Photo's to Inspire

Last week Esque from inkihandmade.blogspot.com and inkihandmade.etsy.com, commented that lately she has been inspired by nautical images. Today we have some nautical images from Flickr.

Colorful Buoy by WNAbrams' photostream

Nautical Bondage 2 by Keyport-Kid

A Nautical Disaster by reflectionsofthenorth's photostream

Nautical Compass by Just us 3's photostream

Nautical Silhouette by Damian Gadal's Photostream

Nautical Abstract by JB Photo's photostream

Leave me a comment on what inspires you, and I will share with everyone that you were the source of inspiration for the photo's in the post.

Creative Business - Your Target Audience

Target audience is a topic of many forum and blog posts. We read a lot about how important it is to define and know who your target audience is, and how to reach them. Today I have a couple of creative ideas you can use to help you narrow down and define your target audience.

We all would love for our target audience to be huge, like women age 18 - 75 who likes handcrafted items, but narrowing it down will make it easier to find and communicate to our intended audience. If we don't we are wasting time, money, and effort. Trying to be all thing to everyone results in not being anything to anyone.

Give this a try, answer these questions in your journal:

Where do your customers shop?

What groups or associations do they belong to?

What media do they consume? List magazines, books, blogs, TV shows

How are they using the Internet? Surfing, shopping, reading blogs, selling, sharing photos

What competitor products do they use? Think big box shopping as well as handcrafted

What are the demographics of your target audience? remember to narrow this down to your most likely customer - include age, sex, level of education, job, marital status, family situation

What trends affect your business?

Doing this will help you gain focus. It will give you a list of where your customer is shopping, what they like, people they spend time with, making it easier to target your marketing materials.

Are you a visual person? Try this:

Get a bunch of magazines and catalogs you like, and rip out pictures of who is likely to own your merchandise. Rip out several options, your customer in a casual look, dressed up, on location, the more you find the easier it will be to define your customer.

Once you have ripped out several photo's look to see what they all have in common. Start a list.

What is their age?

What is their style?

Where would they shop, watch on TV, read?

Answer the questions above as well.

Add the pictures you find to your list, so you have visuals of your customer along with the info you write down to get to know your customer better.

Give one or both of these options a try. You might be surprised what you learn, and the more you learn the better you are going to be at reaching your target audience.

Once you have put your list together post it so it is handy, and when you are online, keep in mind the customer you are trying to reach and market your efforts towards them. The results should be more people interested in what you are creating.

Have any other ideas on defining your target market, share them in the comments section.

Artist to Know - Gustave Klimt

Gustave Klimt (1862 - 1918)

His works include paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects, many of which are on display in the Vienna Secession gallery. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, apparent in his numerous drawings in pencil.

Klimt began his professional career painting interior murals and ceilings in large public buildings. The tragic death of his brother and father affected his artistic vision, and soon he would veer toward a new personal style.

Beginning in the late 1890s he took annual summer holidays to the shores of Attersee and painted many of his landscapes there. These works constitute the only genre aside from the figure that seriously interested Klimt.

Klimt's 'Golden Phase' was marked by positive critical reaction and success. Many of his paintings from this period used gold leaf and a beautiful mosaic style. His painting method was very deliberate and painstaking at times and he required lengthy sittings by his subjects. Klimt's fame usually brought patrons to his door, and he could afford to be highly selective.


As he worked and relaxed in his home, Klimt normally wore sandals and a long robe with no undergarments. His simple life was somewhat cloistered, and devoted to his art and family.

In 2006, the 1907 portrait, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, was purchased for the Neue Galerie in New York by Ronald Lauder for a reported US $135 million, the highest reported price ever paid for a painting.

Adele Bloch-Bauer I

Shop News

It has been a crazy busy week at Additionsstyle.etsy.com.

It was my one year Etsy Anniversary on Tuesday and I want to thank everyone who checked out my shop and wished me a Happy Etsy Anniversary!

Because of my anniversary this past week I had a one day sale that required changing all my prices and changing them back, making for a busy couple of days. When that sale was done I put several item were on sale, so right now there is a large selection of pieces at 15% off.

