A day
Since this blog has enabled me to process so many things by writing I thought this am I would write out a typical day lately just to get some perspective. You see the power of attraction is mind blowing and it makes me think of the "cliche" be careful what you wish for. Not in a doom and gloom sense but in the sense that you may not realize at first what comes along with what it is you are creating.
About a month ago with my life coach we were hashing out some of the details of one of my goals: to make 3,000 a month in sales. She was asking me how many items that would have to be. I see now that the opportunity was then presented for me to look at my worth/value for my time, but all I could focus on was being affirmed for my art and feeling wanted. So I decided to lower my prices on prints and to list my new chunky necklaces for lower than I would have initially. The material costs are the same as my sterling square pendants.
So what happened? My sales went up. Maybe due to marketing maybe due to lowered prices, In conjunction with my upcoming party it made me very strapped for time. I am a one woman show. In the past weeks I have lost a sense of reflection because there just isn't the time. I feel rushed and a lack of creative time weighs heavily on my mind. I spoke to my husband yesterday about all of this. How I feel so wiped out and to be frank a bit overwhelmed.
I told my life coach in the first few sessions that affirmation and acknowledgement is very important. I am competitive with myself. I pay little attention to others accomplishments unless of course they have received an acknowledgement that I have been striving for and have failed to achieve yet. Then it makes me try harder.
The thing is - I do not have the time as a one woman show with a 2 1/2 year old at home to pump out tons and tons of product at the low prices I have set. I also see that what is important to me-quality-detail-giving each piece energy by wearing it-wrapping it in a beautiful unique package with the meaning behind the piece, adds value to my work and takes time. I need to factor this into my prices. To continue to feed my creativity, grow as a photographer and artist I need time. Beautiful Liz posted a meditation a long while ago about creating space around your heart. All the possibility that comes with that space. The insight, the beauty, the gifts.
So what I saw about this jewelry party I had was that it was focusing a lot of energy on selling my product. And that with everything else going on I didn't have the time to package and present the soul of each piece. I hung them from pegs on velvet covered boards-all alone-without the love and reflection of the meaning cards, magnet cards and beautiful wrappings they are usually surrounded by. It took away a lot of the beauty-a lot of the meaning-for me at least.
At the beginning of the party there were 2 women that wanted complex custom orders-which took my time and left me unable to introduce my work to the party goers. This meant that not only were my pieces hanging alone out in the wind-but I didn't present them verbally either. Side note-I have mentioned in the past my guilt of throwing out banana peels or other garbage outside of my home-for concern that they will feel lonely. I have to say there is a similar feeling about my jewelry pieces at the party that night. For a long time I hid this type of thing in my personality-thinking I will be percieved as flaky-but you know what? I am ready to claim it-to embrace it-to wear it proud-because it is a part of me-and thanks to so many of you and the wonderful people I have come across lately -there are people who get that. And as I start valueing this in my self I start to see it in others as well.
So I raised my prices a little-and may raise them again. Writing this post I have decided I will no longer make custom pieces for the masses. I will offer the wholesale prices and custom work to other artists that want to offer their work in wearable pieces.
I want to sell to people who are attracted to my energy and want to transmit that in the pieces they order-because I am sensitive to peoples energy. It can greatly affect my mood and outlook. This business is really about my heart and soul and expressing it and giving little pieces of it to others. I want each customer I have to get that and buy from me because of it.
This feels so good to write this out. It is so rewarding to see the past few weeks of feeling like a chicken with my head cut off has helped me hone my vision, see what I really want to create.
When I got my website, my husband had said that I shouldn't link to this blog because it is too personal to present to my customers. I see now that I should link to this blog because this is me and this business is really about all that I write here. It is about what I value-what I feel-what I want to share.
I guess I didn't need to write out the craziness of a typical recent day to get to the core of this. I just needed to write.
Thank you for hearing me.
Namaste
About a month ago with my life coach we were hashing out some of the details of one of my goals: to make 3,000 a month in sales. She was asking me how many items that would have to be. I see now that the opportunity was then presented for me to look at my worth/value for my time, but all I could focus on was being affirmed for my art and feeling wanted. So I decided to lower my prices on prints and to list my new chunky necklaces for lower than I would have initially. The material costs are the same as my sterling square pendants.
So what happened? My sales went up. Maybe due to marketing maybe due to lowered prices, In conjunction with my upcoming party it made me very strapped for time. I am a one woman show. In the past weeks I have lost a sense of reflection because there just isn't the time. I feel rushed and a lack of creative time weighs heavily on my mind. I spoke to my husband yesterday about all of this. How I feel so wiped out and to be frank a bit overwhelmed.
I told my life coach in the first few sessions that affirmation and acknowledgement is very important. I am competitive with myself. I pay little attention to others accomplishments unless of course they have received an acknowledgement that I have been striving for and have failed to achieve yet. Then it makes me try harder.
The thing is - I do not have the time as a one woman show with a 2 1/2 year old at home to pump out tons and tons of product at the low prices I have set. I also see that what is important to me-quality-detail-giving each piece energy by wearing it-wrapping it in a beautiful unique package with the meaning behind the piece, adds value to my work and takes time. I need to factor this into my prices. To continue to feed my creativity, grow as a photographer and artist I need time. Beautiful Liz posted a meditation a long while ago about creating space around your heart. All the possibility that comes with that space. The insight, the beauty, the gifts.
