Stop waiting for them to validate you..new work and why you must believe first

I am working on some book covers for a series of books. Its nice being your own designer you don't have to ship out work. But onto the post. I remember submitting a book proposal to an author on african american hair before Chris Rock's Good hair came out because i had always wanted to write about it. The publisher told me it wouldnt sell. UMMMMM? I can't even TELL you how many natural hair blogs there are from curly Nikki to natural chica to on and on and on and on. Seriously, I wonder if this guy ever wondered if he maybe didn't make a error in judgement.

Thanks why YOU MUST believe you have what it takes, but NOT everyone will see the vision at first. IF i had listened to people who didn;t know my worth or abilities i d be up the creek without a paddle. You have got to jump out there. ONLY you know what you are capable of, how do you explain GOD to someone who's never experienced them for themselves. Exactly...ANYWAY this is a cover i did in PICMONKEY bc im poor and don't own photoshop. I thought it came out pretty well considering.

If i waited for other people to give me an opportunity it might not have come. So sometimes you must just do it anyway and if it works, it works. 

Why your not making money on ETSY

I know this sounds like a negative post. but really I must be honest. Especially if you consider yourself a Christian business, there are probably reasons why you are not making money on ETSY. The following are some reasons i came up with this are not necessarily spirit led, only you know what God is telling you but they are some thoughts.

Reason 1. You are not following ETSY's rules. 

How you get something matters as much as getting it. Okay, i know you don't like to admit this, but even the internet has rules. You know the policies and terms that most ppl breeze past like they don't matter. Have you ever thought to think that they do. (see Moses and circumcision) are their rules that you thought weren't necessary but BEFORE you started your business did you factor all these things in?

Are you legally registered in your state, is it a hobby? Are you following all the shipping rules etc etc. There is a reason for the hold up and perhaps if you know what you weren't doing you would do better.

I used to think i would just be blessed just because i was, who i was. After all I have a cute product and ppl who have less talent are making money. Well.... that may be (PRIDE)  but perhaps they follow the rules and you don't God is no respecter of persons.

Reason 2. You are not prepared

have you thought about the fact that you can't handle more than what you have right now. You have a baby, a husband and a home and you are looking for 10,000 orders of stuff. Do you know that you have to have shipping labels, costs for postage, TIME and energy to create stuff, patience and time to deal with customer issues if something goes wrong. While you are himming and hawing about sister over there selling a BIZILLION bracelets with little stones have you THOUGHT about what she is able to do?

Perhaps she has time that you don't or ability that you don't (as tough as it is to admit) or RESOURCES that you don't. If you want what they have you have to DO what they did, and if its not worth sacrificing then don't complain. ( i love you really I'm not trying to be harsh)

AND 3. It's not the right (FIT) medium
Let's face it, if you have other priorities that you need to focus on, and running a business on ETSY is W.O.R.K. I've seen peopl selling random stuff make money are your gifts worth wasting just to sell out for a buck. There's BRIKA and artfire, not as popular BUT you might want to check it out!

 And if you dont have the energy to do it, ETSY may not be the BEST vehicle for you. That's not to say their aren't other avenues for your sales and Talent. Don't get mad because other people are successful and you feel like a failure, maybe its not the right FIT. The biggest disservice you can do to yourself is to try to be something or someone that you are NOT. Go with what works for YOU! If you are getting sales other places, like selling AVON or even at the church picnic DO THAT. Everything is not created for EVERYBODY. Don't feel like a loser, find your winning team and GO there.

4. You are lazy with the little bit you have

It says 'don't despise small beginnings' (bible) and you have sold ONE item. WELL, are you doing all you can, if God doesnt want you to do something trust you will know. There will be NO FRUIT. So let it go!

Also if you haven't done anything with the little, WHY on earth would GOD give you MORE. NOW we are talking about saints. there are wicked ppl selling on ETSY everyday who are making money now some of that money sticks and some of it doesn't the fact is we can't know everyone's personal situation. besides even if you had the money would you KNOW what to do with it. Instead of feeling like a loser do a Jerry Mcquire and take your ONE client and take it all the way.

5. It is not cost effective
Perhaps you spend more than you earn on etsy. Why waste money.

Between photoshoots and costs for supplies etc etc etc etc etc etc. YOU must know if the amount of energy you are spending on what you are doing is GOING to give you a return that is WORTH your effort. Nothing worse than wasting pearls on swine (not saying Etsy is swine, its lucrative for some) b/c you will be mad you spent all the time and effort if you aren't making anything.