I Also completed a large wholesale order this week, packed up, and shipped out. I am glad to have that off my plate, and very excited about having a new account.

Over at 1000 Market, I changed my header, and put my items in to categories for easy searching. They have done wonderful new things at the 1000 Market site, its worth a look.

In the coming weeks I am going to be building my inventory for shows I have coming up, and for the holidays. You can check out new items I will be adding to my Etsy shop all week.

I wish everyone a good selling week!

Awaken Your Creativity - With The Right Book

I love journals and sketchbooks. I have several that I have never even used because I think they are too pretty to write in. That is the wonderful thing about journals and sketchbooks, their are so many to choose from that you can find something special to suit all your needs and moods.

These days you can find a book that suits your needs from pretty much anywhere. I recently saw some really nice books at my grocery store. When you are looking for a book, you need to find something that will work for your specific needs. If you are just using it for writing a lined journal may be best. If you are sketching, doing college, collecting things, then try a blank book.

There are many sources for finding unique handmade books. Etsy is a great place to start. Here are a few of my favorites. They are so beautiful, they are just waiting for you to fill the pages.

Butterfly Leather Journal by Kreativlink

Small Journal Pencil me in by nightowlcraftworks

Secret Treasure in Rainbow by journaljunky

Refillable Composition Notebook 41 by dailythreads

You can buy a nice simple blank or lined book and make it your own. Embellish the cover with photo's, college on your favorite items, cover it with pretty paper, that is the best part of a simple book, anything goes.

I created my own combinations by using a leather cover with a binder in the center and pockets on the sides, I added a sketchbook into one pocket, lined paper, a calendar, and my address book in the binder section. I really like having everything in one place, and only one book to carry around.

Remember to choose a size that works best for you. I have a small notebook I keep in purse for those notes I need to write when I am on the road. There are also fun shapes available too, so experiment till you find something you love.

Opening you book to those blank white pages can be daunting. Why not embellish them a little. Stamp you pages with encouraging words and designs, add a watercolor wash to a few pages for colored paper, or add envelopes or pockets for collecting thing. You can also do a combination of all these ideas, and I am sure once you get started you will come up with more ideas.

Remember keeping a journal is a journey of self discovery. Why not do it in a style that makes you happy.

Check out last weeks post for info on why keeping a journal/sketchbook is good for your creative process.

Have some ideas that have made your journal and sketchbook unique, I would love to hear them.

Do you make journals/sketchbooks? Share your link.

Explore - The Sense of Touch

Remember when you were young and you wanted to touch everything, and make you friends touch stuff not knowing what it was? Today I have a project that will be fun for you, your family, your friends, and your sense of touch.

Create Tactile Boards

Collect materials based on texture - you could use things you find in nature, in or around you home, on a walk, anything will do, you just want it to have a variety of texture's to touch.

Glue you items to a piece of paper or cardboard - you could create a flip book, put it all on one big sheet, or do a separate sheet for each texture. Make sure you have a large enough surface of your textured item (if small use several) for touching.

That's it, you created a Tactile Board

Now invite people to close their eyes and guess what the different materials are. Let them touch the board with different body parts (such as their cheek or elbow). Notice the reaction you get to the different textures. This is a great way to experiment with new textures you want to add to your next project.

Other fun options

A Tactile Map

Collect items from different places that represents the area, and see if people can guess where they came from.

Tactile Reliefs

Instead of collecting textures, create texture reliefs, by press non-drying clay into different textures and create a board of your relief textures.

It's always fun to experiment with new ideas, new ideas can lead to new discoveries, and it can be a lot of fun too!

Anyone who gives this project a try send me a photo and a note telling me where your textures came from and the response they got, and I will post it on my blog with your name and info. Send the info to additionsstyleblog@gmail.com.

The source for this idea is from Artist Bruno Munari.

Thurdsay Thought's

"When you follow your bliss...doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors, and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else."

