Action

I would like to share an adage I heard the other day that might possibly become my mantra:

Action is the foundation of all success.

I have had problems with motivation for quite a long time, back through high school and middle school, and I can't speak to elementary school but it always comes down to STARTING whatever needs to get done. Once I start on something, I usually work away at it until it is all or mostly complete. The problem is, I can dance around projects like no other by finding other things that need to be done, like cleaning the house or making a needlessly elaborate dinner.

So I'm going to start reminding myself that action is the foundation of all success. Because that's honestly one of my biggest hurdles.

New Fascination: Hourglasses

It took me a few attempts to get it right, but I finally ended up with this hourglass that I'm fairly happy with. It is about five inches tall, and it measures 3 and one quarter minutes.

The adorable small ones I had intended as my end product gave me such a hard time that I didn't complete a single one despite many, many attempts. I got them 95% of the way though! The very last step was where the problem was, which was quite frustrating.

Maybe someday I'll reach this level of awesomeness: Ikepod Hourglass by Mark Newson

I Heart Jellyfish

This week, in the spirit of Valentine's Day preparations, I've been making hearts. But hearts are sooo boring. Everyone makes hearts for Valentine's Day. What else would one make for such a holiday? There's simply nothing else. Hearts are THE symbol, and there's no getting around it. So, the challenge I am faced with is how to make it a little more interesting.

The first answer that came to my mind? Stick a jellyfish in there.

Who doesn't like a nice jellyfish, safely incapacitated in clear glass? They're cool, for pete's sake.

So anyway, January has been a month for recovering from the raging capitalist beast that is the Christmas season. That thing can wipe a girl out. While I have been taking my me-time however, there is a problem tugging at my sleeve. At some point, the question needs to be addressed: what is my direction? I have been caught up for a long time in a fear of starting down a career path - any career path at all - because I feel that I will become trapped doing something that is not the "right thing," and wasting my life. The uncomfortable truth that I need to face now is the opposite. The real waste of life is not doing anything with it for fear of commitment, and that is pretty much what I am doing right now.

Thus, I am currently in the process of writing a business plan. For Christmas, I received this handy dandy book:

I have been finding it helpful so far. The internet has also been helpful, and a few friends have offered to give me pointers along the way. Additionally, I will soon be instating regular business hours. Then will come taxes and ledgers and never any free time and carpal tunnel and a boatload of other stuff, but I think if I take things one step at a time I can probably avoid being overwhelmed.

In the meantime, here is a little heart charm that I actually think is pretty cute (you know, for being just a heart). Stay tuned to Fine Specimen, because it's fun to be festive! Oh, and happy 2013!

Farewell, 2012

As the year sweeps to a snowy end, there are a whole slew of phrases and issues that come to mind as I attempt to discern what I can take with me from this year moving forward into the next one. Here are three of the more glaring ones.

1. I Need To Get A Spacephone So That I Can Use My Square Card Reader - this one is pretty self-explanatory. Without the use of a card reader, I am only able to accept cash or check at a craft show. This used to be common practice, but it is rapidly becoming inconvenient. Some folks do come prepared with cash, but people who happen upon a craft sale are much less likely to have money with them that is not in card form. And seriously, who carries checks these days?

2. I Need To Do Some Serious Display Testing - At each of my shows this past year, my display has been changed up and tweaked and adjusted and pruned. A few of my craft show neighbors suggested that this behavior is fairly normal, that their own displays usually change up a bit with each show, and at the time of my shows my displays seemed to me to be pretty decent.

But I can't afford to be decent. I need to be more WELL HELLO THERE YOU PRETTY LITTLE THING...

Granted, I pretty much dove head first into this craft sale thing without much prior planning, but now that I'm out of the woods of the busy season it is time for some hours to be spent on actual display design.

3. It Is Going To Be A Long Road Pricing My Work - This is something that everyone thinks about a little bit differently. There are so many things to take into account when I am deciding on a price for my work that it is easy for me to become overwhelmed. How clean and crisp is the design? Who am I selling it to? How long did it take me to make it? How much did it cost for me to make it? Do I even want to sell it or could I do it better? What are others selling a similar item for? What kind of value do I personally place in it?

I have become aware that it will probably be some time before I am very confident in my pricing ability. For the time being I just have to do it and stick to it, see what works, and go forward from there. I am often torn between my own sense of frugality (from the perspective of the consumer) and the fear of selling myself short (from the perspective of the artist/person who needs to eat food).

This is the issue, I think, that will eventually spell out whether or not I am a savvy businessperson - I have more confidence in the other aspects of business, I am organized, and I am disciplined, but I have such trouble with pricing.

Things I need to work on aside, I have met some really spectacular people in just this one season, my first season of craft shows, and I have no doubt that there are a great many more very friendly and talented people yet to meet. It also actually astounds me for some reason that my friends and family are so responsive and excited to support me and watch me succeed. I wouldn't be where I am now without my awesome network of people, but I guess that's what friends are for! Thanks guys, and Happy New Year to all!

Handmade Sale

 So these twirly icicle-looking ornaments have been a big hit at my last two shows.

Also, these mini blown ornaments are so satisfying to make. They look great in sets.

The ever-popular mustache pendants are crying for me to make more.

I decided to bring out my two newest corset vases, which I made down in Corning last week. 

For not a huge amount of vendors, the people vending definitely made some cool stuff.

Like this corset vase! Fresh out of the oven!