It takes a Village

by Staci Louise Smith

Thanks in advance for listening to my ramble.  I had a bad show the other weekend, one of many.  I was feeling pretty down about it.  I know, I know, I know all the things I tell everyone (obviously not the show for me, its not my work, ect ect), but it doesn't help how you feel when you pour yourself into your art and it doesn't sell.

And so, I reached out online, and MAN, I really felt the love and support of my friends and fellow artists when I was feeling down and unsure about the shows.  It had me really thinking about these people, and I just had to share some of those thoughts.  More than that, it made me realize just how much everyone is there for me, all the time.  In so many different ways.

I have always considered myself a "self taught" artist.  I don't have formal training in jewelry.  Though I certainly did have help.  I read books, and watched You Tube videos.  I had friends show me how to do certain techniques (thank you Page MB- I will be forever grateful for our solder day at your place).  I most certainly did not do this all on my own.  Self taught doesn't really feel right...........

The longer I get to do this as a career, the more I realize how important the art community is.  Not only are connections good for networking, but you build ties and bonds and make friends.  Friends who come and stay with you the night before your first class (thank you Jenny Davies-Reazor).  Friends who tell you the next show will be better (too many to name).  Friends who are honest when something doesn't look right (I can always count on Diana of Suburban Girl Studio's for honest advice).  Friends who give advice as to what is worth your time and what isn't, who share their stories, and what they have learned.  Friends who cross promote- and not out of duty or for $$$$, but because you both genuinely LOVE, respect and admire each others work.

 Marsha Neal and Kathleen Klik

My faithful  booth sitter (who is more organized then me at selling my wares!)
 Amanda of Brassy Peacock Designs

Linda Landig, who has the BEST laugh and GREAT taste in beads too

It takes a village to be successful.  If you try to go it alone, its a hard hard road.  I cannot imagine taking this journey without a village.  My village is always changing and growing- and I love that.  I am so thankful for each and every person I have met along the way.  Whether we have bead shopped together, created jewelry kits together, chatted about dreams and ideas, or have only chatted online, you are all dear to me. 

Diana Ptaszynski, Barb Bechtel, Jan Onipenco

We all have strengths and weakness'.  For example, I have learned to market over the years, but my brain didn't naturally work that way.  There were friends like Marsha Neal, who were more then happy to share marketing ideas with me.  It helped me to think about the bigger picture and how things work out there in the bead world and online.  I will be forever thankful for Melinda Orr for arranging so many meet and greets at Beadfest, and making sure everyone met each other.  I would be lost without Ginger DAvis Allman of Blue Bottle Tree, who is always finding out the "what is what and what is NOT" in polymer clay.  She has a scientists mind and does the most thorough testing and blogs out there in the clay world.
I literally cannot mention all the beady people whom I adore, and whom have been part of my business through advice and hands on help.

Melinda Orr and Eva Sherman

Everyone has a strength.  And together we are strongest.

It is tough to make it in the arts.  Everyone who is in this "art world" knows that.  We all understand, and I think that is one of the things that gives us all such a strong bond.  So many people are happy to pay it forward, because another artist did that for them.  If you open yourself up, it can be a very beautiful community.

So, my advice is this- be kind to your fellow artists.  Let them into your life.  They are your village.  And it takes a village.

Love, Loss and the Creation of New Planets

Art is a weird thing. The word "art" encompasses an infinity of creation, a world filled with countless stars. Some we aren't even aware of, others burn us with their brightness, while still others flicker quietly in the periphery of our vision. 

We've lost some of those bright, shining stars this past month. So many, too many. David Bowie. Not a star--a SUN, a PLANET all to himself. Even if you aren't a rabid Bowie fan (and to be honest, I was not) we all felt something when he left us. It hit me like a punch to the gut. He was so MUCH an Artist (that's right, with a capital "A"). Even though I did not follow him in depth, I was so AWARE of him. I respected him, I respected his vision of art and style and his wholly unique expression of all of it. He embodies my definition of an Icon. I guess it never occurred to me that someone like him, someone so completely "other", so completely a part of American and International art/music culture and history could just....die. Three days after releasing an album on his BIRTHDAY, no less. An album that is now being played around the world on repeat, as we pour over every syllable and note, searching for hidden meaning--searching for what we will interpret as his last will and testament for the world. That alone is fascinating and wonderful. I've listened to Blackstar--to say that it is "dark" is just a fumbling attempt to put an understandable word to work that is beyond simple words. David Bowie wrote and performed according to David Bowie and spoke in his own language. Respect, my friend, and take your place in the universe. He has left behind a hole that will never be filled because no one else can--or ever should--attempt to fill it.