Joseph Campbell

Photo's to Inspire

I am very inspired by the shapes and the unique look of historical and contemporary light fixtures. For today's post I found some amazing photo's via Flickr.

DSCF0223 - Toni.Wang73 Photostream

Stuart Haygarth Comicburst1 - NYNYNY Photostream

Skygarden - Fabaya's photostream

Can Can - Spring Globe Photostream

Raimond LED Lamp - Spring Globe's photostream

Reflective Lamp - Octal Khan's photostream

Punta Cana - Elvis Pépin's photostream

Leave me a comment on what inspires you, and I will post photo's I find and give you credit for the inspiration.

Creative Business - One Year Etsy Anniversary

My First Header

One year ago today I jumped in and opened my Etsy Shop. I had spent several months trying to decide if I wanted to have a shop online, and do all the work that is involved is setting up and running it. I am glad I did it has been one big adventure since I started.

I did not know how much work it was going to be, and time involvement, but I have invested the time and it's been a pretty good year . I have shared stores about how much time I have spend online in the blog post How Much Time and Tracking Time.

I have learned a lot this past year. I have changed my photo's, my policy page, my profile, even my blog. I have developed many new techniques for the hardware and my designs, and I have more new ideas coming soon.

I am looking forward to another year of discovering new ideas for creating, marketing, and running my business better. Join me for the journey! Visit my blog everyday to be inspired, grow creatively, and learn something new.

TODAY ONLY SPECIAL

everything in my shop is 22% off

to celebrate my one year anniversary

Shop early, several pieces are one of a kind and once they are sold they are gone forever.

Artist to Know

There are so many artists past and present who's work inspires us to create. This series Artist to Know will share with you information about artists from our past and interviews from innovative artists from our present. I hope you will enjoy learning about these artist as much I am going to enjoy researching each of them.

An artist that has inspired me in many ways from the materials used, the use of color, and his innovative shapes, is Alexander Calder. My first artist for the Artist to Know series.

Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976)

He was famous for developing the mobile as a three-dimensional kinetic art form. In addition to Mobile's he did sculptures, paintings, lithographs, toys, and jewelry. He is one of the most acclaimed and influential sculptor of our time.

He was born in Lawnton Pennsylvania.

In 1915 he went to Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ to study mechanical engineering.

When he decided he wanted to be an artists he went to the Art Student League in New York City to study art.

Calder's work elegantly combines elements of Abstraction, Surrealism and Constructivism. His first public commission for mobiles was in 1937 for the Berkshire Museum. He has permanent pieces including mobiles and sculptures all over the world. His pieces can be found in museums, city public buildings, the JFK Airport, and he also had a piece that was in the World Trade Center North Tower that was destroyed 9/11/2001.



All the images are from the Calder Foundation Website

What artist has influenced you and your art?

Journal your way to Self Discovery

The road to finding inspiration is not straight and narrow, it's winding and unfamiliar. While on this journey keeping a journal/sketchbook gives your new inspired ideas a place to go. When ideas come you may not have all the details worked out, putting them down on paper will help you with the process.

Keeping a journal is not just about writing, it can be sketching, doodling, making lists, or even making a college. It's not something you have to do everyday, but when you are serious about growing and expressing through your art then it's worth taking a few minutes everyday to work out your ideas.

Remember, journals/sketchbooks are for all your ideas, good and bad. You should never filter or judge yourself on what you put down. These books are for your own personal thoughts and growth. What may seem like a bad idea at the time, may be your best idea ever when you look at it in the future.

The words and sketches you do will awaken your creative wisdom, which will help you make better decisions about the direction you take in your creative process, as well as set better goals that will be easier for you to reach.

Next week I will share journal/sketchbook options, from buying handmade, to creating your own, or embellishing a store bought book.

Share your experience about keeping a journal/sketchbook.

Anyone make journals or sketchbooks share your link for us all the check out!

Fashion at its Best

Image Uniform Project Flickr Group

Could you wear the same dress for a year?

Well, I just found a cool website called The Uniform Project 1 Dress 365 Days. Its an exercise in sustainable fashion, and a year long fundraiser for Akanksha Foundation a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India.

