I started a new business. Yes. This is where I have been the past two weeks. I have been venturing outside my comfort zone and meeting new people. My twitter contacts have doubled, though I’m still not tweeting smartly.
In two weeks, I’ve grown a lot. My attitude has changed. My confidence has improved. When I say, “I started a new business this week” I do so without hesitation. It wasn’t like this when I started my jewelry biz. I always struggled with feeling like a wannabe. This time, I feel like the expert.
The new biz is Craft E Templates, though I’m still playing around with the name. I tend to prefer fun names over descriptive names. I build starter websites for crafters, and provide business tips and ideas to new craft businesses.
Perfect fit for me, right?
In PoppyFish news, I was contacted by a local shop who wants to carry my jewelry line. I’ve been dragging my feet on designing new stuff. Since I emerged from my unhappy place several months ago, my jewelry has become very personal.
I still want to make jewelry. I’m just not as eager to sell my jewelry as I once was. It feels a little like selling pieces of myself.
This isn’t a new idea, selling pieces of myself. It’s been said by countless artists before me. But now that I’m in this place, I can fully appreciate the sentiment. I’m not so sure I’m okay letting strangers own pieces of me.
My jewelry has always been for me, I think. I create it because it makes me happy. And even though other people are wearing my jewelry, I feel a little isolated from the experience.
My new business is all about helping other people do their thing. There’s a connection between what I do and what they do. I find that satisfying.
This is the first time I’ve felt sentimental about my art. Always, it was the process of creating that energized me. The fate of the final product was of no concern to me. And I say this about all my art, not just my jewelry.
Will my feelings change? I don’t know. I’m not ready to make any decisions about the fate of my jewelry business right now, so I’m not actively seeking new wholesale account at this time. My plan is to sustain my jewelry business while I grow my new one.