So what I saw about this jewelry party I had was that it was focusing a lot of energy on selling my product. And that with everything else going on I didn't have the time to package and present the soul of each piece. I hung them from pegs on velvet covered boards-all alone-without the love and reflection of the meaning cards, magnet cards and beautiful wrappings they are usually surrounded by. It took away a lot of the beauty-a lot of the meaning-for me at least.
At the beginning of the party there were 2 women that wanted complex custom orders-which took my time and left me unable to introduce my work to the party goers. This meant that not only were my pieces hanging alone out in the wind-but I didn't present them verbally either. Side note-I have mentioned in the past my guilt of throwing out banana peels or other garbage outside of my home-for concern that they will feel lonely. I have to say there is a similar feeling about my jewelry pieces at the party that night. For a long time I hid this type of thing in my personality-thinking I will be percieved as flaky-but you know what? I am ready to claim it-to embrace it-to wear it proud-because it is a part of me-and thanks to so many of you and the wonderful people I have come across lately -there are people who get that. And as I start valueing this in my self I start to see it in others as well.
So I raised my prices a little-and may raise them again. Writing this post I have decided I will no longer make custom pieces for the masses. I will offer the wholesale prices and custom work to other artists that want to offer their work in wearable pieces.
I want to sell to people who are attracted to my energy and want to transmit that in the pieces they order-because I am sensitive to peoples energy. It can greatly affect my mood and outlook. This business is really about my heart and soul and expressing it and giving little pieces of it to others. I want each customer I have to get that and buy from me because of it.
This feels so good to write this out. It is so rewarding to see the past few weeks of feeling like a chicken with my head cut off has helped me hone my vision, see what I really want to create.
When I got my website, my husband had said that I shouldn't link to this blog because it is too personal to present to my customers. I see now that I should link to this blog because this is me and this business is really about all that I write here. It is about what I value-what I feel-what I want to share.
I guess I didn't need to write out the craziness of a typical recent day to get to the core of this. I just needed to write.
Thank you for hearing me.
Namaste
posted by Colorsonmymind at 5:55:00 AM
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10 Comments:
It's really hard, putting value to our work. I struggled with this when I first started my acupuncture practice - what are my services worth? Now I still give it away (much to my husband's dismay) to my friends, that's my choice. But I did put my prices to the going market and honestly, once I stopped negating and back-pedaling, once I was comfortable with saying my price, my business took off. I will never be ok with charging my friends - but that's my choice. And now it doesn't sting as much because I have patients that do pay, lol.
One thing I've noticed in the world of business honey, the more value you put on your work, the more people will pay. It's almost like, if your wares are too little, everyone will wonder why.
I've been wondering for some time now to either get a fulltime job and have no money worries, or continue working parttime and freelance writing. a.k.a. the bills get paid, there's food in the fridge, but not so much money left over just yet. I need time to build a steady writing income. Need time to figure out if i would like to illustrate too. if that is for me. so thank you for sharing these thoughts. Energy is so important and reading about you and you're views here on a daily basis makes me want to buy a piece of your work even more.
with love,
xoxo silvia
thank you for sharing this. your words really hit home.
I'm new to your blog but wanted you to know that I find it absolutely inspiring. I think it's very courageous of you to link your business to your blog. Being true to who you are as an artist means you get to keep your artistic integrity, which is awesome!
You have my admiration and my respect.
p.s. Your work is wonderful!
honey, i just breathed a huge sigh of relief over here ... i was concerned about your lower prices, your art is so incredibly beautiful and i feel that it is so important to put a meaningful value on your time and energy and artistic talent.
i think that you have made some beautiful realizations and i am so incredibly happy that you are creating a space for you to grow in and be and become the artist that you are an will be. i am also thrilled that you wrote it all out here for those of us who are struggling with the same issues in our mind and hearts.
doing a little dance over here :) follow your bliss baby, follow your bliss ... loving you, xoxox
good for you, you (and your beautiful art) are worth it!
blessings,
tammy
Aside from the stress you are feeling, I feel like all of this is perfectly wonderful in that you put your energy out there, asking that the value of your artwork be affirmed (and it was! :)) and now, since we must always strive for more, it seems perfectly natural that you should need to shift once again, this time to get back to the heart of your art making. you needed the affirmation and you got it (yay for you!!). Maybe we will always need to make little adjustments to our lives to keep a balance. We are ever shifting and so must the details of our lives.
I just think that it is fantastic that your artwork is selling so well. It makes me realize that one of my downfalls in supporting myself with my own artmaking is that I just haven't put the energy into actually making it HAPPEN. I tried, but then gave up too easily. This inspires me and I absolutely believe in this philosophy of the power of attraction.
Linking to your blog--hey...did you know that is actually becoming a very popular marketing tool. I mean, customer and clients WANT to feel that connection. I think it's great that you are keeping these two aspects of your life linked together. This is the whole you--and it is wonderful!
I am so happy for you and the success you are having with your artwork. Keep up the wonderful work! :)
I love that you wear the art, and give it energy. That makes me even more special, in my eyes.
:)
i feel power and confidence in this post...i applaude you for giving yourself permission to shift it all so it's more workable and satisfying and more of a reflection of you, your heart, and your passion
I am so happy to read this and inspired by your entire process of evaluating what was truly important to you as an artist AND a business owner. I think it is so important to share this experience...thank you!!
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