The Don’t Do List, pt 3: Don’t Play Small

Creating a successful business with your talent and skills is not for the timid, the petty, nor the shallow mind. It takes guts to put yourself out there each day and offer up something made with heart. It takes being in a perpetual creative flow of innovation, which means not allowing yourself to get dragged down into negative or fear based perspectives.

Our Don’t Do List is offered by Artisans Gallery Team members from the lessons we’ve learned by making and observing mistakes. Sometimes the best advice is about what not to do!

1) Don’t take it personally!

It’s a given that you won’t like every communication from buyers, or comments posted in the Forums. But if you approach every-day workspace communications with too much personal passion and enthusiasm, your day can get eaten up with worry and resentment. You may also lose opportunities by misreading someone’s intentions.

As Eve of EvesLttleEarthlings observes:

Don't get annoyed when customers ask for a discount. The forums are full of sellers who think this is an insult. I personally never give discounts, but usually when I politely explain why, they purchase at full price anyway.

Custom made doll from EvesLittleEarthlings

Renee from DecorateTheDiva advises:

Don't tell customers you are having a bad day, or your life problems. Keep it upbeat and joyful especially around the holidays. Stay focused on the topic and keep it simple.

glass and brass woodland acorn necklace from DecoratetheDiva

2) Don’t stand still.

Keep moving and progressing in your work. It’s fun for you, and good for business, too.

As Lauren of lapisbeach says:

Don't be afraid to try new things. When I first opened my Etsy shop I only had soft knit items in my shop. With a friend's encouragement- I started experimenting with wire.....now the wire line dominates my shop listings. Who knows what is next!

Black Pearl necklace from lapisbeach

3) “Don't copy someone else's work - even if you can, even if they are selling like mad.” – from Genevieve of jibbyandjuna

handmade original polymer clay necklace from jibbyandjuna

It’s not fair, it’s not legal, and it’s not good businesswise to copy someone’s original designs. If an image inspires you, your final product must deviate from the inspiration piece by at least 30% in order to be legally defensible as your own work.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our series!

The Don’t Do List part 1- Shipping

The Don’t Do List part 2- to Avoid Negative feedback

by Lee Wolfe/ OneClayBead

Your comments, questions, and ideas are welcome!

The DON’T DO list, pt 2, to avoid negative feedback

In order to have a successful transaction in internet sales, you need to deliver a great product in a timely fashion, but that is not enough. You must also understand the expectations of your buyers. It is critical to know PayPal’s policies for both buyer and seller protection as well. There are many ways in which good sellers with great products incur negative feedback on Etsy. Some of it is unavoidable, but keeping a high score overall greatly helps your success. As a team of successful sellers with good feedback, we’ve learned how to resolve or avoid most of the situations that result in an unhappy buyer. Here are our best tips to avoid negative feedback:

1) Always reply quickly, and communicate with thorough details and respect. As Estella from Staroftheeast  (feedback score 2333, 100%) says,

Don't keep a question of a buyer or potential buyer unanswered, no matter how bad, negative or annoying the question/problem is. Not answering is the worst you can do, and will only make a buyer very angry :)
p.s. I have seen lots of sellers who got their neg. or neutral feedback because of lack of communication and/or not answering convo's.

handmade necklace entitled Dragon’s Skin from Staroftheeast

2) Give precise details in each listing. Buyers are unhappy when something is larger or smaller than they imagined.

Diane of SignsByDiane (feedback score 855, 100% positive) says:

Please don't leave me guessing just how large or small something is....and since this is a US based site please have measurements posted in inches too.

This Shabby Chic Wedding Sign by SignsByDiane shows the scale of her piece in the listing photo as well as in the listing copy.

3) Take responsibility for your part in the transaction problem. Don’t get overly defensive or blaming- that just polarizes the situation.

As Sarah-Lambert Cook from TuckooandMooCow (feedback score 855, 100%)says:

Don't be afraid to own your mistakes. Customers appreciate knowing and you can often win a fan for life by owning your own mistakes and fixing them right away.

hand painted watercolor earrings from TuckooandMooCow

4) Understand a Buyer’s Rights as interpreted by both PayPal and Etsy.

