The part of the art business I hate

I love making art jewelry, even the business part.  But.  There is one part I don't care for.

Not really my phone, but looks like one I would totally have

Making "unannounced" phone calls.

I've been following up with my new wholesale accounts that I've taken on since the beginning of the year.  I've stayed in touch by email, but, as I have been coached by others within the business, nothing beats a phone call.

If you know me, you know I could talk an African violet to death so what's the problem with the phone call?

I hate interrupting people when they're not necessarily expecting me to call.  It's just a respect thing.  So I try to keep it short, sweet, to the point.  All about what I can do to help them and their business.

What about you?  What don't you like within your job or business?

This is your brain. This is your brain while multitasking.

Thank goodness the letters are a bit of mental stimulation.

*This is a part of the Thursday rant series, a tongue and cheek look at my life.*

I think my brain gray matter is the consistency of brie cheese.

or vanilla pudding.

or maybe even an ice cream cone that's melted on the seat of the back seat of my car.  (thanks kids)

or maybe soup with a few alphabet letters in it.

I say this because I don't seem to have the attention span to watch anything remotely intellectual on television.  (or at least if anyone has a British accent)

My husband says it's because I do to much multitasking.

Seriously?  So what if I boil and egg, write my next novel, and give myself a manicure at the same time.  (Okay, maybe not a manicure; I'm a pedicure kinda girl.)  Hubby will tell you that if you're going to spend anytime with me at the computer, you'll need to be wearing a seatbelt because you'll get whiplash as I go back and forth between tabs, programs, and "whatever it is that you do".  (That would be the business of art jewelry dear.)

So has all this multitasking melted my brain?  Hmmm.  And to think all this time, I've been blaming it on the sleep deprivation.


L        O         N         G


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Uh, what was a I talking about again?

Business podcasts I'm listening to in my iPod shuffle

I love my cute little iPod shuffle.  I have the older "stick of gum" size, and it's great.  I love how it can fit on my shirt collar.  It's the perfect companion for the studio or on the few occasions that I get to go on a walk.

In addition to listening to music, I like to download podcasts.  I follow the American Express forum business blog of articles, and I have to give them credit for a few podcasts they turned me on to.

APM:  Marketplace

This is a 27 minute or so podcast about current world events and how they relate to business.  A news style show.

Wall Street Journal on Small Business

This podcast is approximately 5 to 7 minutes and offers tips geared at small business owners.  There's also some news thrown in.

Automate my Small Business

These podcasts are much longer, ranging from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.  It's two business owners from Southern California giving tips on how to "give up" some of your duties to let your business run more on auto-pilot.  While everything they say may not apply to me, it certainly gets the wheels turning on some things I can do differently in my art business to give me more time to work on art.  *big smile*

All of these podcasts can be found in the iTunes store.

Anyone else have some other suggestions?

Maybe why artists struggle as business people

*This is a part of the Thursday rant series, a tongue and cheek look at my life.*

I wish someone would have sent me a memo when your words became worthless.  It certainly would have saved me a lot of time.

I won't get into the details, but I've been working with someone on an art project that requires me to pay her for her services.  What do they call that?   .........  Oh yeah, BUSINESS!  

We agreed that she would make X and I would pay her Y.  So what's a business woman to do when she misquoted her X and I'm still insisting I'm only paying Y?

You pull up the proof. 

Two emails later (where she wrote in HER OWN WORDS that she agrees to X for Y), she's still saying she can't do it for X.

Here's my question:  Do you think I would get arrested for trying to smack some sense into her?

I mean COME ON!.  I hear artists whine that they can't make a living making their art.  Want to consider that it might be something to do with your inept business skills?

I'm curious to hear what others have to say.  I can't be the only one to have had this problem.

Reviewing accomplishments in resin jewelry making

This past week, I have taken the opportunity to review 2010 and my resin jewelry business. This is a time for me to reflect upon and evaluate my decisions. A lesson I have learned from other successful business owners, regardless of the enterprise, is not that they always made the right decisions, but that they always made a decision and executed it. I make it a point to gather facts, review, then make a choice accordingly. It seems that most businesses (and people for that matter), can get the first two things done, but not the last one.  It is in that frame of mind, that I'm going to discuss my decisions here.

What major decisions did I work on this year?

I began the year with a larger focus on selling wholesale. I resigned from the local artisans' guild and decided not to do the spring art shows like I have done in the past. I only participated in two, local, fall art shows, mostly because they are local and have been good venues for me in the past.  While the economy has not made it a stellar year, I am excited about the future of this and look forward to expanding my wholesale market.

