The mess...

I spent a few hours today cleaning up my work table. It was a wreck. There was an abundance beads and findings. Yes, it's true. I'll admit it. I am a certifiable mess when I work. I guess I've always been like this. It was never fun, as a child, to play with one toy at a time or color with one crayon at a time. It's always been the entire box of crayons all over the floor that I am pretty sure drove my mom batty.
I've tried to be a tidy, organized artisan. I see photos of other artists studio spaces and can only dream of such neatness. The closest I come to being tidy is my bead/tackle boxes. I love them and thier color-coded-ptouch-goodness. But, other than my storage system, it truly is pointless. I've never been one to sketch and plan designs out. Tried it. It didn't work. I guess you could say, I fly by the seat of my pants. I pick a color palate dump some stuff on the table and start working. There is just something about having a plethora of supplies on my table ready to be made into something wonderful. Inevitably it goes from working on one project to having as many as three going at the same time. It's a method of creativity that is perhaps a little ADd, perhaps even a bit manic. But for me, it works. That is, until I have to come to terms with the disaster I've created and begin the clean up.

To wholesale or not to wholesale?

...that is the million dollar question.

Well, I'm still designing for a local store. My designing gig recently turned into production work. Not my favorite kind of work but a necessary evil nonetheless.

As the supplies began dwindling down a few weeks ago, I was asked about these earrings and the other pieces I presented when I applied for the job. Turns out the boss really liked them and wants to carry them. I will admit the idea of selling my work and not consigning it for a change appeals to me... a lot. She wasn't talking about one or two pieces. She wanted a "strong production" of these pieces. I thought to myself... "chi-ching!". We started talking quantities, then pricing. It had the potential to be very lucrative. Had being the operative word. You see, my boss is accustomed to dealing with Sterling Silver manufacturers in Mexico .. who incidentally still take advantage of independant artisans and often don't pay fairly for their work or materials. The others she deals with regularly are Asian manufacturers....yeppers... you guessed it! China!! As an independant artist/designer I can't compete. To get down to the pricing and quantities for her to be able to offer them at wholesale shows would mean one of two things. Either I work myself into the ground for nothing, or hire a couple of people to do the production work and pay them next to nothing. So I had to politely decline the offer.

Then, about a week later, it happened again. I was helping out a friend at a tradeshow a vendor saw a bracelet I'd made, and the question arose once more. Now the piece in question is a chunky sterling silver and crystal charm bracelet. This bracelet is not for the timid. Would I wholesale? I said yes. And again, understandably, she wanted it for much less. I had to decline the request once more, because selling at a loss is not an option.

You see... I genuinely love what I do, and I hope to be able to make a living at this someday. I am flattered that people want my designs for their stores. Will the question come up again? I sure hope so.

The Possibility of Failure

Talk about an ominous newspaper headline. But it served it’s purpose and got my attention. So I began to read… and found myself identifying with the subject of the story, composer David Lang. Read the article here (www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/issue/story?oid=oid%3A1022399 ). Oddly enough, we are polar opposites. It’s apparently never been one of his goals to be safe. He’s a person who is willing to take chances and that (I think) has been the key to his success. He embraces the creative process with all of its possibilities. It’s something I must learn. It’s one of my biggest fears… the possibility of failure. It’s what I think holds me back from being the successful person I hope to be. All along thinking… what if…? (A loaded question if ever there was one.) The fear of not being successful at my craft is what recently lead me to, play it safe, and take a designing job for a local store. My what if has always been…. “what if they don’t like it?”. Designing under someone elses “label” has allowed me the freedom to take design risks that I otherwise wouldn’t have taken. I now realize that I’ve played it safe for too long, and for too long I’ve relied on custom work and repairs as a means of business. As it turns out, my “riskier” work has been well received, they do like my work.
Maybe now, finally, I can take my foot off the brakes and embrace the possibility of failure and turn it into the possibility of success.

Share

Share, originally uploaded by sassylittlelulu.

To give freely, without expectation of reciprocity. It’s something I believe we don’t do enough of as human beings. A quality that is lacking in today's youth. When did we stop teaching them? How did we forget along the way what it means to truly share?

So, in the spirit of sharing, here are some of my favorite people and places….
www.delsolphotography.com/ttd/ttd1 … the ultimate way to “Trash the Dress”!
www.makingitlovely.com … I love her design sensibility!
www.pathlesspedaled.com …they are doing what many of us have dreamed of.
www.blog.lorenaangulo.com … she is oh so talented!
www.artkatstudio.us … she is a source of strength and inspiration to me…. A true survivor and my personal hero!
www.hintjewelry.blogspot.com … love this chica’s work!!
www.ironspider.ca/index.htm … what would this analog girl do without this resource?
www.socialmediamommy.net … ‘cause I need all the help I can get!
www.marismith.com … if you facebook, twitter, or anything else…. Go here now!
www.uncommonsensemarketing.com/wp/blog …. A valuable resource in my book!
www.casamanos.com/mobile/location.php … a San Antonio treasure!
www.yelp.com/biz/florios-pizza-san-antonio Florio’s Pizza …. Best pizza in San Antonio!!
www.texas-to-mexico.blogspot.com … for those days when you are stumped by the question… what’s for dinner?

There are many more.... so stay tuned. ;)