As Lee of OneClayBead (feedback score 1482, 100%)  has learned:

Don't tell a buyer whose package has just gone missing that they are flat out of luck. Whether you think it is fair or not, you will be held liable for non-delivery in most cases. PayPal will side with a buyer unless you have delivery confirmation and a confirmed address. And even if PayPal sides with you, the buyer can appeal to their credit card holder for a chargeback. So the best approach with a buyer who hasn't received their package is to respond immediately with any info that you have, and a concerned and friendly tone. Make efforts to track down the package. And be prepared to refund all or part of their money if necessary, with courtesy. Having insurance for expensive pieces helps!

ceramic wine goblets, wheel thrown from OneClayBead

5) Actively work towards a win/win resolution. Refrain from unprofessional insults to unhappy buyers.

Heather of HeatherKent (feedback score 691, 100%) wisely advises:

Don't burn any bridges - You don't know which customers will come back and order dozens more items from you! Treat every customer as if they are your only customer.

personalized original art necklace from HeatherKent

Pt 1 of this series is here: http://artisansgalleryteam.blogspot.com/2011/10/dont-do-list-pt-1-shipping.html

Pt 3 coming Monday, 11/24/11

We welcome comments and further suggestions!

AGTeam Mother's Day Gift Guide

 

MOM Little House Ceramic Village by TheLittleRedDoor

With spring blossoming in the Northern Hemisphere, one of the season's most wonderful holidays, Mother's Day, is just a few weeks away.  You don't need to look any further than the beautiful shops of the Artisans Gallery Team members to find lovely handmade gifts for every mom.  Whether you are shopping for jewelry, home decor or artwork, you are bound to spot something wonderful for the special people you would like to treat to an artisanal gift this Mother's Day.  Here are just a few suggestions to get things started. For more ideas, please browse the international Artisans Gallery Team shop categories on the right or search for keywords "agteam mother day" or just "agteam" on Etsy.

Single Flower Earrings in Sapphire, Rose Quartz and Mandarin Garnet

by FussJewelry (Connecticut, USA)

 

Blue Bells 8x10 Fine Art Flower Nature Photography Print

by TheEye (British Columbia, Canada)

Little Nut Necklace
by PoleStar (North Carolina, USA) 

Tea Time original watercolor painting

by TheJoyOfColor (Tel Aviv, Israel)

Hand Textured Porcelain Vase

by NewMoonStudio (Rhode Island, USA)

Handpainted Scarf

by Birribe (Stockholm, Sweden)

 

Reef bracelet

by JibbyAndJuna (Pennsylvania, USA)

 

Pie Plate Footed Cutting Board

by GrayWorksDesign (New York, USA)

 

Wool felt Kangaroo Mom and Joey 

by EvesLittleEarthlings (Ontario, Canada)

Noodle stoneware Serving Bowl

by OneClayBead (North Carolina, USA) 

Lavender Hand Pulled Linocut

by PeaseBlossomStudio (Texas, USA)

Pear Small Funky Vase

by RomyAndClare (Indiana, USA) 

 

Children's Names Necklace Personalized

by moonovermaize (Virginia, USA)

fine art giclee print

by gretchenmist (Melbourne, Australia)

Bel Fiore Ring

by BeyondTheRockz (Connecticut, USA)

 

2 Crocheted Macarons

by Beliz82 (Paris, France)

Dandelion wish necklace in silver

by LuluBugJewelry (California, USA)

LOVE Languages - LongSleeve T-Shirt

by BuckToothedBunny (Massachussetts, USA)

Honeysuckle Baby Alpaca & Silk Knit Scarf

by TickledPinkKnits (New York, USA)

Peek. Bought. Handmade.

Ever want to peek inside the homes of other artisans to see what they like to collect from other artists? See what pieces inspire them?

In today's part 4 of our new series all about peeking, other artisans + handmade (what a delightful combo!), textile artist Britta from Bribbe gives us a look at her kitchen, and some of her favorite bowls. Beautiful handmade pottery bowls by Lee from OneClayBead.