6.  No one wants what you have to sell

I know you love the little Chia whatevers...but lets face it. if no one wants what you have to sell its a waste of time....Period. Find who DOES want what you have and sell there. Even Jesus said 'Shake the dust...' some people will never want what you got, so don't cry just go to the one's that DO!

7. You didn't even BOTHER to pray or ask GOD what HE thinks.

This should be first but since if your reading this you are already having a little trouble i figured you may have forgotten this step anyway. Perhaps God is not even ON the money thing, but the OBEDIENCE thing. Some people work for the sheer joy and the results are not that important.

You know if its all about the money theirs lots of things you can do. But if you are REALLY doing this for the right reasons, using your gifts or simply to fill a need. Have you checked your motives?

 Are you selling because you just want to be like someone else...Probably not a good reason. Are you doing it because you truly love what you are doing and could care less if you make money or not ( money is a good reason depending on what its for)  if your motives are right the rest will come.

Selling a bizillion "chia whatevers" just because you see someone else doing it isn't the right reason. You might get what you want and then you end up in a dead end situation with TONS of inventory you really want out of your house or with people that you never wanted to be around in the first place do a #heartcheck.

You know that Scripture "your gifts will make room for you" (bible/proverbs) yeah its not that hard...Happy selling!

embracing weakness...and staying in your lane

Mike Malz courtesy Flickr

In Business, no one wants to be seen as weak. But being weak can be a clue as to where you need to be. Some areas in business I simply am not good at, and that's okay. In fact there has been a repeated failure I have had and instead of fighting to try to accomplish something I am not gifted at, I am going to allow those who are to do it. There are areas that I have strengths in, and instead of bemoaning the one's that i don't I have decided to embrace the ones i can do and allow others to take up the mantle. Teamwork is important here. Find those who are gifted and can help you accomplish the task at hand will be important. But you must know what you are infact good at, other wise you will be stepping on someone's territory and toes...  

There is no business without community...

Now you business may be a small one or a large well-known enterprise but it most certain cannot survive without people. Not just customers, PEOPLE. Yes customers are people, and if you don't have a relationship with people you cannot have a business. NOW, people will buy from strangers, but GENERALLY if the product reflects their needs as a PERSON. 

When you go to an event, most of the time no one wants to go alone. Even if you go alone, chances are no one will speak to you if you are alone unless they are really really BOLD.

I consider myself a bold person for the most part, however there are times when i need to lean on others.

Business is no different..dearheart

In order to build a community a network of customers, you have to have a willingness to build. Even in the bible there were times when the temple was destroyed and somebody had to make it up in their mind to do it.

So whether you sell sheets or art cards you will need people. Find your people those who share the same ideals as you, and values you do, you need to get to know them. There are people in your immediate community, etsy even blogging who are despite the computer screen are people who may be inline with your community.

When community goes bad..LET's face it there will be some who do not want to know you, and will not think what you have is important or maybe they want to be you! Either way, be gracious and  remember to always shake the dust from you feet. If the community is rejecting you there's a good reason. Either you need to change something or do something to feel more a part or that simply isnt the community for you.

NOTE if someone is asking you to change the thing they want you to change should be something GOD doesnt mind you giving up. If its something GOD gave you and it truly is yours well then maybe you need to move on...but if it isnt then perhaps its something you need to shed. If for instance you are trying to break into business and it is requiring things of you that compromise your integrity think again. You like to BLOG, but in order to blog you need to spend time away from family or other important things, perhaps you need to reconsider. You'll business will grow if you follow the truth, otherwise you may find that you have all this product and no family to help you enjoy it.

Courtesy istockphoto

Hello Lovelies. I have been away for a while but will be getting back into blogging soon. I am thinking of trying faithful bloggers, we shall see! I hope you enjoy your upcoming spring and please keep those in Oklahoma in your prayers!

So im trying ebooks now!

Adobe InDesign is coming out with coming out with Creative Cloud and I was doing to research on how to create Ebooks and figured out the basics all via the internet, and the program (free) Calibre books. I was really trying to use the code. Well if you want to shell out $$$ you can now have InDesign  Creative Cloud which will give you the ability to creative clean publications with out doing all the code.