I met my goal of teaching a jewelry making class locally each month.  I find it is a great way to keep my skills in check. Teaching others how to make jewelry forces me to think creatively as well.

Through social media, I was able to network with a few influential people within the art business world.  I'm excited that I have a close business relationship with these people and can rely on them for expert help within my art business.

I continued to support a few, worthy charities with my art jewelry for their auctions and benefits.

What other specific decisions worked?

Introducing a line of jewelry with a price point under $15 was successful. I think after the economy recovers, I can continue to have success with these pieces of contemporary jewelry because they are unique and colorful.

I hired someone to help me with my jewelry making.  This was a tough decision for me since I am the type that expects perfection from myself.  It's hard to task someone else to do things in the jewelry making process without knowing if that same person will also take the assignments just as seriously.  My assistant started with a few small tasks and has asked for more responsibility.  I look forward to giving her expanded duties in 2011.

I reduced the number of galleries I work with that are "consignment only ".  While this reduced the total amount of my jewelry in retail outlets by more than half, I managed to increase my overall sales volume by working with cash, wholesale customers only.

So what wasn't successful?

I'm disappointed my advertisements I bought in wholesale catalogs didn't bring more leads. I don't know whether this is due to not advertising the right jewelry, not having an "eye-catching" ad, or perhaps that it wasn't the right place to advertise. I have put this on hold until after my wholesale show next month when I can see what resonates with wholesale customers.

I started another website, Handmade Resin Jewelry.   My hope was that it would bring more sales to my KMS Designs Resin and Acrylic jewelry website.  While it may still be too early to tell, the results have not been exciting as of yet.

What decisions am I contemplating now?

I am mulling over the possibility of having an outside source manage the commerce portion of my retail website.  I am exploring options now and hope to have a decision made by the end of January.

I would like to expand tasks to another person (hired or intern) to get more public relations exposure.  There are a lot of bloggers and media outlets I would like to work with and obtain press coverage from.  This would also give me more time to work on jewelry!

What things are you considering for 2011?

New resin jewelry storage containers

Whether it's because I'm frugal or resourceful, I'm a big believer in "use it up or wear it out".  I don't just buy the latest "it product" because I want it and I try to repurpose as many things as possible.  As I've found out though, sometimes I have to "start over."

I've been using recycled storage containers (baby wipes, large yogurt tubs, etc.) to store the new scrabble tile jewelry pieces.  As I found with my last art show, it made it difficult to look for a specific piece to accommodate a customer request and/or set out a similar replacement piece for display.  I decided to "splurge" and get some "user friendly" storage pieces.

I bought several wooden trays (shown on right of the picture) and plastic inserts (left side of the picture) with individual  storage bays.

The plastic pieces fit snugly inside the wooden trays.  I can put up to four resin scrabble tile pieces in each bay.  I group them according to theme.

I can then stack the trays on top of each other.

I also purchased a canvas tote bag to store the stacked containers.  The side zips down and I can just slide them in.

Here we go!  All zipped up and ready to head to the Downtown Festival and Art Show in a couple of weeks.  I'm pretty excited that this will make things easier for me to store and organize my resin jewelry pieces.

Essential equipment for my jewelry making business

As I'm in my art studio the other day, I was looking around at the jewelry making equipment I have that isn't technically jewelry making equipment.  I say that because they are not items you would find in any of my jewelry supply catalogs, but I absolutely find them essential to my business.


These are my top 5 items, that if they went away, I would seriously miss:

Assorted colors of fine point Sharpies

1.  Sharpies  These are great to use to write on metal.  I also use them to mark storage bags and storage containers.  I have them in almost every color possible.  Yes, I love my Sharpies.  (My jewelry making class participants also hear me sing my praises for Sharpies a lot.)

Bembo mini trekker tripod

2.  Bembo mini trekker tripod.  This is the tripod I set my camera up on to take pictures.  It is a "mini" tripod, approximately 24 inches high, that allows me to get super close to get great detail on my jewelry.  It is almost like "Gumby" in that I can contort it into almost angle or height possible.  Once I get my camera set up and the jewelry positioned, I set a timer on the camera to take the picture.  I wouldn't be able to get clear pictures otherwise since my shaky hands make blurry pictures.

The high speed internet router in my office

3.  The internet  This might sound very cliche, but the internet has opened a lot of doors for me.  I have made sales to people I would not have ordinarily met living here in Florida.  I also have been fortunate to have met others in the art business that have been invaluable in guiding me in my jewelry making career .

