Oh my!
Not quite sure how I managed to please the Etsy gods this month, but today marked my 4th appearance on the front page. It can be an amazing amount of exposure. One time the item ended up getting over 300 views, I got 20 some odd hearts and the item was hearted about 15 times as well. Oh, and a sale or 2.
Here is a the actual photo…
Now, just to figure out what do offer the gods to become featured artist….. any suggestions?
k
Ann Arbor Artisan Market
Two months ago I started selling at the Ann Arbor Artisan Market each Sunday. I have had so much fun that I became an annual vendor a couple weeks ago. This means I have a permanent spot. 2 other Etsy artists joined with me, and there was already one other etsy member already an annual vendor. (Shout out to Judy, Christine and Ann.)
I have been going around town try to get my cards in some local shops, but have had no luck. The joy of the market is that it is weekly from April through December. I get to connect personally with my customers, which I love. And I can’t forget the instant feedback. I also find it fascinating what people buy. Last week it was all cards and bookmarks. Another week it was all record bowls. Maybe I will find some sort of pattern. No, probably not. But I do get a chance to try out new displays for other craft shows.
I will try and get some pictures of my display to put up here. Until then here is a picture to enjoy.
Matting
I have to admit here that I cheat and don’t cut my own mats. There I said it. People often tell me it is much cheaper to make your own mats. Yes, this is true, but I would rather pay a little more for the convenience. Just imagining trying to cut mats while my cat, Moose, decides he wants to “help” makes me anxious. Also I just don’t have space in my tiny one bedroom apartment for cutting space. And I just got some new mats on ebay and they were inexpensive enough for me and a lot less hassle. It gives me more time to go out and take photos or make cards.
Mysteries of flickr and number of views
Sometimes I wonder how one photo will get a ton of views and another will get just a handful. Case in point. This photo has the most views of any photo in my flickr stream at 890.
But this one only has 27.
Both are from Detroit, posted around the same time. I find the second one so much more interesting than the first. I wonder if I will ever figure it out.
The living and the dead
So, an embarrassing moment came a few years ago when someone on Flickr told me that I should take pictures for a living. I was flattered of course, then I realized that he was asking why I didn’t take pictures of the living. Once I recovered from the embarrassment I put some thought in to just why I preferred the dead over the living picture wise.
Here is my list
- The dead are not self conscious when you point a camera in their direction.
- The dead stay put… and if they aren’t I don’t want to be around them.
- The dead don’t mind how many pictures I take of them… they are very patient.
- I am fascinated by how we honor the dead. The stones and the things we leave behind.
- I find cemeteries to be peaceful. It is a good place to meditate.
Friends sometimes laugh at me for all the cemetery photos I have. But they seem to be some of the photos that people connect with. I plan on adding more to my collection shortly.
k
Reading is Fundamental
I have been lucky enough to get 3 front page spots in the last month. (In the previous year and a half I had only gotten 2 that I know of) What is funny is the 3 lists all had me in the upper right hand corner. I feel like I am a regular on the Hollywood Squares. Maybe now I need a shtick. This list is close to home since my day job is at a library.
k
A bit about me
I just realized I jumped in here at Word Press and didn’t tell you anything about myself.
I am a 33 old addicted to books, crafting and Diet Coke. I have been seriously trying to sell my work for the last 5 years. For the first 3 my primary focus was jewelry. Then carpal tunnel waylaid me and now I only work on jewelry once in a great while. The last 2 years my primary focus had been photography. My motto is “From the silly to the Beautiful and everywhere in between.” My preferred subjects are cemeteries, county fairs and graffiti. I love detail photos more than big epic shots.
My new crafting addiction is making notebooks, cards and bookmarks out of recycled items. I have a hard time throwing away anything and now I am finally finding a use for some of it.
k
Another exciting moment
I made the front page of Etsy today. I have been lucky enough to have this happen a few times, but each time I get all excited. Like I was picked first for a team in gym class. Okay, so that isn’t exciting, like the cute boy in class winked at me. How is that?
k
Feeling all special
Recently I was asked by a reporter at Business Week to fill out a survey with some other Etsy sellers about being an indie artist. It is now online and I am very happy with how it turned out. Check it out. My part is in the slide show section of the article. It is great to be among such great Etsyian. Here is the photo they used for my page…
