Are Supplies Really Necessary?

Photo Courtesy of massdistraction

 As someone who makes handmade jewelry and glass beads, I have a bead addiction problem. So, of course supplies are necessary!

But...is it really necessary for the big "handmade" sites to sell supplies as part of their offerings?

Yes, there are handmade supplies. Lampwork beads are considered as much on many sites.

But do these sites, that promote themselves as handmade, really need to scores of other supply shops, offering made in China merchandise alongside those supplies handmade one by one? Isn't this in conflict somewhat with the mission of these sites, to support the handmade lifestyle and artist?

If you are a source for handmade products, then *everything* allowed should be handmade by individual artists--even the supplies.

I'm curious to hear what other artists think about this situation--should Etsy, Artfire, and Zibbet have a supply section that allows re-sellers and importers? Is this of benefit to handmade crafters because they can in theory shop on the same site that they sell? Or is this just a ploy to cushion the earnings of the sites on the backs of handmade artists?

My opinion? I think allowing resellers and importers, even when they are properly identified, undermines the "mission" of these handmade sales venues. If you are a source for handmade products, then *everything* allowed should be handmade by individual artists--even the supplies. I would gladly do my shopping elsewhere for my crystals and chains that fill out my jewelry creations.

Let me know what you think. Let me know if my bringing this up ticks you off. Or is it a non-issue?

Friday Fun Finds: Flight of the Butterfly

 
This week's Friday Fun Finds pays homage to those beautiful symbols of metamorphosis and springtime. Let us know which one is your favorite, or point us towards a beautiful handmade rendition of a butterfly that you have seen!

Flutterby Wings Shadowboxes by Color Story Designs. In their Etsy shop.

Blue Van Gogh Glass Candle Chamber by Glassdiane. In her Etsy shop.

Evening Pixie Wings by littlewingfaerieart. In their Etsy shop.

Dancing Butterflies Hand Cut Mandala by EmerlyeArtsKirigami. In their Etsy Shop.

Bridesmaid Clutch in Teal by bellafiore2009. In their Etsy shop.

What are your boundaries as a handmade artist?

I was just doing a preliminary scan for this week's Friday Fun Finds when a thought came to me (scary as that is!) I had found a gorgeous piece using butterflies, and given the fact that summer is finally coming down the lane in the Northern Hemisphere, I decided to make that the theme. I found some beautiful pendants that were created using actual butterfly wings. And I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

I'm not going to list any of the pieces here, because I don't want any artist to feel I am calling them out. These pieces were drop-dead gorgeous, as you can probably imagine if you've seen how gorgeous some butterflies can be. And the artists I viewed all made reference to the fact that the butterflies they used were gained in a responsible and legal manner, and none were endangered. One even commented how part of the proceeds will go to conservation efforts, which I applaud greatly.

I have discovered a boundary for myself as an handmade artist.

However, I am still put off a bit by the idea of using a once living creature in my creations, simply for the purpose of adorning myself with its beauty. Part of me thinks I am over-reacting and being a bit prudish about the whole situation. But, I have discovered a boundary for myself as an handmade artist.

Because I entered the handmade world when I began doing jewelry and glass lampwork beads, I already knew I had a problem with cheap imports, both as an economic threat and as a ethical issue. I knew there were some gemstones and metals that were to be avoided based on mining practices and quality of goods. Those seem like pretty cut and dry boundaries, at least for me.

I am wondering if anyone else has discovered their own personal boundaries when created homemade goods. Do you avoid any chemical processes? Are there materials you won't use? Are there techniques you avoid because they can somehow be harmful?

Let us know.

Anyone want to blog??

Photo Courtesy of Maria Reyes-McDavis

While I love being an advocate for handmade and the way of the handmade artist, I am by no means an expert...mainly because the world of handmade is so incredibly diverse due to the creativity of the human spirit!

I would love to host guest bloggers from time to time on the following topics:

• Business tips for handmade artists
• Cool handmade ideas to make life better and more beautiful
• How to tell if a product is truly handmade
• Tips or techniques that you'd like to share with fellow artists
• Any handmade topic you'd like to see addressed!

 These guest blog spots are not a place to pimp your wares, though links will be given your online sites and shops. These will be posts that have the intent of helping your fellow artists grow.

Don't worry if writing isn't your thing. I can help with the editing and making it sound "chic!" Send me your ideas at handmadechicblog@gmail.com and we can chat about getting a guest blog written for the handmade masses!