But ' i love a challenge' you say, well stay tuned because i will be taking a journey of CODE and trying to develop one from scratch. No MIT degree required. I feel a homeschool curriculum coming on! Have a good mothers DAY! I will be signing out until next week.

Mothers Day is coming..

Mother's Day is only a few weeks away - Sunday, May 12th! Pinterest will be giving me ideas for what to do for mother's day this year. Check out the DIY category if you haven't already i am woefully slow.

***

Cardstore has cute cards! You can add a photo and a personalized note Plus you can personalize the card with your own signature, then Cardstore will mail the cards directly to your mom for free.. I love them, especially the personalized name cards. Details : They are $2.49 Mother's Day cards and the shipping is free.. it gets no better..:)   Please note: Be sure to use code: CCF3425 at checkout its only vaild til 5/6/13.

I hope you guys a cute Mother's Day ideas this year. Brunch is always good.

Gift baskets Anyone!

 

 

 

This is a two in one post. So I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought PUMPKIN SPICE..now i need to scream..How cute would this be in a basket with handmade soap etc etc etc...so excited!

Source: theidearoom.net via Jessica on Pinterest

Jealousy is a sign..or Learning to be distinctive in Business

the pressure to be like everyone else is not only in business its in life. So its really important to know what you aren't good at. No-one can do everything well so if you go to a blog and see a GREAT logo, it may be lacking in content. this is a key that this is their strength so they should focus on this area more.

As with your business, learning to listen to little whispers of your strengths helps you with the vision for your company. 

***be you, everyone else is taken******

So often i see many bloggers talk of jealousy of other bloggers without either realizing what they had to do or fail to do to get where they are. Not to mention the fact that you are jealous is generally a key. If you play the oboe generally you are jealous of the piano player. I mean you aren't jealous of someone who has nothing you desire.


The desire is key. Do you desire to be recognized, do you desire to use your gifts, do you desire to make an income. Remember God is an equal opportunity God so if you are desiring something chances are the opportunity has presented itself and perhaps you didnt follow through. 

In addition, there is always a COST involved. Perhaps that business person is unable to make income other ways due to a busy family, or special needs child. or Maybe instead of spending valuable time with family they are on the internet. Either way you only see part.

jealousy may tell you what you need to work on, or that deep down you know you are capable, or that you think you deserve something that maybe you don't OUCH! Either way work it to your advantage..


*****************************************************************
Find out the thing that is distinctive about you. Using pinterest you can find out where you style lies.  usually its one thing you can grow on to help you make  your mark.


Do you wear GLASSES
is your hair CURLY
Do you always use RIBBON in your products

Distinctive personality traits help you set yourself from the PACK.

Find out your strength and captialize on that

I have a BIG MOUTH and have been told i was too LOUD forever, but that might be a good trait if you are yelling FIRE, or need to ALERT someone of something. So avoid the comparison trap and stick to your lane in your race.

Speaking of race, please have a moment of prayer for those effected by the tragedy in BOSTON.


be sure to check out this power point i did on style typing...not exhaustive but a start

on sick leave!

I am so sorry to leave you hanging. i have been on sick leave, well i was under the weather..i will be resuming blogging soon. Later....

Feature Artist Friday...Mawusi

I (heart) this shop.

Mawusi by Jane O, creates Ghanaian inspired Accessories and brooches which are stylized and in abstract form. Very funky fresh indeed! (can i still say that?) Click on the images to go directly to the item. Please support her work.  

Lovely.

Abstract

 You can purchase her work here

WHAT"S MY STYLE and using ASANA and Pinterest for your Business

Okay so I know most people who have worked in an office are experienced using Outlook, well with the freedom of the internet more programs have opened up to help you stay organized. This is really important as a crafty person who maybe wants to be a crafty full time person.

Asana is an online project and task management tool which to me is similar to outlook and helps me manage my life better. With so many ideas its hard to pick which ones, so with God's guidance and a little tech help it's getting a little clearer. USING Asana has helped me see which projects need to go with what and what needs to be a separate entity.

