My silly little Journal

Once again too long has passed. Once again, I apologize. And here I am thinking of starting a new blog. Who am I to think I can pull that off when I neglect this one so much? 

Well, here's the thing. I recently started journaling again and am now adding little drawings and doodles that express my thoughts, some personal, some meaningful, some just silly. It feels great to express myself in this way, and I thought it might be fun to share them in their own blog. (I'd be better at updating it, since I journal all the time...) Here's a little preview. I'd love to know what you think. 

Is this a blog you'd follow and/or tell your friends about? 

You Can't Hurry Love

Coming up with a new idea never happens when you are looking for it. It always, at least for me, happens out of the blue and at some inconvenient time. 

And that's how my new night lights were born. Now, to be honest I have wanted to make night lights for as long as I've been in business. I fell in love with the idea years ago and have a box full of at least 8 failed attempts in my attic that turned out to be too much work, too expensive, or just plain ugly. (I always save botched prototypes for future exploration) So this is not the first time this idea surfaced, it's just the first time it took hold of me and wouldn't let go. 

And once again, just as with the magnetic bookmarks, the obsession took hold a month before a wholesale show and once I knew I had to create them I was determined to have samples for ACRE. SO. The past month has been predictably frantic and fraught with mishaps. The designing of the night light covers, while all consuming for the first week, went pretty well. I found a way to make them out of my art sandwiched between two sheets of acrylic. But the rest has been a bumpy ride.

I ordered 100 night lights from a place I trust and as soon as they got here, took every single one out of it's individual blister pack and put it in a bin. That was my first mistake. I didn't notice until a week later when I was trying to put them together that they were cheap imports and the clip that attaches the cover to the light didn't fit. The cover spins and flops around like a ring on your finger after you've lost 50 lbs. So now I've got 100 night lights I can't use and can't return. 
Great start, Corwin.

Meanwhile, I still had to get them photographed so I can get them on the website before I leave for the show. So I made one of each design anyway, and got them to my wonderful photographer, Aaron, who had agreed to fit me in for a rush job so I could get the images online before my show next week. He was a trooper about dealing with the covers twirling on the base and super tight deadline. (And as I write this, I realize I should have just superglued the clips on the light to make it easier for him even though that would render them unsellable afterwards).

With just one week until I leave for Las Vegas, I spent the better part of a day calling night light suppliers, only to find that almost no one carries the black lights I want. The places that have a great price on them are out of stock until July and the ones who have them in stock are way too expensive. Apparently (who knew?) there is a night light shortage in this country. The black ones are so scarce that I had to order 250 dark brown lights (they swore they look black!) from one place and 500 black lights from another (much more expensive place), cleaning out both of those suppliers.
Oh, did I mention I had to have them shipped 3 Day Air so I could get them in time? Ouch.

Then, because the black lights are hard to get, I had to pre-order (and pre-pay)1500 of them to get them reserved so they can be drop shipped from the manufacturer when they are made later this summer.

To make matters worse, I calculated my prices based on the cost of the crummy ones that I had every reason to believe would work just fine. AND I already, in my hurry to cover every detail before the show, printed signs for the booth, designed and printed catalog sheets and sent out emails based on that price.

Oy. Learn from my mistakes, my friend. It is too late for me.

Now I'm poised to go to Vegas in a few days and take orders for a product I can't even start making until the day before I leave. I'll get it done. You can bet I will. I won't sleep much and I'll be stressed, and worried and crunching numbers in my sleep. I'll take a little hit on my profits. But at least you'll learn from me. Take this as a cautionary tale. 

Do your homework first.
Don't jump the gun.
Test before you print catalogs, signs, send out an email blast... and then test again. 

And then hold your breath and jump.

Hopelessy Addicted - my new love

A few months ago my friend Tom Anderson sent me information about The Landfill Art Project. Founded by Ken Marquis, The Landfillart Project is an international effort inviting 1,041 artists to create fine art from a reclaimed hubcap. The goal is to create a traveling show of 200 of the hubcaps and to publish a book on the project showcasing all one thousand forty one completed “metal canvases.” The book and traveling show will publicly portray the global art community's effort to positively impact the environment through repurposing metal waste into great landfillart.

If you've been following my blog you know that I have recently become obsessed with the beadwork of the Huichol Indians and have been beading my heart out creating lamps, bowls and boxes for the past year. I was so excited about this project I wrote Ken right away and got my hubcap the next week. 

