What to do? Is my work just hidden in an over-crowded marketplace, or have I lost it? I've had so little time to design or market lately that my sales (and ego with it) has plummeted. I look at the inventory of gemstones and precious metals I have stashed. feel guilty and think--I really need to 'design'--so I give it a go. On the other hand, so much is going on, with so many distractions, some days my heart isn't into it. I don't think I've lost my creative touch. Sometimes the investment of time is overwhelming, especially when I'm lost in a crowd of jewelry offerings on etsy? Maybe my aesthetic isn't working for this market? I do have trouble deciding whether to do artisan lampwork designs or work with only gemstones--hard as I try, I can't give one or the other up! Which probably confuses my customers... Just thinking out loud---I really have to get off the fence and figure what I want to and should be doing with all those precious minutes in my life and maybe this isn't it, right now. Not that I would want to
never make anything again--but maybe just gifts, (and things I want for myself), now and then, with a streamlined stash; and that would satisfy. Or maybe I need to move into galleries, instead of the internet--haven't really explored that direction yet. I've had lots of creative outlets over my many years, they've come and gone, ebbed and flowed, and been replaced by something better...for me. Change is good when it's taking you to something better.
So which is more cumbersome--trying to design jewelry in fits and spurts , or trying to destash the raw treasures staring me in the face. Hanging onto it all isn't an option if I'm on to something new. Today, both are overwhelming...so like Scarlett O'Hara, I'll "think about it tomorrow."
In the meantime, I'm going to do a give away. If you're so inclined, enter with a short comment on this blog post. Let me assure you, the Yee Murdock artisan beads are lovely , with copper and sterling mixed metal findings.
I'll have a drawing to pick a winner when 15 people have commented or by October 15th, whichever comes first, lol.