DYMO label writer for printing postage

4.  Endicia  This is an internet based postage company that allows me to purchase postage online and print directly to labels on my printer.  This allows me to weigh my packages in my studio, enter that information into the program, and print out the shipping label with the appropriate postage.  I can then hand the packages to hubby as he's heading out the door to drop in a blue mailbox.  Standing in line at the post office happens no more!

Assorted templates and ruler on my soldering bench

5.  Templates and rulers  While you might think, what's the big deal about these, I have a very special collection of office supplies.  I have certain rulers with specific marks (and the same goes for my templates).  I also have a collection of templates used by architecture gurus that allow me to make precise sketches and/or drawings on metal (using Sharpies of course).  The right piece of equipment definitely makes things more efficient.


What do you have in your office that is just "must have" for what you do?

Getting ready for art shows

I can't believe the summer is over!  Maybe it's just me, but it seems like it flew by this year.  As it turned the first of September last week, I realized that the Thornebrook Art Festival is next month.  Wow!  It's my first of my two art shows this year.  I used to do a lot more shows (about 8 or 10 every spring and fall), but for several reasons, I just don't do that many anymore.  I only do my local shows now (at least for the time being), to allow me to be closer to my family.

KMS Designs resin and acrylic jewelry art show booth

As I started thinking about everything I needed to do to get ready for this show, I thought about how I used to run around like the proverbial headless chicken trying to get things done.  Whether I'm wiser or less stressed, I don't know, but here's what I've learned:

1. I will always run out of something.
2. People come to look, learn and enjoy the conversation.  They don't want a sales speech.  (Good thing, I don't like giving those.)
3. I like people to try on my jewelry.  It gives me ideas on what to do next.
4. Art festival food is a lot like carnival food, crunchy, a little greasy, and glad I only have to eat it a couple of times a year.
5. I can break down an art show booth like I'm on fire.  :)
6. I can fit more stuff into a 90's model Ford Explorer than anyone ever thought possible.
7. Location, location, location.  Important to setting up and getting customers.
8. Ninety-eight percent of people who come to art fairs and festivals are nice and mean well.  I won't comment on the other two percent.
9. I am glad I invested several years ago the thousand dollars to get a sturdy tent.  It has put me at ease on several bad weather show days.
10. I will always need to use the bathroom when I have no one to help me and can't find a booth sitter.

Mark you calendars for Oct 2 and 3 for the Thornebrook Art Festival.  I'm at booth 15 (green zone).  As usual, I will have assorted jewelry pieces (last of the series, no longer make, etc.) on sale!

The view from my art jewelry office

So I thought it might be fun to show you what my office looks like. My office is a separate room inside my house. I would one day LOVE for it to be in my studio, but alas...another day. I'm not a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination. I use a lot of "piles" to organize, but am slowly switching over to using file folders and organizing racks. Perhaps I can get some help in this someday. This is my computer desk complete with laser printer to the left. I use the printer to print out the images for some of my resin pieces. The laser printer was so much more expensive, but I am so much happier with the print quality.

I've had to expand to buy a couple of shelving units to store jewelry making materials.  Before making resin jewelry, I always kept everything I could in my art studio.  Since resin can be a bit fussy about the weather, I keep a lot of those materials indoors.  The picture at left shows a hodge podge of papers and materials.  If you look closely at the 4th shelf down on the right, I've actually got resin jewelry pieces curing under the plastic container "domes".










This shelving unit contains gift boxes and packaging materials.  You can see the 3rd and 4th shelves down contain packing envelopes and boxes complete with a postal scale.














A closeup of some of the scrabble tile pendants in process.

More digital art papers waiting to be applied to scrabble tiles.  I keep them inside as well since I can keep the dust down in my office better than in my studio.









I promise one of these days to get my studio cleaned up enough for a tour there as well.  *smile*

The business of making art

In my ideal world, selling my acrylic and resin jewelry would be like the Field of Dreams movie.  "Build it and they will come."  Alas if it were only that easy!  Having a successful artisan jewelry business requires active participation on my part.  I just can't simply make handcrafted jewelry and expect people to magically know to find me.  There presents the quandry.

Balancing the business of making contemporary jewelry and marketing contemporary jewelry is not easy.  I tend to get stuck on one or the other at some point.  Over the past week, I have been on a creative tear and find that I have to beat myself to follow up on emails and phone calls.  Perhaps it's because artists go through mental blocks too (at least this one does), so when I'm on a good creative track, I hate to give it up.

I write this blog post as motivation to help me find the right balance, which some days, is easier than others!  Okay, back to the studio.....