The following are tips to focus your brand:

 Group like projects together

Okay so your an illustrator, jewelry matter and web designer. That's GREAT but it confuses people as to what they are looking at. I hate to say CHOOSE A TEAM, but eventually you kind of have to. So which goes better together, design and food, or illustration and graphics? OR if your gonna do different stuff EVERYTHING should have a CONSISTENT THEME. So  you do everything but juggle, fine as long as you know WHAT customer wants what you do. So should you only do one thing?

It depends....(sigh)

FIGURE OUR YOUR STYLE 

If your style is retro and you do retro Illustration fine. But if you do design and you find that your webgraphic skills are targeted to a more tech crowd, but your illustration skills are more whismy and fashion oriented, SCREEECH! Doing a webpage is going to be difficult to target who will buy from you.

I generally dont like putting a techy and a jock at the same party because eventually someone will get their feelings hurt..(why can't we along just get along?)

 USING pinterest to figure out you!

Think consistency. I am learning to use pinterest to get ideas on my style! KEYS WORDS have helped me. What you click on and like give you an indication of where you are going.

 

I like Color, Pattern and boho, THINK, safari.thrifty with flavor. 
NO GRUNGE ALLOWED!

or Anthro with a little more DIVA.

You wont see no cloudy, greys, or neutrals on my page...please look elsewhere. 

So when trying to figure out which of my products or services should be grouped together I will try to find KEY WORDS.  If you need help figuring out your style stay tuned for my Business typing series. 

HEY and that doesnt mean different stuff can't work together but you gotta know how to work it. Till later....#holla 

 

the Courage to be a BAD artist...(art therapy session 1)

Dont be afraid to be a bad artist. When i mean bad i mean not as 'good' as someone else's. so even if your work is terrible relish in it. WHY? Because it is at this point you can finally speak your truth. In infancy stage nothing ever looks so good. Have you seen a newborn baby, you can't tell the mama that little crumpled up bundle isn't cute, no matter WHAT you might think! So it is with life and art, NO one who started anything was terrific. Many times when people are afraid of putting something that's ugly and RAW on the canvas you miss the lesson on how to do it right the next time. YOu also miss your truth, even if it's a mess. Don't be afraid to start small (despise not small beginnings Hab..) just let it flow. You'd be surprised how many 'so called' bad artists actually sold work.

The bumblebee doesn't know it can't fly...

*DONT BE AFRAID OF THE UGLY...THE RAW...

I thought of Kevin Ware's horrendous injury..WOW. it doesn't get more graphic than that. It was so bad they would'nt even replay it. Why? because it was too hard to see. But the doctor HAD to look at it otherwise he would NEVER be healed. Even more he's still optimistic in playing b-ball again. How many of us would STILL be thinking about doing something we loved after that horrible defeat. That takes real heart!( pray for him by the way)

STOP LOOKING AND COMPARING...

 

Now does this mean you never try to improve...no. What im saying is if you look around at everyone's blogs websites etc...comparing what you dont have,you'll never get started. There are people with much less who make great art or who have been told they CAN't do something. like the story of the bumblebee, the bee doesnt KNOW he's not supposed to fly so he does it anyway! So its more about movement and trying something then it always having to be perfect.

If you don't allow yourself to fail you will never figure out how to do it right. Besides you've met people with all the bells and whistles who are not so nice and you really don't want to buy from them because of it. And i've seen people who have a crappy etsy shop, no real 'talent' (whatever that means) but a whole lot of heart actually make sales....So don't be afraid to be bad!  You'll know if you should quit because the desire will no longer be there, if you still do it bad and still love what you do...it aint over yet.

As TD Jakes says...don't let the chatter stop you!
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

THiS......(weekend)

 

Okay so working on some artwork and some cooking for Easter, Brown Betty cookbook is the best. I sure wish it wasnt sideways..anymore more on my post about how not afraid to be a bad artist.

 

The recipes are divine and i hope to try some soon. Will hopefully be making the trek to Philly to try some in person. Will let you know!

 

 

I made a couple of baskets for relatives what is your easter looking like??

 

The three P's Picmonkey, pinterest and Proper Credit

I made these shop ad's with an online editor program,

 

Source: etsy.com via a on Pinterest

I'm really excited to help others do shop banners as well. My new header was also using the same program. Please check out custom work to contact me if you are interested in me doing work for you!

PINTEREST

Pinterest is a great way to promote your business and get the word out to many different people, seeing as so many people use it. Its also a good place to share the Gospel. The only issue i have with
Pinterest is that you cannot control what images you might be exposed to, of course if you walk outside you probably can't do that either.