"Thew new bowls are great in my kitchen. I love the jagged edges and the relief pattern of the smaller one. It's indeed a piece of poetry that makes me happy every day! It goes along so well with some beautiful stones and all kinds of vegetables."

"The blue, bigger bowl is perfect for salad or some fruit. I'm in love with the blue glaze that suits lemons or oranges so well."

What's been your favorite handmade purchase?

The drive to create... no matter what (part 6 in a series)

In part 6 of our ongoing series on the roots of design, the artist behind OneClayBead, Lee, discusses her drive to create... no matter what.  

Such a powerful part of being an artist! Picasso once said that, for him, painting was "just another way of keeping a diary." This shows how natural creating and artistry can be for many people. Thank you, Lee, for sharing your inspiration!

 (handmade pottery pieces shown above + below by Lee of OneClayBead)


According to Lee, "the urge to create has been with me as an internal drive from my earliest memories. I drew on everything, and with everything. My mother bought me art supplies when I was a toddler to stop me from drawing on the walls with her make-up. I was given Play Dough to discourage me from molding all the food on my plate into landscapes and animal faces.  My parents are both business people with few creative urges of their own, and have never, to this day, understood what it is that I do, or why."

"I was gifted by them with permission to be creative without judgment. Consequently, art feels very much a part of who I am rather than like something I was taught or shown.  As an art major in college, I found structured assignments tedious and had a lot of self doubt about my abilities for the first time."

 "Towards the end of sophomore year, I finally learned to use the structure and parameters of an assignment and infuse it with the wild  inner passion to create. Learning to channel my natural artistic instincts into a given project is probably what has allowed me to make a full time living as a studio artisan. But what has allowed me to enjoy my studio life, and to progress as an artisan, was the early formative experience of being given supplies and tolerance without too much rigid and formal education."

"Experience has shown me that art is a predilection or predisposition that some are born with more than others. While we all have creativity that we can tap into and enjoy, studies show that only 10%  of a population in any given culture have a very strong drive towards artistic expression. These people are going to create no matter what. I've seen those kids when I taught afterschool art in an elementary school. My daughter is one as well! When you bring out the supplies, a few kids will start to assemble something or experiment on their own accord, while the main group waits for instruction. As an art educator, I used to hear the words from Pink Floyd echoing in my head, 'Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone!' Because creativity isn't about what you make. it's about who you are being in the moment."

Selling Wholesale: Make a Successful Presentation

necklace by Anakim

You’ve made an appointment with a gallery buyer to show your work. Now it’s time to make a face to face presentation. Here are 6 tips that will make it successful:

1) First impressions count! Wear clean business casual clothing, with a bit of artisan boho jewelry, and closed toe shoes. Dress the way that you would if you were interviewing for a job at that gallery.  Solids are better than prints, and a color palette that goes with the pieces you are showing works. When in doubt, black always works.

2) Have several copies of your wholesale price list and hand them to everyone attending your meeting. Then unwrap your pieces, telling them where to find that item on your list.

3) Pay attention to what is said about your work and answer all questions. Never argue or rebut anything! If you don’t agree, say something like “That’s an interesting observation.” Be very gracious when complimented.

print by GretchenMist

4) Make a pitch for your work but don’t be an infomercial. Less is more.  Make sure that you include these 2 points- “I’d like to be in your gallery because….” and “I think that my work could offer your buyers…” This makes your presentation personal.

5) Offer clear and flexible terms. Most gallery sales are net 30, meaning that payment is due 30 days after delivery. I sometimes offer net 30/60, which means that half is due in 30 days and the remainder in 60 days. If you want more immediate payment, you can also offer 2/10/net 30, which means that you will offer a 2% discount if the bill is paid within 10 days, or they may pay in full in 30 days. I also offer a trade back policy, which means that they can trade back unsold pieces for other ones with each new purchase. That lets buyers try new things without feeling like they will get stuck with them. All of my terms are printed on my wholesale price list.