What is the appeal of handmade?

Photo Courtesy of J>Ro

One thing I hated about doing certain shows, was the fact that the show organizers often had no idea of what quality handmade really meant. I would show up with my handmade jewelry, constructed from my own handmade lampwork beads, and be next to a person selling non-imaginative jewelry, strung with cheap glass bead imports from the local craft shop.

To make things even better, these fellow "handmade" jewelry designers would often come over to my table, cooing how pretty my things were, only to drop them like a hot potato when they saw the price. And believe me, my work was underpriced, if anything. They would often follow up with comments, like, "I could never charge that much for a bracelet/necklace/earrings!"

And they shouldn't. This might offend some readers, but if you are buying a string of $3.99 beads from the local craft store, stringing them on some beading wire with a few mass-produced spacers--that really isn't in the handmade spirit, in my book.

Part of the appeal of handmade is the idea of having a one-of-a-kind product, or at least one that is created with a vision by the artist. I'm really not slamming people who use store-bought supplies (as long as they do not compromise the structural integrity of your piece--but that's another blog post!), nor I am slamming people who try to create on a budget. I've seen gorgeous pieces made from components bought at a Michael's or Jo-Anns, but they were gorgeous because they contained the artist's voice and vision. Thought and heart was put into the pieces.

There is so much more to a piece being handmade than the simple idea that is was created using one's hands. People want something that they feel they could not have created themselves. Anyone can make a pair of earrings, just like anyone can do a color-by-number, or make a bar of soap. People want to feel like they are buying an idea from the artist's mind that they can now enjoy and cherish. They want something that someone else has put some thought into, and felt compelled to create through passion for a craft.

I do realize that this is my opinion, and some out there will think handmade means something totally different. But what do you think? What is the appeal of buying handmade for your customers, or yourself?

Handmadenews.org Must Reads!

Handmadenews.org has already had thousands of visitors come and read their pages. It's not surprising that the site is growing so quickly, as there is a ton of great content on the site. It's getting harder and harder each time to choose only 5 articles for my must reads!

First off, my columns from the previous week deal with a variety of business topics. First, is the popular, Secret to More Sales (and the secret is something you already have!). Next, I look at doing business in the information age, especially communicating through e-mail, in Manners 2009. Finally, we have the first in a two-part series about financing your business in Bank On It.

Now on to the other must reads for the week!

1) Favorably Green Wedding Favors Just in time for summer weddings, this article gives suggestions for some environmentally friendly wedding favors guests will love.

2) 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall: Gift Trends for Men Even though this Sunday is father's day, you still want to show dad you love him all year 'round, right? This article highlights some very cool handmade gifts dad, or any man in your life will enjoy.

3) Top 10 Sign You May Be Selling Yourself Short A humorous look at a serious subject for crafters and artists trying to support themselves on their creativity. Jenn Joyner gives the 10 signs that you may be underpricing your work.

4) Know Your Shoppers An excellent article that looks at how to provide the best customer service possible to all types of customers. You'll discover that you have all sorts of customers with different needs.

5) Craft Techniques Department Okay, so this time I am sending you to the department's table of contents. The reason is, this department publishes a great craft tip each day to help you run and enjoy your business. You will have a blast, and get great ideas, from browsing their many "Craft Tip of the Day" gems.

Made By Hand. By Me

Of the new social networking sites for handmade artisans, Made By Hand. By Me, is by far my favorite for one very cool reason. Besides being truly devoted to the spirit of handmade (read their story), they have made available a very cool, clickable, gallery tool to showcase your work, or the works of others.

See the little gallery I have off to the right there? ----->

I created this virtual themed gallery with the Spotlight feature available on Made By Hand. By Me. What's great about these Spotlights is that you can include items from many different handmade venues in one gallery. They support the big guys like Etsy & Artfire, but they also will let you use items from 1000 Markets, Made it Myself, and Zibbet, plus more.

If you are like many artisans, and you have multiple shops, you can easily create a gallery of your work for your blog or website that pulls items from all the venues. It's similar to an Etsy mini, only better, in my opinion, because you aren't limited to one venue. Registration is free, and you can set up your own profile for their Artisan Directory as well.

To see the spotlights that others have created, you can click on the Shopping tab on their website and either select Window Shopping, to view a random spotlight, or choose Artisan Spotlights to see a sortable list of active spotlights. Be warned, though, time can get away from you as you drool over all the beautiful handmade goods!

