I have slowly developed a
huge respect for any and all Etsy sellers. For those of us who are serious about putting our noses to the grindstone and
really making something for ourselves in the world of Handmade Selling, we often find that we are way in over our heads. I thought setting up shop was hard. Creating an image for myself, listing a few things, creating an "about" profile...boy was I misguided back then as to what would be difficult and what would be easy!
There is a LOT to Etsy that one can simply
not understand until you have set your mind to selling. Did you know that not only do you have to have decent pictures for your listings, but you need to have
professional looking pictures! A quick snapshot isn't going to fly. My new process (adopted in the last few months) takes me about twenty minutes for the picture itself. Don't get me started on tags, titles, shipping, pricing, descriptions, and then promoting. Yes...all those matter too. So to the me two years ago who first started considering Etsy...good luck! It takes a minimum of 30 minutes to get that listing up and presentable.
I have learned a thing or two, however, and I think that I am going to continue to learn as I fumble my way through the world of selling art. You don't just make a listing and wait for the sales to come in! That was a huge lesson to learn. One must look around and know that art is a hard market to be in, and in order to be successful, you must be willing to put yourself "out there." You
must be prepared for criticism and naysayers. You
must be prepared for slow times and times of feeling discouraged. And as funny as this will sound...you
must be prepared for people to ask you to lower your prices for them. I highly recommend having a professional yet kind way of declining unless you feel so inclined to lower your price!
In the spirit of loving art and loving Etsy, I am featuring a few shops I admire for their beauty, diversity, and success! I am sure each of these shop owners have their own stories, lessons learned, and list of
musts! Enjoy their shops and show them some love and attention!
I have admired Liz for the longest time- her art stands out to me in a way a lot of art simply cannot. She seems to see things in a different light! In my mind, she has a rare and beautiful talent! Below are a few lovely pieces from her shop that I have handpicked to be some of her best (in my opinion!)
Becci takes a unique and whimsy spin on nature! Her art reflects both quirky and realistic work in one pleasant painting. I see her art as if she is trying to present the viewer glimpses into quiet moments we would otherwise miss! Below are just a few of her many wonderful paintings!
With such a unique, reminiscent style, Joanna gives the impression that she has been to places no one else has. Her eye for detail, her focus on all things lovely, and the simple elegance her art holds is unparalleled by any others for me. The three images below are just a small selection of her many beauties!
All of the art and artists listed above are Members of the Etsy community, their images are subject to copyright. I own and take no credit for any of the images above.
No comments:
Post a Comment