Each day the creator of this project reinvents the dress she had designed with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which are vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Each outfit is so unique most of the time you can't tell it's the same dress. Here is one of my favorites.

The hats and plumes, the dickeys and drapes, the shoes and slips, the belts and brooches – much of what see are from eBay and Etsy, backed by visits to the many local vintage boutiques, thrift stores and flea markets in New York. She is also taking donations for accessories, read all about it here.

She has done amazing things with one dress you can check out all her looks daily or monthly.
Visit the blog for more information about the project.

Thursday Thoughts

"When I work with a leaf, rock, stick, it is not just that material in itself, it is an opening into the process of life within and around it."

Andy Goldsworthy

A Quick Glance

My goal for redesigning my blog is to have a place where we can find inspiration, let our creative juices flow, and grow our creative businesses. I will be trying to post everyday, and each day their will be new ideas to be inspired.

Some regular features:

Ideas for a Creative Business

Photo’s to Inspire – Inspiring photos from Flicker

Artist to know – past and present, including artist interviews

Awaken your Creativity – journal prompts and creativity projects

Explore – featuring fun DIY projects, recipes, and fun things to do with family and friends

Shared Inspiration – a post with comments and ideas you share with me

Shop News – info on what’s happening in my shops, new items, sales, and special deals

Creative Happenings – a roundup of blogs, websites, books, magazines, and other creative places to visit

This is a sampling of what you have to look forward to on the new Additions Style Blog. Bookmark this page, follow this blog, it’s time to let our creative spirit soar!

Have any ideas you want to share? Want to be a guest writer? Please contact me!

Business Tip Tuesday - Networking

Networking is a process of meeting people, making contacts, and building mutually beneficial professional relationships. Networking opens doors and opportunities, as we all know it is not always about what we know but who we know.

It's not about getting sales (but sometimes you do), or to get information, but about helping each other accomplish your goals.
There are so my groups you can join in your town or even online. Check out joining a Etsy team, or a parents group, these are great places to network. Want more information I did a blog post about networking with a local group check it out here.

Things to remember when you want to develop a networking relationship:

Pick strong partners - someone with the same ideas or similar goals

Focus on whats important - choose groups that are going to help you achieve your goals

Expose yourself - be available, and respect peoples time

Build a relationship - get to know them, and build trust

Nurture the network - send cards, notes, articles about information that will be helpful to your partner

Make a list of all the places you can network. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Professional Organizations
Networking Groups
Online forums, chatrooms, and of course the Etsy Community
Workshops & Conferences
Start your own

Remember to always have a plan, of what you want to accomplish when you go to a meeting, an idea of who you would like to meet, and ideas of how you can help other members.

Networking can be fun and easy, sometimes the hardest part is just getting started.

Share some groups you belong too, and how they have helped with your business.

New and Improved

What inspires you?

Have you thought about that question? I have and it's the new focus of my blog.

I started this blog at the beginning of this year with no real clear direction. I knew I wanted to share my experiences of running my online shops so the people who read my blog had the opportunity to learn along with me. I have learned a lot in these last 8 months, I have read more and I have shared information.

In the process of doing my blog I lost some of my creativity. So lately I have been reading and researching creativity and inspiration, and in the process found the new focus for my blog.

Welcome to

Additions Style

Inspiration

Creativity

Business

Style

A daily dialog of inspiration, creativity, business, and style. Our opportunity to motivate each other on a personal journey of creative discoveries.

I want to hear from you! E-mail me your thoughts, suggestions, questions, and photo’s you would also like to share, as often as you want. You can contact me at additionsstyleblog@gmail.com This blog is about all of us sharing and growing as artist and as business owners.

I will share more specific ideas about the kind of features and daily inspiration you can look forward too, later in the week. I am looking forward to sharing this new content, and hope you get as much from it as I do.

I believe we can learn and be inspired from each other and I want this blog to be a place where that can happen.

Leave me a comment, let me know what you think.

Have you been to 1000 Markets lately?

