they are beautiful.  This is why I do what I do. To forget this would kill my passion for this creative endeavor and could, in effect, kill my muse.

2.    Do not undervalue yourself.

Agonizing, this one.  Pricing is such a delicate matter when one decides to sell what one makes.  For me, the agony has gone beyond hitting the right formula to get the perfect price -- it has been (and continues to be) an ongoing battle between my inner critic telling me my work is not worth that much and the higher me that insists I am deserving of more.  Happily for me, the one that says I am worth it wins most of the time.  But it is still a struggle.  Does this happen to you?

It is important that we don't undervalue our work as it is a reflection of ourselves.  This has nothing to do at all about humility -- but it has everything to do with pride in your work and loving yourself.

3.  Your competition isn't who you think it is.

Who do you compete with? Who are your major competitors?

With the variety of tastes and styles in the market and the number of talented artisans that cater to each one, competition in the form of other jewelry artisans should not be my problem.  My problem should be creating pieces that I love and getting them out to people who I know will love them as well.  There are plenty of jewelry artisans out there but I no longer see them as competition -- rather, I see them as partners who will help satisfy a market segment that I can't cater to simply because what they want is not what I make.  I will, however, compete against myself -- so that those who like my work will continue to get the best of what I can give them.

4.  There is no shame in saying your name.

Having been raised in a culture where tooting one's own horn is considered bad form, I had a hard time finding my voice and saying my name out loud.  I used to be very shy about promoting my work.  Heck, for some time only my close friends knew that I made jewelry and to this day, only a handful of them know that I paint and collage.  I have just started to unlearn this -- and I am unlearning it fast.  It is not bad form to show the world what you can do -- keeping it to yourself and not allowing anyone to share in it is.

What's your name? What do you do? Tell me so I can tell the next person so they can say your name too.

Four Letter Words: DARE

Look around the corner and go see what's on the other side. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Smile at the person standing next to you in line. Don't worry about looking foolish.  Think about what could happen if they smile back.

Take a new route to work today.  Take a new route home.  Don't see it as a deviation but as an adventure.

Wear that outfit you've been keeping in your closet for so long - who cares what other people say.  You've been wanting to wear it because it is so YOU.

Tell someone how much they mean to you.  They've probably been waiting to hear it for a long time.

Just for today, look at that dream straight in the eye and take the first step to make it real.  Who knows, the rest of the steps you need to take, not apparent for now, might just appear.

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August Sale and New Collections

Just as I was working on my August promo, a wonderful artisan over at Artfire, CCTexan3, suggested that we revive the Artfire Stimulus Sale this month.  Well, I love a sale and I especially love an activity that is fun so I jumped right in.

There are tons of great items on the AFSS pages -- from jewelry, to supplies, to vintage items, art work, beautiful photographs and prints, bath and body products -- the list just goes on and on.  Simply type in AFSS on "Search" and allow yourself to be surprised and delighted by the great discounts offered by so many artisans.  I have put up a few of my items on sale -- some discounted by up to $10.00 off their original price. 

Last week, Artfire also launched the Artfire Collections and members are now allowed to publish their own collections for everyone to see!  I've put up a few and in doing so, I've discovered just how talented the people on Artfire really are.  There are a lot of lovely things to choose from and as I made one collection, another idea for a new one popped right up.  Making the collections was a sure eye opener for me in terms of spotting talent on Artfire.  Here are a couple for you to check out:  Vintage Runway and It's About Time.

August looks like a super busy month for me.  I'll be putting up new items in my shop, visiting an interesting place in town that I will share with you and of course, I'll continue with posting the Four-Letter Words.  Hope the rains over here in Manila don't dampen my spirits!