After coming home from a nice trip on the road...a great road trip...
I thought,
"I have a little extra time, good time to refresh my website and
add pieces to my Etsy shop...long overdue.
It actually felt good to get started and make the time to get organized,
all items posted in the right place and cross referenced from website to Etsy...
I love getting things done and crossed off the list.
So I spent three days (long days) this week at my computer, determined to get this under control.
First up, my Etsy shop.
That included:
• photographing most assemblage pieces to refresh them
• photographing all new pieces to be added
• editing all photos, sometimes 7 or 8 for each post
• writing and filling in posts for all new pieces
• figuring out shipping charges for each piece
• going through the quick editing program to make sure everything reads right
(I have 192 items listed in Etsy.)
• rechecking my shop on EtsyRank for anything I may have missed
(this is a great program for Etsy shop owners BTW)
Once that was all done, I jumped over to my artist website
to updated and link each item in my Etsy shop.
It felt so good to get it all done yesterday!
I treated myself to a poolside nap to get a few end of summer rays
before its starts getting chilly here in So Cal,
and I have to get back to client projects.
I also took to the pool the book...
After I woke from my lazy nap and started reading,
I found that what I had just spent 3 days doing was
most likely not the right thing!
ARGH!!!
I guess, according to this book, if you want to be serious about your art
(I do and I am)
you don't want to be on group sites like Etsy
or
have a website built on platforms like Wix.
I guess I should have read first, before the last three days.
The idea of rebuilding a website and including a shop to sell my work
is pretty daunting right now. Not to mention the time it takes away from actually doing my artwork.
Does anyone out there have advice you want to share on this topic?
What have you done as far as online selling and websites...would love to know your take on it.
So much time goes into all this!
I kinda like the creativity of it, though the time involved is crazy.
Open to suggestions...anyone?
Don't be hard on yourself! You haven't done it wrong. There aren't right and wrong ways to be an artist. You are trying things: that's the only way to find out what works for you. I know some artists who do very well on Etsy, some who don't even have their own website, some who also show in galleries, and are well-respected. The question to ask is not "Am I doing it right?" but "Is this working for me?" If not, then maybe a change is in order. It might take some time and effort to set it up, but will it be worth it in the long-term?
ReplyDeleteWords I love and needed to hear! Thank you Lucinda...voice of wisdom and reason. It is so easy to get off on a social media, website, online shop tangent...as you know I have many a time. I sometimes make it so complicated in my quest to streamline. All is set and good for the moment. I think I'll rest my computer keyboard...take some gentle breaths...learn a little more about building my own site...and take the time to figure out what would really work for me. Thank you for the kind words of encouragement...always appreciated dear one
DeleteHi Denise, we don't know anything that can help you because we keep struggling with our blog. It is so frustrating so we feel for you. You like to think you can figure it out yourself, but then hours mount up. No easy way to do any of this. Sorry for your situation, hope to see you soon. Bonnie from @weremadabout
ReplyDeleteThanks Bonnie for chiming in...I don't think there is an easy answer, other than put the time in! Maybe if I put it on a regular weekly schedule for a few hours a week at least it will be up to date. I'll try that until I come up with a better idea!
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