I have been on 1000 Markets for almost a year. I started on the site because it was beautiful and offered a variety of markets for the buyer to search. I am thrilled to be part of such a wonderful site.

Well they have recently redone the site and it looks great!

It has inspired me to update my shop as well. Now when you go to my page you can check out my collections to find things quickly. I also have all my new piece on the first page.

Take a look at my new format by clicking on the box below.

1000 Markets

Additions

Visit the Shop

One of the best features of this site are the markets. I currently belong to six markets and each has their own focus and are filled with wonderful artists.

Handmade Haven - The Amazing Place to Buy Handmade

Jewelry Artisans' Marketplace - Unique Styles From Classic to Exotic

Metalcraft - The Finest Handcrafted Metal

Windy City - Chicago's Finest Artisans

Try Handmade Market - Art to enrich your life

I am very excited about this market, it has take a long time to get going but it is a great place to find handcrafted items just for men.

1000 Markets

X/Y - The Market for Men

Visit the Market

So, check out all the amazing shops on 1000 Markets, and if you are an artists, consider opeing a shop and becoming part of a great community.

Thursday Thoughts

You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.

Indira Gandhi

Purple Lemon Designs Feature

Kelly of Purple Moon Designs on Etsy, did a nice feature of Additions Style on her blog today. Take a few minutes and check it out Kelly's Blog - Within Purple Lemon Designs.

Thanks Kelly for the feature!

Business Tip Tuesday - Are you ready?

It's Tuesday and back to work after a long weekend. I hope everyone had a nice relaxing weekend.

I had family come visit, which is always nice. We had beautiful weather and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking about what I could do to prepare for the holidays. I talked about some ideas in the blog post Studying. Well over the weekend I recruited my Mom to help me out.

She cut all my packing materials to size so they are ready to use. She helped me organize my shipping supplies and my desk, so everything works better. I feel prepared for all my holiday shipping, and I can't thank her enough. THANKS MOM!

This is the time of year to prepare. Figure out what will work for you to make packing orders fast and easy, doing paperwork, and staying on top of all your holiday plans.

This is going to be the best holiday season, are you ready?

Books to Inspire Creativity

Books can be very inspiring. They can make you look at things in a new way, be visually inspiring, and have projects that promote creativity.

Here are a few books I have checked out lately and really enjoyed.



Share a couple of books that you have found inspiring, I always love a new book.

Thursday Thoughts

“The studio, a room to which the artist consigns himself for life, is naturally important, not only as workplace, but as a source of inspiration. And it usually manages, one way or another, to turn up in his product.”
Grace Glueck

Creativity Boost - A New View

I normally work in my basement, with no windows and it's little dark. I do everything from down there, office work, make jewelry, take pictures, it is my work area. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have a space I can call my own, but sometimes it can be a little gloomy.

This week has been beautiful outside, sunny and pleasant. I have brought my laptop upstairs opened up my french doors and been working in the dining room (luckily its a room we don't use very often). It has been great. I can see the birds, hear them chirping, and just enjoy the outside while I work. Here is my view.



These last few days have made me realise that sometimes you need a change of scenery to get your creative juices flowing. Since I have been upstairs I have come up with new designs, marketing, and blog ideas. I feel rejuvenated to back downstairs and get started on some new projects.

Give it a try work someplace new, and see how your creativity gets a boost.

Business Tip Tuesday - Take Charge of your Business

Why are we waiting?

Why do we complain about waiting?

We all want our business to grow at the speed of light and to make more money than we can spend. Sometimes we have to step back, look at what we have, and figure out what we need, to get where we want, by ourselves.

We don't need to be on the front page of Etsy, or featured on a blog, or even magazine or TV coverage. All we need is a positive attitude that we will get there, and amazingly things will start to happen.

I read a great post on BlogHer called Are You Waiting for Someone to Save You? Take a few minutes to check it out. Also make sure you check out the comments, they are full of interesting stories and ideas.

I also have to work at staying positive, but it's a quality we need to practice everyday for growing a thriving and successful business.