I started by filing in the center Thunderbird logo impression with epoxy resin so I'd have a smooth surface to work on. Once that dried I filled the area with a mixture of pine pitch and beeswax and began the beading process. Each bead is applied one at time, embedded in the wax with a tiny awl.


Clearly, it's a very, very time consuming process, but I find it meditative and relaxing. Time flies and hours pass in what seems like minutes. I started in the center and as I finished each area I stopped and let the piece show me where to go. Even when I paint, I'm not the kind of artist who can sketch the final piece out ahead of time. I let it unfold and as I complete each phase I live with it for a day (or sometimes several) until it shows me what to do next. 
 
 It took over two months to get the center done. Once I finished the honeycomb floral design it took several days of sitting with it to envision the black and white border with the purple flowers and then figure out how to make it work with beads. It took another month or more to finish the border.

 
First I tried an orange edge around the black and white area, but after about an hour I could see it wasn't working so I had to remove all of the 200 or so beads I had just applied, then I reapplied the wax and tried the olive green line. I loved it, and as soon as I finished it I saw very clearly what the rest should look like.

 

By my estimate there are over 6,000 beads in the finished piece. Here are some close ups:

 

Now comes the hardest part - sending it away. 

I never expected that after spending months with this labor of love, I'd find it so hard to let it go. Each day I plan to pack it up and send it to Ken, and each day I think... I'll just enjoy it on the wall for one more day. I mean, really - it looks perfect there, right?

 

Paying it Forward

If you know me, you know I love giving things away.  It goes beyond the candy I put in all the orders I ship and goody bags I give out at the wholesale shows. I give away a clock every day I work at Pike Place Market, too.

It's always the highlight of my day. I wait until the right person comes along, someone who loves a certain design but can't afford to buy it, someone who is having a bad day or lets it slip that its their birthday. I discreetly put that item in a bag, hand it to them and tell them it's a gift.  Often they refuse at first but I insist, explaining that this is a Paper Scissors Rock tradition and ask that in return I just ask that they do something kind for someone else - preferably a stranger. (And for the record I started doing this way before the move Pay It Forward movie came out!)

I believe every kindness, no matter how small makes a difference, and that together we can all make the world a better place. Corny? Sure, but here's the thing. The way I see it, each time we make someone smile, laugh or feel a little lighter, it's a ripple in the pond. Neale Donald Walsh wrote, "You could be the Angel for whom someone is waiting today". The world is a difficult place right now. why not be kinder to each other? What does that really cost us? The truth is, you never know what impact a tiny gesture can make, it could be much bigger than you think.

So I had an idea the other day. I love this tradition so much that I've decided to expand it by starting a  Pay It Forward Gift GIveaway Program. Any wholesale buyer who wants to be part of it can sign up. I will note it in their account and from now on, I will add a free gift item to each of their orders, which they can then give to any customer, asking them to continue the chain by doing something kind for someone else.

This is going to be on the honor system, the added item is not to be sold or given to friends. The idea is to extend kindness and generosity when it's least expected, and my hope is that they will feel as rewarded by these gestures as I do.

Studio Tour Continued

The last studio tour was so much fun I've decided to make it a regular thing. First stop on this tour is the studio of Nancy Giere of NGlassworks in Williamsburg, VA. Nancy makes dichroic glass jewelry. It's so organized and clean!

And for more gorgeous dichroic glass, we'll visit the studio of the amazing Mercedes Brugh. Her company, Frozen Music is in Logansport, Indiana.

And last stop is in Shelton, WA. Ainsley Walden of Go Fish has a sweet little set up - two little cottages and a lovely courtyard where she does her raku firing. One building is for shipping and is her office, the other has a kiln and workspace. 

I hope you'll consider sending me images of your studio so I can feature you here. (email images and info to businessofcrafts@comcast.net)

Retail vs Wholesale - sales technique

I just got back from the New York Gift Show. While there, I watched a few beginners struggle nervously through the first few days. It really brought me back. When I did my first wholesale show I'd sold my art for years at shows and at Pike Place Market, but I had no idea what to say to a buyer. Realizing it was a whole new world, I hired someone with experience to do my first show with me and stood back and watched her for the first two days before I felt comfortable interacting with buyers. 

Here's what I learned: You simply can't talk to wholesale buyers the way you do to retail shoppers. It's not effective and it doesn't answer the important questions they need answered about your work and about doing business with you. 

