A New Goal - 100 Items!

I've been in a nice creative mode lately. Between making a whole whack of new headbands and pouches, and fine-tuning the other new ideas I have for the upcoming months, I've really been excited about my work! I've been listing regularly, participating in forum discussions on Etsy and reading lots of blogs. It's been great getting reacquainted with all the awesome people on Etsy and my enthusiasm for my shop has been renewed - it feels really good!

Still, I've noticed myself stalking my own shop, checking and rechecking for sales and other activity. You Etsy sellers know the what I mean - you log on, check out the shop, answer convos, maybe head to the forums, make a few posts. And hey, while you're still on you might as well check the shop again. Maybe read a couple of blogs, check out Ravelry or Flickr or the like. And you never know, maybe something's happened in the shop by now, better check again... and so on until you start to feel disappointed and discouraged that nothing has sold and you want to scream at yourself to step away from the computer! And of course meanwhile all that time could have been spent actually making something! It's okay, you don't have to admit it (but I might feel less crazy if you did!) I know I can't be the only one!

will KNIT for food american apparel tank top
by moresassvintage (I LOVE this shirt!)

I've decided it's time for me to try a new tactic. I want to enjoy the creative process and the feeling of productivity and stop at that. I don't want to worry about whether or not things are going to sell when I'm making them because it inevitably takes much of the fun and freedom out of the process. So, I've got myself a new goal. Instead of watching my sales so closely I'm going to focus on filling up my shop. I'm aiming for 100 items and I'm really looking forward to working toward that goal. I've got some great ideas for Spring and Summer and I want to approach them whole-heartedly. And hey, if sales are slow, it'll actually be helping me to reach 100 items. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but at least I'll have something else to focus on!

In a similar vein, I'm reading a GREAT book right now called "Your Money or Your Life" by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez. It's all about changing your relationship with money and work, and (among other things) recognizing the value of the unpaid work that you do in your life. The book is basically set up like a course, and I'm just reading it through once to get a broad view before I start in on the program. I plan to start a new series on my blog to share any insights I gain in the process of working through the book in earnest. For now, in order to help escape the craft=sales trap, I'm making a point of noticing all the things I get from selling on Etsy that have nothing to do with money. Like the chance to get to know so many great people and talented artists, and the encouragement and kindness of other sellers, or being a part of a movement that is questioning the mentality of our society and working to re-educate people on the value of handmade art. These are just a few of the many benefits of Etsy, the ones that are available whether sales are up or down.

Artwork by (you guessed it) an Ape!

I'll leave you with an excerpt from the book, about a study conducted on apes that fits perfectly with what I've been thinking about lately.

"In The Biology of Art, zoologist Desmond Morris tells of an experiment in introducing the "profit motive" to apes. The first step was teaching them to be artists and to produce drawings and paintings that were decidedly lovely. Once their "art" was established he began to "pay" them, rewarding them with peanuts for their work. Under the reward system their artwork quickly deteriorated, and they began turning out hasty scrawls just to get the peanuts. "Commercialism" destroyed the apes as artists and got them scrambling for the peanut instead."

Something to think about... Fellow crafters, feel free to leave your thoughts on this subject in a comment - I'd love to hear them! What do you do to stay motivated when sales are down? What other forms of "payment" do you get for your artwork?

Happy 2009!

I'm not big on New Years resolutions, but I do feel like now is a good time to set some goals to work toward in 2009. Something about the air of completion and creation that comes with this time of year compels me to take stock of what I've been doing for the past little while and lay out some things I'd like to accomplish in the coming months. Of course a lot of these will be related to fiber and my Etsy shop, but there are a few other improvements I'd like to make as well. As for my blog, I'd like to expand the scope of it to include a some of what goes on in my life outside of Etsy, to share a bit more of what fills my days with all you lovely people. So, here are my main goals, in no particular order:

My main priority for Black Mustard Fiber Arts is to polish my branding, logo, etc. I've got a couple of ideas and I'm hoping to have my artistic boyfriend help me finalize them. From there I can get all my packaging, tags, labels and business cards unified and done up properly. I also plan to take stock of all the online tools I use (Twitter, Flickr, PW, etc) and see how I can maximize their effectiveness while cutting down on some of the time I usually spend surfing once I get started. There are a couple new things I'd like to look into as well, such as starting a YouTube channel and a mailing list. There's also a big development on the horizon in the way of a second Etsy shop... I hope to have that ready to lauch by the end of January! I'd also love to take part in at least one craft fair in 2009.

For myself I've got a lot of your standard fitness goals... I want to get back into taking regular yoga classes and I plan to run 3-4 times per week. I'd also like to research nutrition a bit more. Since I've gone vegetarian I've been feeling great, and I think I'm getting everything I need in the way of protein, iron and such. But I'd like to be sure. Also, now that I'm getting close to the point where children could be a real possibility in the next couple of years, I'd like to kick any unhealthy habits I have so I can lead by example to help them develop a really good relationship with nutrition and exercise. Once the weather gets a little nicer I'm going to start riding my bike and taking the bus to work. I can't wait!

Another big area of interest for me is finding more ways to live in harmony with the world and the universe at large. In the Spring I'm going to build a compost bin in the back yard and get serious about recycling at home. I also plan to find at least one volunteer opportunity this year - to contribute my time and energy to helping someone other than myself or my immediate circle of people. This last year I've been a bit on the isolated side - spending so much time at home working on crafting and building my Etsy business. Although I've enjoyed it immensely, these last few weeks I've really felt a push to get back out into the world and interact with people more. I want to be more open to connecting with others again.

I've got 3 guitar students starting up in January, and I can't wait! My music has been another thing that's been put to the side so I could focus on knitting, spinning, etc. And that's fine, but I do miss it as well. Getting lessons going again will be a great way for me to remember to practice and play on a regular basis, and from there I'd love to schedule a few shows or hit some open mics and maybe write some new songs. I think I may start a YouTube channel for my singing and playing as well. If I do I'll be sure to share the link here.