Art Biz Lessons

In response to this post on wholesale inquiries and pricing, I have finally raised my prices a bit. Most items were not increased by much. I feel that I struck a balance between viewing all my items as if they were already marked at wholesale prices (which would have meant doubling everything!) and not raising them enough. I was armed with pricing worksheets and the consultation of friends. All of the advice I had received basically just reinforced what I already knew - that I was priced too low. The wholesale situation helped a lot. Etsy is not the place to discount my stuff. It is a retail outlet and we should treat it as such. My retail prices will help me better contemplate a future wholesale inquiry and it also allows for a teaspoon full of more self art worth. Cheers to that!

The comments on this post are fabulous - I do recommend reading through if you already have an art/craft business or if you are thinking of starting one.

And as a balance to that side of myself wanting to be el cheapo I've finally added a sale section to the shop.

A Little History

Here is a little Rekoj background which was first prompted by a really great forum thread on the EtsyRain message boards - "What were you thinking?" As in how did you end up on Etsy selling stuff?

I want to post my reply here just cuz it was so fun to think about:

I've drawn my whole life - had parents that happily encouraged my creativity. As a kid I would fully draw out characters, costumes, living spaces etc and make little books about them. Then, as I got older those little drawings turned into paintings which then turned into studying animation. I loved to animate but somehow I got it into my head that in order to actually get an animation job I would be forced to move to LA - which I really didn't want to do! (Little older and wiser about that nowadays)
The line drawings that I paint on everything I do began with that study of animation however. They are my way of capturing movement in a single plane. I had been doodling them for ages on paper, but it took a visit to this interesting little retail experiment that one of my friends was involved in before I made the leap from paper onto fabric. 6 years ago I started freehand painting my line drawings on recycled clothing and I became a seller with the Olympia Clothing Project, which was basically a fashion designer's shared retail space. We all sold our items commission free in exchange for working the store a day or two each month. It was hugely successful and fabulous fun - until a major roof leak in the building we were in forced us out of our cheap rent. Without a place to sell, many of us dispersed out into either traditional brick and mortar shops or BuyOlympia.com. We would occasionally bump into each other at craft shows such as I Heart Rummage or Crafty Wonderland, but overall it seemed like it was the end of us designers taking charge.

And then along came Etsy - and now I've reconnected with some of the other original Oly Clothing Project designers through Etsy such as Ruffeo Hearts Lil' Snotty and PaperDollFashion. And that artist and crafter community I was so sad to have lost? It wasn't an end oh no - it was a beginning of what is now a worldwide community. We all know it - Etsy ROCKS!

Spring Shop Updates

I haven't been a very good blogger this week. I apologize.

I just got way to caught up playing around with my shop! Including a new banner which is finally consistent with my new website.

Etsy's introduction of the new shop policies page, combined with my amazing discovery of a shop listing trick last week has me all back up on the Etsy horse. Giddy up & go!

Really though it'll be great - finally all that stuff sitting around my studio will be out for the world to see. Well, the online Etsy world at least.

And along with all that fun shopkeep stuff I finished another oil painting over the weekend. Another in the string series and I just can't wait to show you. The weather just needs to cooperate so I can get a good picture (quit raining dammit!) and then I'll be adding the new swans to the site. Stay tuned cuz Rekoj is rocking it!

I returned from vacation and hit the ground running. Half the point of this post is to just get my head around all of things in the works and underway!

The day I returned from the coast I went to a planning meeting for I Heart Rummage and was graciously asked by the organizers, Cassandra Lanning and Anna Perrone, to join them as the third organizer. As I mentioned in a previous post, the IHR crew has already begun planning for I Heart Indie Holidays - a triple spot holiday slew of craft goodness! Three shows spanning three NW cities over three weekends.

November 24th at the Seattle Center Pavilion

December 2nd in Portland at the Wonder Ballroom

December 9th in Bellingham at the Majestic

Rekoj will be heading up the Portland market push. First things first - vendors needed! I'm pretty excited about these shows - not only will they provide tons of holiday sales and shopping opportunities, but it also is a chance to meet and work with some of the other strong NW indie craft organizations such as Crafty Wonderland, PDX Supercrafty, and Church of Craft to name a few!

On top of all that I've been getting super focused and busy preparing to sell at Bumbershoot. I need to have all of my merchandise ready to go by August 25th - ACK!!!! Not only does this require... well... MAKING STUFF - but it also provides a grand opportunity to stop slacking and get my website back up and running, finally get a studio message line and get a new set of business cards printed up. My oh my so much to think about.

And then there is Etsy - a newly formed Etsy street team has gathered and is rapidly building excited momentum - group called EtsyRain. I'm meeting up with some of them at a supply swap tomorrow afternoon which not only will help clear up my studio a bit but will be a fun way to network with fellow Etsy sellers.

After Bumbershoot I'll be using my brand new tripod to take tons of gorgeously clear photos of all the new work to upload to the shop - unless I completely sell out in which case ... well, give me another day or so...

And currently on the back burner is the new functional art co-op boutique ICONOGRAPHY, opening soon which is being headed up by another I Heart Rummage vendor Deviant Design.

Rekoj will be involved in that as well.

Rekoj is a nut that's what.

Octopurse!

Newly updated in my etsy shop is this darling little Octopus purse. I've got a few of these to list and I had taken a whole slew of pictures some time ago only to find out that I actually quite suck at photography and I needed to redo them all. That's how we learn I suppose! So this picture turned out a lot less blurry but I'm still not certain I like my composition. Loving the colors but the angle of the shot is still not what I want.
Keep practicing Rekoj!

Funny how one can have such a steady hand for fine detail hand painting with thick screen printing ink but when it comes to holding a camera I get the odd sensation of having two left feet ... or er, eyes? Anyone have any suggestions or advice?

It's just something I have to keep at and I know it will get better. Better get better that is - if I've got any chance at all to Make It in this craft world I got to figure out how to take better pictures!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REKOJ!

This is a pic of the card my office got me. Pretty much sums up my mood about the day. Between 25 and 30 it's all pretty much ambivalent ain't it...

I did however finish my old journal just in time to begin writing in the new which makes this particular birthday feel like a new year. Making plans and writing resolutions just like January's post-food-coma-diet-promises.

Birthday resolutions such as:

Create every day.

Figure out what to do with it all - (i.e. Update Etsy and get around to building that new website)

Write every day.

Save travel $$$.

Live my dreams and quit whining.

It's just that easy, right?

The view from my Roof

Much time has passed. I successfully moved from little ol' Oly to bustling downtown Seattle. My day job is a mere BLOCK from the Pike Place Market. I walk to work. I daydream while staring out the window to the Puget Sound.

After months of exploring and adjusting to this new life I'm beginning to ramp the business momentum back up. My art never took a hiatus during this time, but the business of art did. Now is time to return. To get back on the bike of the Website and the Etsy and Blogging.

It Officially starts for me this coming Sunday. I will be selling all my hand painted goodies once more at IHeartRummage. You can find me in the middle of the front room. Look for the green dresser and come by to say HI!