Handmade Artists on Etsy Part 1

If you are a regular reader of this blog, it is very likely you have a good understanding or are at least learning how to tell what is "handmade" when it comes to jewelry and jewelry making materials.

If not, click around, follow us through social media and you'll soon have a clue about the current handmade jewelry making movement.

But if you search on the internet for "handmade" jewelry, beads, anything...

How can you, the consumer tell that something is made by an artist?

It gets frustrating and disheartening when you really start to think hard about if something is purely handmade or not.

All handmade artists use some sort of material for their work that was produced by an outside source: mother nature, industry manufactured or mined materials, artist components, and so on.

So let's throw away that purist "handmade" attitude and move on to a "handmade" attitude that includes items of good taste, original artistic expression, uses quality materials, and of high craftsmanship.

There used to be this awesome handmade website called Etsy where you could go and find items that were handmade, supplies to make your handmade, or vintage items.

But it is getting harder and harder to navigate through their search to actually find their "handmade goods" because that term "handmade" has become diluted with mass produced items.

November 2013 Explosion of Etsy Treasuries of "Handmade" items.

With how huge Etsy is, it is practically impossible to sort through all of the items that are on there that show up through the front page clickable searches to find items that you are looking for. Forget trying to find anything handmade through those default searches.

AND as an artist listing items, to try figure out how to label items so that they show up from those clickable searches is beyond frustrating and seemingly impossible.

Then you have to compete with people severely underpricing their work which undervalues the entire handmade artist industry...

No wonder why people and the handmade community in general are in an uproar!

It's a puzzle by Joe on Etsy

I searched: Etsy.com ~ Jewelry ~ Necklace ~ Statement ~ All Items

and this is what came up:

Etsy.com - Jewelry - Necklace - Statement - All Items

I then noticed an extra button and clicked from "All Items" to "Handmade" thinking

"Ah, ok! That will get rid of all that - in my opinion - trending junky cheap jewelry - and will bring up actual handmade artist items".

Talk about disappointment...

Most of that crap was still there!

Etsy.com - Jewelry - Necklace - Statement - Handmade

So I question - Why is that happening?

The simple answer: it's in the background settings and the way computers work (based upon decisions made by Etsy and the way they want their Search to work).

Know what I would love to see?

Etsy Marketplace which would be the Etsy as it exists now.

And Etsy Handmade the Etsy of yesteryear.

It would mean an overhaul and re-sorting of what exists there now.

And that shops on the Etsy Handmade site should need to prove their level of handmade.

A huge undertaking technologically speaking, but very much worth the effort.

And with all this technology and updates to how they are doing things -
Really - would it be that hard to do?

They have done it before.

They will surely do it again as technology moves forward.

My question is WHY would a company as well known as Etsy and as powerful as Etsy not want to embrace such a strong and passionate community of artists to give them their online selling home back again. 

Why not give the consumer a clear place on the Etsy home page to click and find individual artist handmade without having to go crazy and give up on searching for unique items flooded with crap?
Heck - make the handmade version of Etsy the default and make the marketplace the "clickable" link. Put handmade above all else!

You may be thinking: Marsha. Why do you care? What is the point?

Isn't Etsy just some big company trying to make money and that doesn't care about individual artists?

Well, I'll tell you why I care so much.

Etsy to me is an awesome marketing tool.

Pure and simple.

WE - the handmade community - have done a great job at getting their name out there, getting people to shop their site, and I want those customers to find my work, feel something about my work, and hopefully - buy something.

I love being part of Etsy Teams and the camaraderie that comes with promoting work with like minded shop owners (for the most part).

And the way you can share your work or treasuries through social media via Etsy has helped promote individual items, and through teams - a bunch of items from many shops.

It feeds that need that some people feel of being part of something more, outside of your own little world.

Yes - some things DO need to change if they want to save their company.

Please - Etsy - Make the right changes to help support "handmade" once again!

And as people that love to use, make, wear, handmade items, it is up to us to help educate the public to be able to find "handmade" that includes items of good taste, original artistic expression, uses quality materials, and of high craftsmanship.

More to come from me next week on this topic of "Handmade Artists on Etsy".
Part 2 HERE.

Please post your creative thoughts and comments on ways that Etsy could be improved.

How do you market your work?

Are you on any Etsy Teams?
What things do you really enjoy using on Etsy and to make your selling and marketing experience better?

We all know how "bad" it has become, and don't need negativity, so please avoid straight out bashing as that does nothing to improve the current situation.

Find the positive twist to what your negative feelings are saying and find a solution.

Want to check out a few more "handmade bead and jewelry artist" groups that helping lead this current handmade artist bead and jewelry movement?
Art Bead Scene
Art Jewelry Elements
Creative Bead Chat and Artisan Whimsy
And of course - us - Love My Art Jewelry

Here are a few images you can use on your site, shop, blog, etc to help get the word out:

Thank YOU for supporting and caring about handmade!