Alan Rickman. DAMN. Again, an artist that I loved without being really conscious that I loved him. Love Actually is my go-to curl up on the couch with a box of wine fall asleep crying movie. His character in that movie was so beautifully, deliciously flawed and sexy and I loved him and Emma Thompson soooo much. Prince of Theives--absurdity at its absolute best. THAT VOICE. He could read the phone book to me and I would sigh in blissful contentment. I loved him before the whole Harry Potter thing and I'm so glad that a billion tweens, an entire GENERATION, now know who he is and are mourning the death of Snape.  An artist who specialized in the subtle twists and turns of characters that sucked you in completely. I haven't watched Love Actually this season (I usually watch it around the holidays but just didn't have the time this go round). Now I know that I will have to do a bit of mental prep--there will be more tears this time. That's a good thing--how amazing that art and artists can grab you by the heart...THAT is true magic.

Enough. More have left us, left us breathless with the loss. Play the music, watch the movie, take a few minutes, hours, and spend them marveling at the body of work these glowing stars left for us. When I say that art is a gift--that's literal for me. These artists have given us so many gifts we get to cherish forever. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

For me, these losses bring to the front of my brain a theme I often visit and revisit in my own work--Time. The passage of time, what we do with time, how we must cherish and not fight our place in time. I'm starting a new series of pendants I'm calling Time Travelers. Stones and fossils accented with vintage and antique watch hands. Stones tumbled by time, ancient fossils traveling through time to somehow find their way to me. Two examples here--a river stone and a gorgeous hunk of petrified wood. More to come.

I hope you all will take the time to support artists you love. Tell them that you appreciate the gifts they give through art. Remember how fleeting time is and make the very most of every minute. Revel in ART whenever you can. Wear it, play it, watch it, share it, CREATE IT. A gift meant to be shared!

Now, GO MAKE SOMETHING AMAZING!

Marketing Yourself

by Staci L. Smith

My most joyful times are spent creating.  I am an artist.  I love to be coming up with new ideas, and creating them in my studio.  Give me plain old clay, or a torch and some metal, and a day to myself, and I am in my happy place.

photo by Tammy Snyder

But I need to make a living at this too.  So I am forced to sell my products.  I am forced to find the right shows, price things, keep records, do taxes, have a website, and most of all, promote my business.

picture from a few years back, when I still did a lot of sea glass jewelry

For the longest time, this was really a struggle for me.  I felt like this was only a hobby, that, people were just being nice.  I felt almost guilty taking money for something I loved doing so much.  What could I do though?  I couldn't continue to do what I love without money coming in.

And now, 10 years later, this is my job.  And marketing my art, myself, is mandatory.  I have three kids, and this has to make money, or I go back to an office job part time.

See?  Don't they look hungry?  They eat sooooo much food!  lol

So, I have learned to market myself.  I did not teach myself, I learned tips and tricks from many many many other artists and friends.  I listened, I watched what they did.  I learned, slowly.

You know, point of marketing, is so that customers can find you.  There is a HUGE world of beads and jewelry out there.  How in the world, do you get people to find YOU online?  

Hold that thought.....Let me get a little sidetracked for a moment.........

This blog post stemmed from a question someone asked on Facebook the other day.  

You see, this year, for the first year, I entered some jewelry in the Bead Dreams competition.  It is a competition held at the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee.  It is a pretty big competition.  I have wanted to enter for a few years now, but have always been intimidated, and never had given myself time to create some really crazy art pieces for it.

Well, I finally did it.  I entered two pieces of jewelry into the polymer  clay category and one in the metal clay category.  I learned a lot about big wig competition too.  It's been a great experience.

The two polymer clay pieces got in!  Just to be accepted as finalists in this competition is huge honor.  They took 6 polymer clay entries as finalists, and two were mine.  I was floored!  

To see all the winners listed click this link

http://cs.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/bnb/b/beadandbutton/archive/2014/06/02/announcing-the-ribbon-winners-of-the-2014-bead-dreams-competition.aspx

Just the other day I found out that I won First and Second place in the Polymer Clay category.  BOTH of my pieces got ribbons.

photo by Kristin Oppold

Photo by Anne of Gardanne Beads

Needless to say, the range of emotions is really hard to describe.  Mostly, I am overjoyed, to be at this place in my career.  I went between happy, and disbelief at first.  I think as artists we sometimes have trouble REALLY being confident in ourselves.   I have moved onto the sheer happiness of this honor though.  I am thrilled.