These spotlights are only one of the many cool things about Made By Hand. By Me. To be honest, every time I visit it seems like I am finding out something else cool they have created for the online artisan. This is one site I would wholeheartedly recommend you check out!

Hot for ArtFire!

Last week I talked about how Etsy made selling handmade cool. Now, I have to admit, I have found something I think is even cooler.

There are a number of new sites aiming to refine the handmade online experience. ArtFire is one of those sites, and in my humble opinion, they are going to give Etsy a run for their not-so-proverbial money.

I signed up for ArtFire a few months ago. At first, I was dissapointed in their layout, especially once you got into the categories. It seemed like it would be pure chance that anyone would ever find my beads, and I became hesitant to invest to much in my ArtFire shop.

However, members of my online groups kept praising how great the ArtFire team is at responding to feedback. A few days ago, I went back for a real look-see at the site. It is amazing!

First off, each category has a section up top for random items to be featured at the top of the item page. These are random, not paid for by the artists, like the seldom noticed Etsy features that run at the top of item pages (never noticed those? I hardly do either!). Next, they have created an interface where you can sort items by price, time listed, and number of views. If you are one of those people who get a rush "discovering" a new artist, ArtFire gives you countless ways to get your fix.

Second is the fact that every item listed gets on the front page, and it is in a nice large format, not that tiny little filmstrip Etsy has running. They also have a great search feature that lets you decide if you want to include supplies and vintage in your quest. You can then narrow down your items further by price, or excluding certain terms. They have made finding items very easy for you.

Finally, we have to talk about price. While Etsy is affordable, I found that I was regularly having bills of over $20 when I would list regularly. The listing fees were on .20 but they would add up quickly with the 3.5% commission. ArtFire does it different, very different. If you only want to have 10 items in your shop at one time, you can have an ArtFire shop for free. Yes, FREE! If you usually keep more items stocked, you pay a flat monthly fee. Right now (and for the next week), you can sign up and only pay $12 a month for everything. No matter how much you list or how much you sell, you will only have to pay ArtFire $12 each month.

I know that this might not be the best choice for everyone, but if you want to budget exactly what your expenses will be for selling online, this may be for you. I personally love it.

This really is not to say that I don't like Etsy anymore. I still do, and will keep my shop there are well. But, if what I have seen so far is any indication, ArtFire will force Etsy to step up to the plate and become more responsive to its sellers.

TGIM: Networked or Burned Out?

A colleague, on one of the many social net groups I take part in, mentioned how exhausting it is keeping up with all of the social networking self-representing artists find themselves participating in on the web. If you Google 'social networking sites" you get over 45 million hits. Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter, Forums, blogs: seriously, when is a person supposed to find time for it all, and still create?

This is a question I have been turning over in my head for a while now. It seems like most people fall into two camps; one groups feels the best results will come from having representation in every avenue, the other feels that energy should be focused on one or two priorities. I find myself bouncing back and forth on a continual basis, so who am I to offer advice to anyone, right?

One thing I have realized, is social networking will not benefit your business if you find that it is interfering with your ability to create new product! Lately, I have had a number of initiatives starting up, and found myself without any time to be creative, much less add new work to my existing sites. It was then that I realized I needed to see through the projects I had started on, and then decide one or two sites that I would try to utilize the best way possible.

However, most self-representing artists do not have a big advertising budget, and social networking can be a great way to sell yourself to a targeted audience. To satisfy that part of me that is worried I will be missing out on the next great "thing", I will continue to try out the new sites that I come across...and then I will have to make the decision whether to continue that route or let it go.

Social networking can be a blessing for the artist who does not have a group of like-minded folks in their neck of the words. Just make sure it doesn't turn into a time vampire, and deprive you of the precious minutes you spend in your studio creating new treasures for the rest of us!

Etsy Tools 101

I have to admit that I obsess a little bit over checking out my views in my Etsy shop. So it should come as no surprise that I love the new tools people have created to help you keep track of all things Etsy. Here is a collection of tools that help you get more out of your Etsy experience. Have fun!

Craftopolis
A super easy tool that lets you enter your shop ID, and then tells you if you are in any treasuries at that moment. I used to wade through all 20+ pages of Etsy treasuries looking for the elusive yellow star. Now I can see within seconds if I am featured in a treasury. They also have atab that lets you know if you are in any gift guides. Very cool.

