Creativity and Business go hand in hand but not without the act of thinking!
As you know I like thinking - I like creative thoughts, I like knowledge, I like to know what makes people tick, I like to know how to run a successful business, and I like to take failure, learn from it and turn it into a success.
We share our thoughts on how we make enamels, but little is discussed on how we find inspiration to be creative. How does a beginning artist learn to think creatively? How does a seasoned artist break through the dreaded wall of Creative Block? Where do we go in our Think Tanks to come up with a creative thought?
and what about talking BUSINESS? Everyone of us has worked, or is working, or starting up a business, or teaching. You have a book of life experiences that could help out someone else.
We share our successes, but not our failures both in working craft shows, galleries, exhibitions and selling on line.
How does the emerging artist know how to determine price point?
Is it fair for the galleries to charge 50% above that price? Is it worth it?
How much success have artists had through galleries?
Have the craft shows in the past two years in this economy suffered or have enamel artists made money?
How many have opted to give up craft shows?
Are they overpriced?
Who advertises and where? Has it paid off?
I know that as a past bridal designer, I faced these same issues in a very similar fashion years ago. Advertising can suck the life right out of your profit margins. Where do you get the best bang for your dollar? In the 80's, I faced a losing battle advertising randomly - then I went to a women's entrepreneurial conference and took some workshops with the talking heads of the fashion world. They gave me one answer and one answer only - "the yellow pages" -( "let your fingers do the walking" was their motto)
At that time, the yellow pages was what Google is today, and it was the best advice I could have ever received and I turned failure into success without losing my shirt.
Today, we have Google, and Etsy as a marketplace on-line - but do any of us know how successful enamel artists are on Etsy? Without dialogue between us, we will never know how to become more successful with our art and grow a business to profitability.
We speak about the importance of promoting the Art of Enameling, but we are missing the dialogue on how to successfully act upon those ideas. What have artists encountered in the big world out there that other artists need to know?
I sit at conferences and talk to my peers, and listen to bits and pieces of the ups and downs of their business life over a glass of wine and think " This is valuable knowledge being lost to others who will be repeating the same mistakes."
In closing, as you browse the forum, and a subject of business or creativity comes up, become a talking head and share your knowledge and experiences to help educate the rest of us.
Put your thoughts into action and make this site an invaluable resource of knowledge and creative thinking!
Thanks,
Trish