So of course, I posted this on Facebook.  My friends all knew I entered, they had supported me, given me advice on my entries, and been routing for me since I entered.  And, not to mention, I am proud of it!  And I shouldn't be scared to say that.  I am proud, because my work, my art, has grown, evolved, and gotten better and better over time.  

Of course, there were tons of congratulations, and well wishing.  I will not lie, it sure felt good.  But then, there was one, who asked, "How does this benefit her?"  I will be honest, this was not asked in a nice way.  They were persistent and not very kind.  But after I thought about it for awhile, I thought, well, there really are people who may wonder that.  Who wonder why someone would go through all the trouble to create competition pieces, to pay entry fees, ship their items and displays.....there may be people who really don't understand why someone would do that.  (so thank you to the person who tried to bring me down- you inspired this post.  I hope it helps others to market their business, and not be afraid to say, "this is mine, I worked hard, and its awesome!"

So, here are some tips, things I have learned, things that have helped me to go from hobby to business over the last 5 years.  

Before you read the list though, first and foremost, you must be confident in your work.  If you are not, why should your customers be?  So with that in mind..................here's my list.

Network with other artists.  This is HUGE.  I have made so many fellow artist friends online, and we market for each other.  If you love someones work, share it.  Help them market.  And others will do the same for you.  

Blog, make a business page for Facebook.  This is what really did it for me.  This is what helped me to find that network of artists (now friends) online.  It was really hard at first, but over the last few year, it has become quite natural to talk about the business, my life and what I am working on.  I have discovered that I LOVE to share what I learn, because, it is how I myself have learned.  The kindness and openness of other artists is how I have learned what I know.  So I try to pay it forward.  

Join in group sales, enter contests, blog hops- anything that gets you into the community more.  Blog hops are especially a wonderful way to broaden your reader base, and welcome new customers.

Write for magazines.  This is a wonderful way to advertise your business, as well as show off the fact that your work is indeed handmade.  People feel more comfortable buying from someone who knows what they are doing.  When you write for magazines, you get to show that side of you.  Check out the post I did on how to get started with that here.

http://www.lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2014/05/getting-published.html

Writing for magazines not only gives you credibility as an artist, it advertises your business, AND you get paid for it.

Let me share where some of these things have lead me, to encourage you.  By entering contests and such on blogs- I got featured by them now and again (blogs like Art Bead Scene and Love my Art jewelry).  Love my Art Jewelry used to have a contest, and entering that consistently is how I landed writing for this blog.  They would have never know who I was, and I would have never known I could write for a blog like this.  

Friends and networking has given me a life in the arts I never thought possible 10 years ago when I was stuck in the corner of my family room, home with the kids, stringing beads.  The encouragement, collaborations, friendships and cross marketing has been an amazing journey, and helped me to reach new customer bases at the same time.  There are many groups on facebook, but Creative Bead Chat is my favorite place to meet new artists and get valuable information and tips from others.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CREATIVEBEADCHAT/

And Bead Dreams.  Well, there is a cash prize, but mostly, its just a plain old honor to be juried by Kalmbach judges and picked as winner.  I am hoping that my work being at Bead and Button will introduce it to new people, who I would never reach sitting in my PA studio.  It will be seen by hundreds, thousands of people.  And that surely can't hurt.

My next venture, is yet again, friend / artist recommended.  It has been recommended to me from the start.  TEACH.

So this year, I am teaching at Bead Fest in Philly.  I have always loved being with people, talking (and talking and talking), and sharing what I know freely.  So, I think I am going to like teaching.  I will let you know how it goes!  (link goes to my class information)

So, to wrap this up, everyone who you may see online, that has "made it" in your eyes, started out just like you.  They learned all they could about business (and are always looking to learn more), and they tried.  And they tried.  And at times they failed, and got rejected and felt like they were never going to make it.  But they didn't give up.  When I started out, I remember seeing these awesome artists, big names, like Lisa Peters and Marsha Neal......and now I know them, and they are just amazing ladies, and artists, that put themselves out there.  We know their names because they were not afraid to say, "Here it is, my work, my art".  

So go and pimp yourself out today.  Show off your stuff.  Be proud of what you make.  And lets encourage each other, lets share each others work, because we are a community.  We are all artists at different places in our journeys and careers.  But we are all the same, and we all need to stick together.

PS- That is one of ideas of our Boot Camp blog hops.  It is an opportunity for you to show off, and market to an audience that you may not have reached on your own blog.  Take advantage of it!  Show it off.  We here at LMAJ want you to succeed.