CraftCult.com
Another one of my all-time favorites. It has the Heart-o-matic, which lets you see not only your shop hearts (which you can check out in Etsy anyways), but how many hearts each specific item has! You can see at a glance which items are popular among Etsy browsers. It also has a tab, called "the Vault" that lets you see if you are in gift guides, of if you have been featured in the Storque recently.

Etsy Fee Calculator
This one can be a real eye-opener. You can state what amount you want to receive for your item, and then the fee calculator adds in the Etsy & Paypal fees, showing how much you will have to charge. Too often, people forget to figure in these fees when pricing their work!

Etsy Wiki
First off, this site has a wealth of information if you are trying to figure out Etsy. But what I love is their Top Seller function. You can easily find which shops sell the most on Etsy as a whole, or within your specific craft. This can be helpful so you can see what successful shops are doing.

Etsyhacks.com
The name may be a bit scary, but don't let that put you off. The developer of this site has created these tools, partly to help his wife, who has an Etsy shop. Under the Tools, there are two that are cool. First is the "Where Am I?" which lets you plug in your information to see if any of your items would show up within the first 25 pages of a search (you enter a tag & your user name). The second, is "Inventory Worth?" which does what it says; it tallies up the prices of your Etsy items and lets you know how much total inventory you have.

Let's Ets
This site allows you to easily add you Etsy items to the Google Base, which puts your items into Google searches. This is another great tool to help you with exposure of your Etsy items.

Friday Fun Finds 4.03.09

Who doesn't love shoes?

Today's Friday Fun Finds spotlights handmade items in one of my favorite indulgences; shoes! I know I am not alone out there, so enjoy these fun handmade items that reflect a love for that which adorns our feet!




Even your baby deserves to have footwear to be proud of! I fell in love with these adorable, hand-knit, fuzzy booties! Created by Never Felt Better, you can find these Hazelnut Nuzzlers in their Etsy shop.

Talk about a cool use for those old dutch wooden shoes you have laying around! A hand-painted wooden shoe is transformed into a functional pin-cushion for your favorite seamstress or needle artist. You can find this Wooden Shoe Pin Cushion in Run Amok's Etsy shop.

I've always admired origami. When I imagine trying to work to the small scale of these origami pumps, I am amazed at the skill of this artist! Origami Spirit on Etsy has a number of very cool origami shoes for your perusal. These Red Polka Dot pair just happen to be my favorite!

Finally, this gorgeous pin features hand-set Swarovski crystals. This Vintage Style Shoe Pin was created as a beautiful tribute to a friend. Found in von Walhof Jewelry's Etsy shop, you can see more of their gorgeous pins in a variety of themes.

Tips for Having a Successful Show

Most artisans sell their creations at shows. Even though more and more are joining the Internet community, successful sellers realize that their potential customers want to see and touch the creations in person; after all the subtle nuances of a piece are often what attracts a buyer, and many times these can only be appreciated in person.

If you are used to mainly selling over the Internet, the idea of doing a show IRL (in real life) can be very intimidating. There is a certain safety towards your ego when selling over the Internet–you can’t see any negative reactions to your work…but you can’t experience the joy of someone falling in love with one of your creations either.

If you have decided it’s time to branch out into shows, or even if you have a few under your belt, here are some suggestions to help make your experience a successful one, both financial and mentally.

Make certain you visit the show before you agree to sell there!
Unless you have sworn testimonials from many trusted friends, you need to actually attend a show to see if your items will be well received. A local church craft bazaar or small summer craft fair may not be the right market for your creations. If a local craft show has an open vendor policy, that means anyone can set up a table and sell pretty much anything. If you make beautiful, handcrafted, wire-wrapped jewelry, why would you want to sell along side of grandma’s foam cut-out Christmas trees (no offense to grandma)! You wouldn’t expect to sell your jewelry at Wal-mart, you would look for higher-end shops that appreciate your work, mainly because customers that will appreciate (and buy!) your work will seek out those shops.

Also by visiting the show, you can see the conditions for yourself in regards to the lighting and spacing. You can determine if the organizer is on the ball and has arranged the artists for optimal traffic flow. You can also observe the type of people who are already attending this event; is it a nice mix of customers, people mainly looking for a bargain, or art conisseurs looking for a one-of-a-kind piece?