6) This is most important: be yourself. Be natural and authentic. Most buyers are also artisans, or have studied art. They love art and are interested in you, so don’t be afraid!

bowls by PaulandKateStudio

Also keep in mind that the buyer will make a business decision for that gallery, and that it is just one person’s judgment call. If that isn’t the right place to sell your work, it doesn’t mean that your Aunt Millie was right when she said that you can’t make a living doing THAT and should go to beautician school. It just means that this 1 gallery out of a gazillion galleries isn’t going to buy your work right now. You have to be willing to hear some no’s if you want to get to yes!

by Lee Wolfe/ OneClaybead

Above and Beyond

Faceted Sky blue Topaz Drop Earrings by steinschmuckdesign

I am blown away by the talent of the artists on our team. More amazing is their dedication to handmade and quality artisan work. Everyone on our team is so kind and supportive, it makes selling on Etsy a unique and wonderful experience.

A few members every month go above and beyond in sharing the Artisans Gallery message and talent, and I want to acknowledge those members once a month by posting the top few most active every month. A few different active sellers will be highlighted every month. I can't possibly highlight every one of them, because again, we have an amazingly involved team.

Michele, of steinschmuckdesign pictured above, designs stunning and elegant gemstone and metal-smithed jewelry, and she is our expert Tumblr. She posts an amazing amount of team items to our page every month.

Textured Lace Bowl by OneClayBead

Lee, of OneClayBead, is a font of knowledge regarding gallery quality work, and helps sustain the vision for our team, and the mission that brought all of our members together on Etsy. She writes an amazing blog series to help artists dip their toe and then wade out into the vast pool of knowledge involved with gallery selling.

Earthy Stone and Crystal Necklace by deocratethediva

Renee, of decoratethediva, makes gorgeous eco friendly beaded jewelry, and she does some bookkeeping for the team as well as makes lovely treasuries.

Argentium Silver and Swiss Blue Topaz Pendant by Verbenaplace

Helen and David, of Verbenaplace, make stunning Artisan Argentium silver and fine gold gemstone jewelry. David makes the jewelry, and Helen uses her trained expertise to buy gems, and she spends "spare" time making treasuries for the team.

Upcycled Heart Felt Ornaments by SewnNatural

Jen, of SewnNatural writes some of our most thoughtful blog posts. She really expresses each of the team members she features in her articles so well, and I appreciate her kind words and contributions.

Dandelion Necklace by Moonovermaize

Monica, of Moonovermaize, co-leads the team. She is always a soft voice of reason and such a wonderful person to bounce ideas off of. She does bookkeeping for the team, blog entries, as well as makes treasuries. She truly is the kindest person I know on Etsy.

Creative Fire: The Little Voice

For many years I worked as a production potter which means throwing 60 mugs in 1 hour; one per minute. It means silent repetition that commands complete attention. Production pottery is a fierce teacher and if your mind wanders, the rhythm is lost, the clay wobbles off center, the forms start to look tortured.

I had an apprentice once whose mind was very restless and never shut up. I could see his petty niggling thoughts in his forms and work habits. I had spoken to him for months about how he needed to still his mind if he wanted to be a potter.

I told him what all studio artisans must confront at some point: there is a little voice in your head. It evaluates, judges, and criticizes ceaselessly.  It is full of negative self analysis when you are trying to create, and when you look up and outward at the world, it criticizes everything that you see out there, too.

Norman, my apprentice, first insisted that he didn’t hear a little voice. After weeks of prompting, he said that he heard it sometimes but that he was in control of it and could turn it off whenever he wanted. That particular day, he was having relationship problems, and had been complaining about his partner all morning. He noticed that his Little Voice couldn’t leave the subject alone.

Norman stepped outside “to clear his mind.” He came back in filled with excitement. “I heard my little voice!” he said, “I heard it say that the mountains are so beautiful. The trees especially green today. And then it said that the trees should be thinned a bit so that I could see better. I heard myself evaluating and criticizing the mountains, and you are right! It never shuts up!”

