Seems like lately, more than ever, people just getting into the craft biz are lost. Or maybe because I've put myself out there as someone willing to help, I'm just getting asked more for help.
I get a detailed history of the person's efforts, their successes and setbacks, always ending with, "What should I do next??"
And my first thought is always the same.
I don't know.
Heck, I don't know what *I* should do next!
The other funny thing is, if this person were to ask three different craftspeople (or other professionals in the industry) what to do next, I can guarantee they would get three different answers.
Why? It's not because they're trying to confuse you. Or because they have secret information they are withholding from you. Or because they're stupid and don't remember how they achieved success.
It's because there is no single, linear, sure-fire way to succeed in this business.
Everyone who has survived in this business has traveled a slightly different path to get there. They all have their own highly individual experiences, their distinct prejudices about what worked and did not work for them.
Some people's work takes off instantly, though that's actually rather rare. Some people are comfortable selling their work themselves and do well at shows. Some people's work sells well through second parties and they can successfully wholesale to stores. Some people's work is well-priced and can compete successfully against similar products. Some people's work is expensive but highly unusual or desirable. Some people's work appeals to only a very few people, but they find ways to target that audience successfully and do well. Some people's work appeals to many different kinds of people and they can sell it to almost anyone.
And everyone who is successful has a different definition of what success means to them.
For some people, sucess equals money. For others, success equals fame. For others, it is prestige. And many do it out of sheer enjoyment alone. You can create your own personal mix, but sorting out what your main need is helps a LOT in planning your next steps.)
Some people need to make a lot of money fast—they may or may not care about anything else concerning their product. Some people would LIKE to make money fast, but don't need to support a family and can take it slower. Some people just want to make a little extra pocket money. And some people don't care much about the money at all and want the prestige or fame that making art can bring. Some people have a burning desire to make the most wonderful "whatever" they can possibly make. They would LIKE if someone else felt the same way long enough to actually buy the thing. But they also realize they may have to work a little harder or wait a little longer for that to happen.
There are simply too many variables to generate a single one-size-fits-all solution to selling your artwork.
I try to share the variables in my blog because I just don't have time to help everyone one-on-one. But if I do, here are the questions I would ask YOU:
What do you want out of this? What do you NEED out of this? The two are not the same.... Money? Fame? Prestige? Be honest.
If you want money, then how much money is enough? Do you have to put food on the table? Most people do not realize that ANY new business should allow at least five years to turn a livable profit. And that's with start-up capital to get it off the ground in the first place. Craftspeople just starting out usually don't have start-up capital. They finance everything as they go with what profits they make. It's slower and harder. But it's also less risky, and lets us constantly tweak our goals and processes.
What is special about what you do? Or what is special about YOU? You'd be amazed how many thousands of bead-stringers think their rose quartz-and-Bali-silver necklaces are "unique"... It's important to get to the essence of what you do, so you can understand how to market yourself and where to position yourself in that market.
How much time are you prepared to invest? Do you have a few hours a week to devote to your business? A weekend? Full time? Remember, too, that once things get rolling, your actual production time will end up being a very small percentage of the time you actually devote to your business. There will be mountains of paperwork (orders, applications, bills, taxes, etc.), phone time, packing and shipping time or show and travel preparations.
What are you willing to do to be successful? Are you willing to walk into a store to talk to a buyer? Are you willing to spend your weekends setting up a tent in the rain at a craft show? Are you willing to be disciplined about producing your work, getting faster and more efficient and better at it?
What are you willing to learn? I can't tell you how many times I hear artists say, "I just hate selling my work, I can't sell my work, I want someone ELSE to actually sell my work." Well, if you are not willing to learn how to sell your own stuff, I'll tell you right now it's going to be even harder making this work. Not impossible, but a lot harder. Because eventually you have to sell it to SOMEONE—if not your end-user customer, then to the wholesaler/store owner or at least the rep who will sell it to stores who will sell it to THEIR customers. I've had to do a lot of things I don't like doing. And I've learned more from my art biz than any other experience in my life (except motherhood).
And most important of all:
Are you willing to endure failure?
Because being successful doesn't mean AVOIDING failure. It means persevering IN SPITE OF failure.
It means taking some risks (I like calculated risks, myself.) It means learning from your mistakes. It means being open to criticism, setbacks, slow sales periods, indifferent customers, bad shows, friends and family who don't necessarily understand or support what you do. Because each of these experiences will teach you something about the business—and something about YOURSELF.
Being successful means persevering because what you do is important to you, and you are willing to stick with it long enough to figure out what works for YOU.
And then being willing to change that when it no longer works.
It's a process. An exciting, confusing, exhilarating process.