Set up your display ahead of time as a dry run.
You will already be running on adrenaline before your show starts, even if you are an old pro! You definitely don’t want to be stressing out because you didn’t think ahead as to how you wanted to set up your display. Also, when you set your display up at home you can immediately pack up everything as you pull your practice display down, reducing the likelihood that you will forget something important! In addition, this planning ahead will force you to think of everything you might need. Since I mainly sell my jewelry at shows, I know I need to include:

• hand-held mirrors;


• clipboard with newsletter sign-up info;


• business cards;


• extra pens;


• extra price tags; and


• scissors to cut the price tags in case the buyer wants to wear their purchase immediately.

Make arrangements to accept credit cards!
Considering there are so many affordable merchant services available now, there is no excuse for the serious artist not to accept credit cards. I currently use a service that many people recommended, Propay. I personally find this service very easy to use, and sell more higher-priced items as a result. There are others out there as well, I just don’t have the personal experience with them to recommend them to others.

If you do accept credit cards, make a folder for your credit card receipts. Make a “cheat sheet” with the instructions and information needed to process a credit card and tape it to the inside of the folder. This will also come in handy if you have a booth helper; they won’t have to interrupt you to take the card info, since they will have the directions in front of them. Once the show is over, you will already have your credit receipts in a folder making it easy to keep organized for bookkeeping purposes.

Be friendly!!!
This is probably the most important advice, and also the one thing you can absolutely control. You can have a million things go wrong, but the customer doesn’t need to know that. You would be amazed at how many shows I have been to, both as a vendor and as a buyer, where Sally Sourpuss is just sitting along at her table, ignoring nearly everyone who walks by (she may occasionally make eye contact with someone she thinks may have money to burn). There is no way you will have a good show if you don’t smile and acknowledge the people who are taking the time to look at your work, however briefly. Don’t be afraid to ask them how they are doing, and don’t get discouraged if they don’t buy something right away. They are more likely to remember you for being nice, and return to you for a purchase at a future show.

And if you feel you are having a horrible show, and inside feel anything but happy, I have two words of advice: Fake it! Being nice never hurt sales, but being unfriendly definitely will.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the amount of advice that is out there for having a show. However, it should be enough to get you going and have a great time while meeting your customers face-to-face. Believe me, there is nothing that beats having a perfect stranger come up to your creations and re-affirm that your work is, indeed, beautiful.

Where to Sell? Spotlight on Etsy

Taken from the Etsy website:

"Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade.

Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers.
Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice:

Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade."

When Etsy first came on the scene in 2005, it was truly visionary...a website, devoted to the sale of handmade goods? And they expected to make money with this?

Their timing couldn't have been better. With ebay becoming flooded by cheap, mass-produced items, it was quickly turning into a flea market, not a true venue for a serious artisan. And many artists were still not willing to invest on a website for their business that would allow for shopping carts. Etsy offered a solution to both of these problems.

So how is Etsy as a selling venue in 2009? While it sometimes seems like everyone I know is on Etsy, I realize there are still many people out there wondering if they should take the Etsy plunge. In my opinion, it is still quite easy to use, and the cost is less than listing an item on ebay (if it sells). You can list an item in your shop for 20 cents, which is good for 4 months. If your item sells, you pay 3.5% of the selling price as a transaction fee. If it doesn't sell, you can either renew the item for another 20 cents, or let it drop out of your shop when it expires.

The bone of contention I have with Etsy is the fact that they allow supplies and vintage items to be sold on Etsy as well. They claim that their tagging policies are supposed to ensure that commercially made (i.e. mass produced) supplies will not be mixed in with the handmade supplies, but anyone who has sold on Etsy for a while will tell you this isn't true. I have seen a number of threads in the Etsy forums where someone is lamenting another seller listing mass-produced items in the handmade section. While Etsy is more responsive than other sites when such issues are brought to their attention, I feel they could end this problem entirely if they would just live by their stated motto, and be only handmade.

Success on Etsy can also depend on what you are selling. The jewelry category is completely overloaded, making it difficult to find unique artisan pieces that are also affordable (the easiest way to find the coolest jewelry is to sort the items most-least expensive, but you still have to go through many pages of jewelry that may be way out of your budget until you find something you can afford). If you are selling a handmade good that can be used as a supply or to create other items, such as lampwork beads, paper or fibers, you will inevitably have to fight with the sellers of commercial supplies, which are always priced way cheaper due to the fact they are almost always imported from overseas.

However, Etsy is a great place to start off if you are just beginning to sell your work online, and you don't want to invest in a website just yet. Etsy is very popular, and the site gets a lot of traffic. Plan to do your own marketing on top of that which Etsy already does to help drive people to your shop, and you could find yourself reaching customers on all corners of the globe.