Norman began laughing, full out, silly, contagious laughing. I joined him. And in that moment came what we all truly crave.

Silence. Being in the flow. Happiness.

by Lee Wolfe/ OneClayBead

Friday what are you working on

Today we start off with StaroftheEast showing us their works in progress.  Staroftheeast, Ester and Estella currently live in Turkey. (their shop profile is quite interesting you should go check that out) Their work is varied and never ever dull...any time I visit their shop I feel like I've gone to an exotic land.  So, today's piece is called The Time Traveler's Wife, this necklace itself is mainly made with vintage watch movements, parts and faces. Below are their photos/descriptions and final results.

 The Time Traveler's Wife (work in progress)

First thing is finding the right material to be able to make what I have in mind. Searching through our nice collection of vintage watch faces and movements. Then finding the correct filigree pieces for the back sides and adorn them with vintage brass flower. The watch movement is on a vintage piece and gets a little face.

Then, I puzzle around to see how I'm going to put the pieces together and I search for the right chains to connect the pieces. As watch and clock pieces are not ment for jewelry I have to clean up the sharp pieces with my good old Dremel.The large piece has no holes so needs to be marked and drilled to be able to attach things on it. And slowly all pieces get connected.

 Besides the necklace I also always create a huge amount of mess

end result!

We where inspired by the magical book of Audrey Niffenegger 'The Time Traveler's Wife'. The Time Traveler's Wife is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

The gorgeous necklace itself is mainly made with vintage watch movements, parts and faces. Clare is deeply mixed up with the time, the little face is handmade of polymer clay. The necklace is 15'' (38cm) and adjustable till 20'' (51cm). A truly one of a kind piece, perfect for an extraordinary jewelry collection!

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Lee from OneClayBead blogged about her Owl House ornament.  She says, 'When I stare at the chalky grayness of clay,  I use my mind’s eye to give it color. Unlike paint, glaze contains little resemblance to the final fired color, so I have trained myself through the years, to mentally try on my various glazes until I visualize the ones I want. I also choose, first in my imagination, the little embellishments like the wire twig on my Owl House ornament.'.  This item has already sold (congrats!) but she still has other ornaments listed here, go get one before they are all gone!

Shop item description: An owl in its tree hollow, with leaves for it's roof... this is a MUST HAVE for any owl lover! This piece is entirely hand formed out of stoneware clay, with real leaves pressed into the clay, and an individually formed owl inside. I've used permanent oxides and glazes, and a paper and wire hanger with berries. Owl House is 3 3/4" H without the hanger, and a total of 5" with the hanger.

My holiday ornament theme is Woodland Magic, and these are pieces that will go beautifully on a Christmas tree, and may be used as year round decor, too. Owl House can stand alone on a desk if you like.

The owl is a symbol of intuition, and the ability to see through deception. Those who are drawn to the owl are said to have these traits themselves. The Wise Child is my ode to moms who teach the value of intuitive wisdom.

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Jessica from GreenGardenStamps is 'back to work'.  She recently blogged about the behind the scenes of how she makes her digital stamps.  Below:  I first start with a hand drawn pen and ink sketch on white paper, as seen above. I then scan the image and open it in Adobe Illustrator.  (see blog for more photos)

And above, finished product.  This digital stamp was hand drawn and perfected in Illustrator ready to be printed out and used in any number of craft projects! You can re-size it, flip the image, color it in a photo editing program or hand color a print out. Just be sure to test water mediums as printer ink is different than your typical rubber stamping ink. I also like to print it out full sized for the kids and I to color like a coloring book page.

When you purchase this digital stamp, I will email it as a png file measuring approximately 6" x 6" at 300 dpi to you in 24 hours or less to your Etsy email address. If you'd like me to email it to another email address, just leave a message to the seller during checkout. You can also request a jpg file if you'd prefer.

Use this digital stamp for personal use or handmade items to sell on a small scale (like greeting cards or pre-made scrapbook pages). You may not re-sell the image or print outs of the image or use on print on demand sites like Zazzle or CafePress. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

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Thank you for sharing what you are working on!