Anyway...

PROPER CREDIT

I read of two stories this week where big name designers used small potatoes artists  work to promote their own products. OOOH! (in my Dee from what's happening voice) That's not really cool. But when does INSPIRATION become Rachetness and just plain foul. I would be lying if certain sites don't inspire me, but when does it cross the line.  I think the safest this in to encourage your own inspiration and what comes out of you. The way your hair grows out your head..I think using inspiration as your guide is fine. But as in some BIG stores which will remain nameless, I see designs which are perhaps "tribal' in nature and almost never does the artist get credit. I know many stores carry 'african' designs without ever giving credit for the inspiration. You will never see me use kente in my work for the most part and african designs many times are swiped and none of these artist beautiful work is giving credit.

YOUR UNIQUE FINGERPRINT
(with watermark)

I hope to encourage you to try to support handmade and fair trade outlets where the community directly benefits from your dollars.

Holla-

using powerpoint for stuff

Yes i said stuff. I was reading a book on blogs by blogger who writes Oh Joy and i found out you can use powerpoint for lots of things. well here's what i tried

im thinking of going into ebook design and album design etc..

new sewing projects

 Okay so Im working on attempting to sew, not that im gifted in it but because i think i pick good patterns and notions, this bag i used for my camera(yay!) so naturally i can't show the camera in it. But the inside fabric is different so  I think that's a nice touch. Anyway, i will be working on some new products..

 
 Yeah so I like Vera Bradley because of the colors and some of the patterns. But i hope to work on my own designs soon. Check out www.khristianaahowell.com and malene b her carpets are the bomb. Toodles.

follow the passion

Passion desire is an indicator. Not everyone needs to b doing everything. if you passion is leading you in a certain area please dont ignore it. the desire didnt come from no where God put it there, the question is are what are you going to do with it. If you have a gut feeling you know something youve been trying to shake but no matter where you go it keeps coming up, changes are that's a desire that you need to listen to. for example you love plants and everyone tells you you are good at it but either there's  no money or another obsticle telling you you cant do it, well i wouldnt listen to the obsticle but the interest. these are keys in finding your purpose. Some things you arent good at nor do you have the desire. Its really about what you want. Approval or your inner most desires. not saying going after that thing no matter what it is is going to be easier but would you rather ignore it and stay among dead folks. you know those who ignored it but are mad about it for whatever reason. a troll. yes stay away from those people. They are dream killer. make sure you follow the way of your passion its where your tru inner bliss will be found.

Image courtesy of James Barker / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

can you believe???

I think i broke my toe! NO! I have work today, it was God's little painful reminder about getting too excited. I was watching the inaugration and wanted to tell someone and fell down the stairs! I suppose this year isnt a victory to some perhaps God's little reminder to me, that the work is still not done. Still it sucks because $$$ xrays and I have to stay off my feet. So I guess i will be checking you out later. feel free to browse my archives.

taking yourself seriously

The biggest challenge i find with being an artist is others taking what you do seriously. you dont have a REAL job, you arent serious. All are simply worldly statements which challenge your creative God given mind. It is hard on the ego to constantly be questioned, maligned and challenged. So its important to remember who you are and stay around supportive individuals who will not shipwreck your dreams.

The preplanning of having your business is just important as the doing. In fact if you plan ahead of time, MUCH of the distractions, drama and unforseen madness can be avoided. Somethings will inevitably come up but being prepared helps you navigate disaster without losing your mind.

Biz tip for the day.

Be prepared for increase. I sometimes get annoyed, yes annoyed when i see a GREAT advertisement for a product on a blog, but it leads to a shoddy website or etsy. I suppose i should be more gracious, however it makes me feel cheated. I thought i would see the same quality through only to find out you are a one hit wonder. One thing vera bradley said was to remember to keep ALL of your products as professional as possible, in the beginning. Even if you are operating out of a garage, dont let your clients know it. You will gain more loyalty in the process.

Kelly Rae Roberts video

I first saw her work in a store in MD and fell in love with her designs please b inspired or check out her site and www.kellyraeroberts.com

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, Im looking forward to a great year and lots of artwork. I hope you stay with us this year. Be sure to check out the above video from smartcreativewomen she interviews artist who have successfully done this art 'thing'