TGIM: When "Handmade" doesn't mean Handmade

In one of my posts last week, I briefly touched on the idea that just because something is made by human hands, it isn't necessarily "handmade." When most of us are looking for something that is handmade, they are looking for something crafted by an artisan; a piece that is made with inspiration behind it. However, some pieces that are made created by artisans are made using components that totally go against the spirit of "handmade."

I will probably ruffle a few feathers with this post. And I have heard the argument that if I buy sterling toggles from a store to use in my jewelry, I am no better than other people who buy cheap items in bulk from overseas. I have been told, that since the glass I use to make my lampwork beads is from a factory in Italy, I have no right to talk about the components other people use.

Of course, I do not have the right to judge. But I do have the right to educate. And consumers have the right to be educated on just how much of their handmade item has the true spirit of a handmade artisan good.

Being a bead & jewelry artist, I will use this example: if you want to use lampwork beads in your work, you can use those made by independent artisans, or you can use the mass produced beads from China or India. Yes, there are some very pretty beads that come out of factories, I will be the first to admit. However, just because you string a handful of imported, factory-made beads, and add a toggle, that is, to me, a very weak example of a handmade item. If you make your toggle or clasp yourself, then the handmade stock goes up...maybe create some wire designs for the beads, and the homemade stock goes up even more. Then, use lampwork made by a local artist, and you truly have a piece that is handmade, body & soul.

This isn't to say that strung pieces cannot be beautiful and done exceptionally well by talented artisans. However, those artists often choose the best quality stones or beads that they can find, and let the beauty of the components do the talking. They do not simply buy cheap components, put them together, and then talk about handmade.

I hope I am communicating the difference here between those who exhibit the spirit of handmade, and those that have more of a "production" mentality. What I do know, is that this issue permeates more than just the bead & jewelry fields. With so many items made overseas, many artists in different arenas now have a choice between traditional materials and those made more cheaply. You can buy "handmade" paper in any craft store now, but is it really the same as using paper made and designed by an artisan? You can buy and number of wools or fibers with which to knit, but what about the joy that comes from using wools that an independent artist has prepared and dyed themselves? The more "handmade" an item is, the more value it has, at least to me.

Pricing Your Art = Pricing Your Time

Pricing your art. Ugh. It's enough to make most independent artisans start to sweat and second guess themselves...how to I price my creation so that it will be bought by my customers, but still help put food on my table? And how do I price my work objectively, especially since a little piece of me has gone into making it?

I think the major issue I see with pricing is that a lot of artisans undervalue their work completely. It is easy to take the cost of materials, and know that you have to cover that, but far too many only take those hard costs into consideration when pricing their items. As a result, you begin to see a lot of nice items that are priced far lower than they should be.

What artisans need to also figure into their pricing structure is their precious time...and not always just the time of physically making the item. I may make a necklace in an hour, but it may have taken two to three hours of planning and experimenting before actually being able to make the finished product. In a business reality, I need to realise that necklace takes me three hours to complete, and I need to pay myself for those three hours somehow.

I feel that this is what separates a lot of successful artisans (i.e., they can make a good living at their craft) from the rest of people who find themselves thinking, well at least I can make back my cost of materials, but will never be able to be a self-supporting artisan. I myself have struggled with pricing my time for years. I personally now use a pricing calculator I purchased from Eni Oken, a well-respected jewelry artist. I realized that to support myself, I need to make about $20 hour before everything is taken out; taxes and social security need to come out of this amount, just as if I were at a salaried job. Once I accepted this fact, I also realized I needed to build the cost of non-materials such as Internet cost, computer costs, printer ink, etc. The only real variable in my pricing structure is now the cost of materials...if I want to make a piece that is more economical, I use less expensive materials, I don't cheat myself of income.

I'll admit that I had sticker shock the first time the calculator told me what I should be charging. It was hard to admit to myself that I was worth that much as an artist. But if I don't believe that I am worth the price, how will my customers ever believe that? I want them to know that I believe enough in my work that I am not willing to undercut myself or my art.

Online Venues; Which Do You Prefer?

There are so many online venues for independent artisans to sell their creations today. Each venue has their positives and negatives, but all of them have allowed us to reach customers we never would have met otherwise!

In upcoming posts, I will be discussing the major online venues, looking at how they help, and sometimes hurt, the independent artist. For now, I want to know which of the online venues you currently use to sell your goods. The poll will be up for a week, so you can always come back later if you don't have time right now!