OK, I think I'm over my latest round of self pity and I've decided to forge on in my attempt to make a go of this business. In an effort to try and get noticed more I've set up a page on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/coganscreations and have set up an account on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/coganscreations and have updated these and all of my other on-line locations here in my blog links. Now I just need to figure out how to use all of these sites to their full potential!
I've also started to update all of my listings on Etsy....adding more to the descriptions, and fixing or replacing a lot of the photos....this is taking me forever, especially since I haven't bought a new camera yet...so I need to take about 10 pics just to get one that looks half-way decent.
I figured I'd step up all of my advertising, and make my shop more appealing to folks once I can get them there, and then give it about 90 days and see if all of the extra effort pays off. I think that if I haven't started to make regular sales by the time my 2 year Etsyversary comes on Aug 2, it will probably really be time to call it quits.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Why am I bothering?
I'm usually pretty self-confident, but today I woke up wondering why I'm bothering to try and sell my crafted creations. I personally think that they are original, well-made and fairly priced, but I'm seriously beginning to question my thinking. Maybe they really just *suck* (I hate that expression, but I can't think of a better one at the moment) and no-one has had the courage to tell me so.
This seems to be the way every time I've seriously tried to create things to sell. A number of years ago (back in the 80's) when Cabbage Patch kids were the rage, I spent many hours at my sewing machine creating outfits for these dolls with the hopes of selling them at craft fairs that I was participating in, and through the toy store that I worked at......most ended up being given away because no-one bought them. Previous to that, and several other periods in my life later on, I've come up with what I thought were unique and well made items (from a variety of genres), spent days, weeks, months preparing stock for craft shows....spent countless $ in entry fees, built elaborate displays...only to return from each one with almost all of my inventory.
The same when I discovered 1/12 scale dollhouse miniatures, which is also about the same time I discovered selling on eBay. Although I thought the miniatures I came up with were good.....others obviously didn't because even on the garage sales site of the world I couldn't even *give them away*.
So, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I never gave up. I have this misguided fantasy in my head that I have a talent for creating so I keep trying. But, I think reality is beginning to set in...I'm slow, so it's taken 25 years for me to figure it out....I really don't have what it takes. I'm obviously not in touch with what the rest of the world finds appealing, and I'm not sure that I want to continue putting myself through this, over and over again. A very big part of me wants to go down to my kitchen, get a big garbage bag, fill it with the hundreds of items that I have in my inventory and all of my supplies and fill up the cans outside and just end this madness once and for all.
Yeah right......who am I kidding? I'm not really smart enough to do that.
This seems to be the way every time I've seriously tried to create things to sell. A number of years ago (back in the 80's) when Cabbage Patch kids were the rage, I spent many hours at my sewing machine creating outfits for these dolls with the hopes of selling them at craft fairs that I was participating in, and through the toy store that I worked at......most ended up being given away because no-one bought them. Previous to that, and several other periods in my life later on, I've come up with what I thought were unique and well made items (from a variety of genres), spent days, weeks, months preparing stock for craft shows....spent countless $ in entry fees, built elaborate displays...only to return from each one with almost all of my inventory.
The same when I discovered 1/12 scale dollhouse miniatures, which is also about the same time I discovered selling on eBay. Although I thought the miniatures I came up with were good.....others obviously didn't because even on the garage sales site of the world I couldn't even *give them away*.
So, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I never gave up. I have this misguided fantasy in my head that I have a talent for creating so I keep trying. But, I think reality is beginning to set in...I'm slow, so it's taken 25 years for me to figure it out....I really don't have what it takes. I'm obviously not in touch with what the rest of the world finds appealing, and I'm not sure that I want to continue putting myself through this, over and over again. A very big part of me wants to go down to my kitchen, get a big garbage bag, fill it with the hundreds of items that I have in my inventory and all of my supplies and fill up the cans outside and just end this madness once and for all.
Yeah right......who am I kidding? I'm not really smart enough to do that.
Monday, January 14, 2008
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