Taking some time off this month to reflect and not do much
work has been good for me. I really needed to stop and make some
decisions about my online presence. And I really, really needed time to recoup from a visit to the Emergency Room due to a bad bout with Vertigo! I'm much better now, but have decided to just relax and enjoy this time away from the madness that creating and clogged up ears due to sinuses/allergies can cause. It's good to recharge the old creative batteries once in a while. Wouldn't you agree?
To take stock in what I'd like to do for my online business from this point was necessary too. What did I want to change? And how did I want to once more grow and flow? I definitely still want to have a dedicated studio space and workshop next year but as far as online business ... what did I want?
First order of business: I
decided to re-open my
Etsy shop. My 62nd birthday is September 22nd and I think it would be awesome to open it during my birthday week but I'm not sure how that will work out just yet. It's a goal and if it doesn't work out, I'll shoot for October around the same date. After being away for an entire year, I'll admit it, I still
miss Etsy!!!
When I decided to close it in 2015, I was hoping for more
than Etsy could give me. I was comparing myself to others' shops and
trying to
do what they did to make sales and it was exhausting. It wasn't me or what my journey was all about. Honestly, I tried everything everyone else was doing and nothing worked for me. I had sales, I offered promotions, I joined every team and shared every item on every social media site I had. Daily for 8-10 hours a day for months. I gave up in frustration because I just couldn't afford to keep it open if I wasn't making any sales. And I was being taken away from the creating part which is a necessary part of my life. I denied my creative muse the outlet it needed and I suffered in all ways because of it. I was in bad creative shape at the end of 2015!
Now that I'm a whole year older and maybe slightly wiser, I realized
the things I loved the most about Etsy besides making a sale (always a
thrill!!) are still there. I used to LOVE making and being in Treasuries
and that feature hasn't changed. I'm happy about that. I enjoyed
chatting with team members through Etsy Teams once in a while. They are
still available should I want to join in. Etsy changed a lot and as far as I can tell, they are still different than they used to be. But the things I loved about the site have not changed. And I missed that.
My focus on making
money from my art has changed. I enjoy selling
my work so much and enjoy even more the responses from customers
when they receive what they ordered. But what makes me create mosaics? It's because I love what I do.
At the time I closed my
Etsy shop, I couldn't keep it open without making sales. I used the money I got to ship items and keep listings renewed. I had no budget. Once sales stopped, I had no revenue to keep it open. That situation
will soon change when I start receiving retirement benefits at the end
of November. Keeping a light load of listings on Etsy is another thing I
will surely do to keep myself within budget because although I will get a monthly stipend, it won't be much until the debt I mentioned in many other posts through
GoFundMe is completely paid off (estimate of April 2017).
Knowing that the
basic things I loved about Etsy are still there, means I will be
welcomed back and will once more enjoy them. Even though I might not
make any sales, I also might. And everyone who asks me where I sell my
work online ALWAYS says: "Do you sell your things on Etsy?". Now, or
soon enough, I can once more say: "Why, yes! Yes, I do!".
I'm not leaving
any site where I now sell my work. Etsy will be in addition to the other
wonderful sites, including ones I haven't yet tried. I like to find new sites to share my work on and have many I don't promote just because there isn't much different on one site as another. It's mostly the same things on many sites but the people on each site are different and their art is different as well. I like that. Finding new people on each site I sell my mosaics on
has always been the most fun. For me, it's about making the art
and sharing it. I had forgotten that when I tried to do what others did to make sales. I had forgotten that I make mosaics for me first because I love what I do. I've always said, if I'm not having fun, I wouldn't be
doing it. I forgot that for almost an entire year!
I will always make mosaics whether they sell or gather up dust
on my shelves. If you like what I create, that's awesome. If you want
to buy what I create, I'm always grateful as it will help keep listings
active. But it's now not the most important thing. It never really was, but I allowed myself to get caught up in an ego driven race that ultimately I could never win, in any case.
I've been blessed with a gift and I will use it in the best way I can.
I'll keep
you all posted on when the shop is officially open once more. Also, those who sell on Etsy now, if you belong to any teams you think might be awesome for me to give a try, please feel free to share or ask the Team Captain's to send me a request. I would love to find some new people to share my work with and get to know them and their shops as well for future treasuries. Thank you!
Meanwhile, check out the banner! It's kinda classy, don't you think?!
