As sales people we want to have everything for everyone so we can make the sale. As artists we want to create only what we like, so our work reflects who we are. Either way it is not easy to make everyone happy.
It's a tough decision to decide if you want to create for everyone or just yourself. I have always tried to find balance with that, ending up with a whole lot of inventory with few popular pieces that sell.
When I started working with the hardware that really helped me define my work. I choose to follow my desire to create pieces I liked knowing it would not appeal to everyone. I strive to create a variety of styles, and I love to come up with new looks and ideas.
I know the hardware is not necessarily lady like, delicate, or appeal to people who preferred beaded jewelry, but I decided to work with it because it was new for me and that was exciting. I just have to work harder finding my customer base.
What about you?
Do you create to sell as much as you can or sell items that you love to create?
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Interesting topic. I try to do both, but as you said it's a tough line to walk :) Working with new materials is a must for me. I like shaking things up!
ReplyDeleteEveryone always says to create things that you love. And I totally agree! This industry takes a lot of dedication to make it thrive, so enjoy it as much as possible. But in the end, what matters most is that it is selling. You can think you have the greatest item in the world, but no one else thinks so, and therefore it remains unsold.
ReplyDeleteI'm just starting out, so I have a variety of different products and designs I love. I just had a sale this week, so what did I do? I created something like the items that sold.
If you are in the business to make money, you need to create things the customers want...Business 101. But I think you should have fun while doing it!
You just wrote in your post a sentence that defines me: "I choose to follow my desire to create pieces I liked knowing it would not appeal to everyone. I strive to create a variety of styles, and I love to come up with new looks and ideas." The thing is that not everyone is in a same social or financial situation so many choose to sell more but I believe that every artist should explore the limits of one's own creativity and thus grow and expand one's possibilities for sale and at the same time create what you like.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you're all saying, and it is a difficult choice. So I do both. Pieces that I neeeeed to do to express myself, and pieces that I do to hopefully please some buyers. My really personal, more 'gutsy' work usually sells better, but not enough, so I try to supplement with more commercial things. I have to be careful though that I don't get too caught up in commercial stuff because I find it very hard to 'find' myself if I stayed away from the true me for too long.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic!
Great topic,
ReplyDeleteNow, I do create what I love, but I use to do the opposite!
I also find that right after I create something I love it, but as time goes on, could be as short as a day, I find more and more flaws and like it less and less!
♥Lori
I have made things before, finished them, and thought, Whoa, I would never wear that. But those pieces often sell very quickly. Not that I set out to make something I wouldn't wear--they just ended up that way. Different people like different stuff, and you just have to make what you make, wherever it takes you. If you don't love it, someone else might.
ReplyDeleteI try to stick to creating what I enjoy... Most of the times I really love my pieces, but of course there are those that should be put in a box and hid! :))) Then there are those pieces that seem ok to me but I'm not that crazy about... and those usually sell quickly... You just never know what will please another persons eye! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI struggle with this often and it was great to read everyone's views and ideas.
If you ever have a question and want to start a conversation, please let me know.
I started out trying to please everyone, but in the end I just became frustrated and even annoyed by it all, and even the prospect of making things.
ReplyDeleteSo I had to turn it around and make things that I loved so that I would enjoy what I do :)
Now I'm just working on getting things back up and running with things that I love!
I try to create something I love every time, but it doesn't always work out if I have a preconceived notion of what it is "supposed" to look like. I like letting my materials talk to me and just let the creation happen. Doing this, I'm a disappointed a lot less often.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am constantly surprised by what others do like. There have been items I made that I've absolutely hated, but my husband was able to sell to complete strangers. It is funny what catches other people's eyes.
This is a question I struggle with every day. I have never been a mainstream kind of person. I have never followed fashion trends r wore the right clothes, so it is very difficult to create what is popular and not what is in my heart. If I force myself to create what I don't connect with it comes out like garbage. I cannot love it enough to even list it in my shop, so I inevitably only make what I would buy myself and hope that there is a market for it down the road. I hate to think what i would do if I were forced to make my entire living on this. It is what keeps me at my day job. My art is for me and for anyone else who might come along and share my enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteDiane
it depends. If you make a living out of your crafting business you DO have to make what the mainstream wants, you need to follow trends etc. You can still set the limit how much you are willing to compromise to give them what they like but still be proud of it. If you have other stable income then you have the luxury to make things which are 100% you.
ReplyDelete