Having said that, welcome!! This is the first post, so hopefully i can do it some justice and can entertain you with smiles and laughter as you read.
My little shop opened up on Etsy almost 2 years ago. When i decided to open it, i was really just trying to get through a rough creative block. I was in college again (for the second time) and in a fine arts program. I had struggled through the entire semester with creative ideas, just not flowing. I knew i needed to do something to help. I’ve been told that like everything else, if you don’t use it, you loose it. But i wasn’t about to give up easily. So I decided that i would make and sell Christmas ornaments made from felt. I always LOVED making things when i was little. I guess you could say, i’ve always been an artist. And it would be true. Though i haven’t always wanted to be one. That came much later in my life. Anyway, so i went to the craft store and bought some felt and embroidery floss. I had no idea really what exactly i would make. I was just going to try and see if i still could.
I made a few things and proceeded to get on my laptop and open up a shop on Etsy. I knew a lot of people who had done it before. But i had no idea how or if it was going to turn into anything. Or if i’d make any of the money back that i’d spent on supplies. But off i went.
I think in the first week i had made a dozen or so items. All ornaments for the tree. Stockings with little tiny bells on them, Santa, reindeer, snowmen…anything that was holiday-ish. At the time i also started a Facebook page for my shop.
A few days went by and since i really didn’t know what i was doing, it was more of a learn-as-i-go thing, my shop wasn’t doing so well. People were looking, but no one was buying. At the time i wasn’t worried about the money aspect of it, i was more hurt that people weren’t interested in what i had. So i revamped a few items. Made them cuter. Then…i made Holiday Bacon.
Now, i know what you’re thinking…Bacon? On a Christmas tree? YES!! Omg! Bacon is a BIG thing!! It’s everywhere!! People love their cured meat! On a plate, in a dish, in a beverage, on a boat, in a moat, with a goat (you know the book)…everyWHERE!!!! I took certain creative liberties with my stuffed felted guy. Like he has a face. Not like a pig face or anything…but a smile. And he’s adorable. And he was a HIT!! I had orders for bacon coming out of my ears!! I sent one to the Ukraine! I still talk about that, because somewhere, a sweet Russian girl has MY Holiday Bacon guy hanging on her tree!!
Over that holiday season 2 years ago, i managed to make back the money i had spent. Sadly, that was all i made. The following year, i decided to change the entire shop and do ceramic items instead of felt. Magnets and ornaments. I didn’t sell ONE ITEM!! I was frustrated, but then while in school, i went to an artist talk. His name was Kyle and he was from NC and worked from home. He had a degree from UNCG in graphic design, but had been doing a multitude of things instead. He had told us that graphics weren’t paying the bills (i can totally relate!! That’s what i got my first degree in too), and he wasn’t happy. So he moved on. He said that he would do drawings in the morning that HE liked as a warmup to his day. And over time, eventually, they started selling. By the end of his talk i was revved up to get back to creating. I had a long list of questions that i emailed him with the next day. I told him about my Etsy shop, and asked him things regarding how to make a living off of it at some point. He wrote me back the next day and gave me the most wonderful advice i’ve ever gotten. Something that i eagerly pass on to other creatives. He said, “Make what YOU love! Not what you think other people will love or will sell. Your love for what you are making will show in the work and others will see it, love it too and buy it!” or something to that effect. It was brilliant!! Why on earth didn’t i realize that on my own?! That’s why the ceramic stuff didn’t sell. I didn’t love it. I mean, ceramics was my major, but i was making those items to make money from. Not because i loved them.
All that to say, this year, my shop went through a massive revamp!! I’ve brought back the felt ornaments (which btw are stuffed. They aren’t flat) with gusto!! I have a set of Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Christmas Tree, The Breakfast Trio, and a number of other fun things! And i love each of them!! I will sew for HOURS!! Like the Red Queen took me over 8 hours to finish. I had a day where all i made were the pirates. That was a 12 hour day. Of course i took a few small breaks here and there, but it’s not like i’m laying on the couch all day watching the View and eating Häagen-Dazs®. I am actually working. Yes it’s fun and i looooove what i do, but it’s still work. No, i don’t get paid on an hourly basis, and the days are long, sometimes without having a day off for weeks, but i’m loving every second of it!! Plus…my coworkers are pretty darn cute!
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