Well, it’s Mother’s Day and we don’t have much on the calendar today since we celebrated yesterday. So, I’m exercising my right as a mother to do what I choose today. And I’m choosing to re-snuggle back up with Sherri Haab’s inspirational book: JEWELRY inspirations: Techniques and Designs from the Artist’s Studio.
If ever there were a jewelry book that should be appreciated on Mother’s Day, I would say that this one is it. The cover image itself is soothing and relaxing and if you could judge a book by its cover, you would find that what follows in the coming pages continues that theme.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I’m not a jewelry-making person so I have to be honest, when I received this book I didn’t jump right on it. I was amazed and quite happy to find that when I did sit down with it, I was actually inspired. Yes. Inspired. It opened up new avenues of thinking for me that actually made me want to make jewelry!
Not only are all of the steps easy but materials are easily found and many of them are already on hand. Sherri’s book made me feel like I could take anything and make it into a piece of jewelry, and not just any jewelry…something stylish as well as meaningful and personal.
Being continually interested in the creative process I was absolutely delighted to see that the first thing that Sherri wrote about was “Living a Creative Life.” Yes! Because, that’s what it’s all about for me, personally. It’s not about making things, although that is fun too, but LIVING a creative LIFE. Every aspect from decorating your space to how we view the world to creating and how we think. Thank you Sherri!
Before I get to the actual jewelry making portion of the review, let me just say taht I also loved seeing glimpses into Sherri’s own studio. How she organizes things and how she designs. When looking at the pictures I thought, “wow, if I had a space like that…” and then I remembered…I DO have a space like that. I just need to appreciate it!
Ok. So the jewelry making part. One thing I really enjoyed about the tutorials (beside the pictures and simplicty of instruction) is the fact that the projects span multiple techniques. Techniques that will teach you how to make all of those jewelry pieces that you see when you go shopping but couldn’t fathom how you would make them yourself.
In this book you will learn about basic wire-working, epoxy resin, image transfers, silicone molds, metal clay, patinas, tying knots, paper mache paper clay, polymer clay, shrink art. and the list goes on. I love reading Sherri’s inspiration for each project too. It reminds me that everything can serve as inspiration if we just open that door and let ourselves see it.
Overall, as you can tell, Sherri Haab’s JEWELRY inspirations: Techniques and Designs from the Artist’s Studio received two thumbs up from this jewelry-making-phobic-turned-inspired-to-just-do-it. That is, get this book…you won’t be sorry! Especially at the price os only $20!
What better way to learn about the business of beads than to hear it straight from those who have gone ahead? Recently I caught up with glass bead artist Jennifer Geldard and chatted about the business side of beads.
Jennifer has been one of my inspirations from the day I first saw her beads. Her free-form, always-changing, willing-to-risk style never ceases to captivate my imagination. She’s also a great teacher and encourager. Here’s what she has to say about the business side of beads and making it as a bead artist.
How long have you been making and selling beads?
I’ve been making beads since 1994, but only began selling in 2000. I spent a long time learning before I felt my work was good enough to sell.
How many hours a day/week do you work? How much time is spent on creating and how much on the business side?
I usually work a bit every day, but that includes internet sales, shipping, teaching and self-promotion. I’m on the torch about 4-5 days per week if possible.
Where have you sold beads in the past and where do you sell them currently?
At the moment, the only show I do is the ISGB Gathering Bazaar, though I’m working on trying to do more. Otherwise, I sell primarily on eBay under id glassgirl3 and on my website www.glassgirl.com.
I was selling on Etsy for a while, but it wasn’t doing as well for me, and
I found it easier to streamline my sales to just the two sites. My website is the easiest, but I need EBay to bring in new customers.
How long would you say it took before you had a following or a more steady stream of buyers?
It took a good year selling on eBay before I established myself in any real way.
Other than selling your beads, do you supplement bead making income in other ways?
I teach quite a bit… and that has made a huge difference in my income, as it is something I can count on. Bead sales fluctuate, but teaching is a solid paycheck, and I enjoy the traveling and the ability to get out of my studio once in a while.
I also think that self-promotion is really important. There are a lot of ways to do it that don’t involve obvious salesman-style tactics. Just get out there… participate in online communities… don’t just log on to push your work. Besides the visibility, you’ve got a wonderful opportunity to connect with other artists, form friendships, and help each other grow. I can’t stress enough what my online community has done for me both on a professional and personal level.
How has the business of making and selling beads changed for you since the time you started?
The introduction of imported beads and the sheer number of new beadmakers out there have increased so much that making basic beads is no longer an option for me.
And that has been nothing but a positive development.
Not only is the public more aware of handcrafted glass beads, but I am forced to try and stay ahead of the pack and keep my work fresh and innovative.
If there was one thing that you could change if you knew then what you know now, what would it be?
I guess I would have gotten serious about my work a lot sooner. I wish I had known that I could make a decent living doing what I love.
What piece of business advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Do what you love… don’t make beads that you think other people want. The only way you’re going to stand out is by creating unique work. Explore and play whenever you can, and don’t expect to be an instant success. If you’re consumed with making money right away, you’ll only be disappointed. Don’t look for shortcuts… take the time to know your materials, and Practice…practice..practice!!!
As I have been writing the posts on how to build a web site and how to build a mailing list and many other marketing-related posts I always want to start off with the obvious:
Above all, make the best product possible.
While it might seem obvious, not everyone takes this to heart and that is fine. There are ‘turn and burn’ bead makers that create simple designs and mass produce and that is ok. That is their business. However, it keeps occuring to me that if you want to be successful and continue to move up in your skill, customer base and reputation the first thing you must focus on is good product. I even suggest to production bead makers making simple beads that they also make the best product that they can, within their scope.
You can have a killer web site, great marketing skills and lots of friends at the shows you go to but the bottom line is, the better your product, the better your marketing will work and the easier it will be.
So what does ‘good product’ mean? It means different things in different media and even within different media there is debate about what constitutes a good product. For example, chill marks in glass and finger prints in polymer. Some might not be as bothered by their existence and may even use them as a design element. Others will faint at the thought and profess poor craftsmanship.
I would venture to say that we all know good craftsmanship when we see it but some pieces that I see make me wonder. So, yes, it is subjective and I will leave it to each craftsperson to decide for themselves. I only urge that you always strive for better than you are currently creating; especially if you want to make a living at art. Pushing yourself is how you will grow. It is how your work will grow.
On the other hand, don’t get down on yourself if you aren’t where you want to be. Perfection never arrives and you must give yourself time to progress. Know that you are doing your best and releasing the best work that you can at the moment.
There are two areas where everyone can do well, and have nothing to do with artistic ability:
- Finishing. Whatever your media, there is finishing to be done. Whether it be cleaning bead holes, fine sanding, polishing, shaping, etc., do it well and give it as much attention, if not more, than the actual designing. I was once taught that the back of a piece should look as nice as the front. It is the last thing we want to do when a piece is otherwise finished but it makes a big difference.
- Structural Integrity. Everything you create should be as safe and sturdy as possible. Do not skimp on materials if it compromises safety or durability. If a layer of something needs to be thicker, make it thicker. If glass needs to be annealed, anneal it. If something is better off sealed, seal it. Etc. You know where you are skimping…stop it. If you are trying to save money, think about how much it will cost you when someone returns an item damaged.
Commit to those two things, because you can, and work towards the others right from using the best materials you can up through designing your pieces to inspecting what leaves your studio.
This can be a controversial topic. What about new people? How does one support their hobby/art if they don’t sell everything they make? Who is anyone to tell anyone else how/what they should create and/or the quality of it?
What do you think? Get it going by leaving a comment below!