Wholesale sales technique and retail sales technique are very different. When you speak to retail customers you’re selling your product. When you sell to wholesale buyers you’re selling that your product sells. Although it is still important, less time is spent romancing your work, explaining technique, the medium and the story of each piece. Instead, it’s your job to help the buyer feel secure that they are making a smart and profitable decision for their business.

Retail customers are often out to have fun. They don’t need to buy anything. ‘Just looking’ is great entertainment. When you talk to a retail shopper you’re measuring if they're really interested, how they react to colors, styles and prices. It’s important to talk to them on a personal level and keep it light. If the customer needs help choosing a clock as a gift I might ask what the recipient's favorite colors are, or if they have cats or a dog, or hobbies that relate to my designs. If they are buying one to take home I might ask “What colors make you happy?” It’s helpful to make suggestions or help guide them towards a decision they’ll feel good about but at the same time I want to also be sure they don't feel pressured.

On the other hand when you do a wholesale show, buyers are never ‘just looking’. Unlike retail shoppers, wholesale buyers come to a show because they need to shop. It's their job. They have a budget, and they need to spend it in order to make a living. They rely on you to help them decide if your work is right for their store and their customers as well as to give them the information and tools they need to sell it. This means listening to their needs, giving display suggestions, and helping them choose the right items for their clientele.

When a retail customer buys a piece that’s been sitting around for months you’re happy to get rid of it. When they walk away from your booth, you probably do a little happy dance of relief. (It’s gone! Finally!) But it’s bad business to sell a wholesale buyer an item that is a slow seller. If it’s likely they’ll end up stuck with it forever you risk losing their trust. They probably won’t believe your recommendations again and you may very well lose the account altogether.

When you think a buyer is making a bad decision, even if it benefits you in the short run to make the sale, letting them know it may not be the best choice benefits both of you. You’re there to make sure both of you profit from the relationship in the long run - you’re a team. You can’t take the point of view that once you sell your work to a store the deal is over. Your wholesale buyers are your link between you and your end customer. If they don’t sell your work well, you both lose.

Wholesale relationships are long term, and it’s important to treat them that way. Establish a trust by being honest and put the buyer’s needs first. By doing this you’ll forge a solid relationship that’s beneficial to both of you.

Obstacle into Opportunity

I've always said that there is no such thing as failure and that every obstacle is an opportunity. I teach this in all my classes as well. Every stumbling block you encounter can teach you something and tells you as much about what you should do as what you shouldn't.
I've had to learn this the hard way so many times now over the years that I now have a rule. When I hit a wall, a glitch, a tough time, or when I see something isn't working, I allow myself to indulge in three days of panic and worry and stress. But that's it. Then I stop, take out a piece of paper and make myself write answers to these four questions:
Is there something I did to cause this that I now know to avoid?
Is there something I can learn from this?
What gift or opportunity can I find here?
And what do I do now?
Great things come from this exercise. When I first created my clocks (which, if you've never seen them, are prints of my artwork laminated onto foam board) I loved them. But many of the people who picked them up were confused and disappointed because they thought they were tiles. They'd pause, and say "Oh...I thought it was a tile," then put it back down and walk away. I was surprised by this and frankly it upset me. After all my work and excitement about this new idea, I felt like I had to start over.

I stewed a while but then, I realized I could actually turn this into a selling point if I took a positive spin on it. When people walked up to my booth I started addressing the issue before they had a chance to notice it. I'd say "Go ahead, pick one up! It's actually not ceramic, it just looks like it." Out of curiosity they would pick one up and they'd always gasp "WOW! I thought it was a tile!" And that gave me the opportunity to say "I know! Isn't it great? They look like a tile, but they'll never crack or break and you can hang them on a push pin." My sales skyrocketed. And to this day, 15 years later this is still how I approach every single customer. In fact, this is now what I'm known for and what people love about my clocks.

Last year when many people were cutting art out of their budget and buying only necessities, I started to get really scared. But then I made myself stop and ask myself the questions. I realized people still want to shop and people still love art. So my job was to create a tiny little affordable gift that was also functional. I played with lots of ideas and really had fun with it and finally created a line of magnetic bookmarks, a little piece of art that anyone could afford that had a function and purpose. They are now being sold in stores all over the country and even won Museum & More's Gifty Award for Best Gift in the Paper & Stationery category.

I truly believe that every obstacle holds a gift inside of it whether a lesson, a new venture or a new idea. Sometimes it's easier to find it than others, but if you can stop and breath and look for it, it actually becomes fun and exciting to try and turn things around.