Happy New Year Welcome 2012

Another year has come and gone. Good times to remember and bad times to tuck away. Business is beginning to flourish, but it really is a lot of hard work.

I love making jewelry and it's not all about the money, although my bank account says that it should be. I never want to lose sight of why I began making jewelry. It is very therapeutic for me when I tuck myself away in my little studio (aka the 3rd bedroon). I feel like the rest of the world doesn't exist. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than to be out somewhere and see someone wearing my jewelry. How validating is that?

But.....
It has become a business for me. So making a profit does matter. I never want to lose sight of why I started, and I never want creating to become something I dread waking up to do.

My goal this year is to find that delicate balance between business and pleasure. I am a single mom and a homeowner (jobs #1 and #2). I have a 40+ hours "day" job with the largest Fire Department in the Southeastern United States (job #3). Because I am a bead-a-holic, I have amassed a tremendous amount of supplies, so I opened up a destash shop (job #4). I was also blessed with inheriting a large stash of vintage jewelry, so I opened up a vintage jewelry studio (job #5) And finally, my Jewelry Desiging Studio. (job #6). oh yeah...and obviously, I'm a juggler too!

I still don't know how I fit all these job in a normal week. I manage to do it, but I want to be more efficient. To those of you reading this who don't run an online buisness, you have no idea what it takes to do that. I'll save that for another post.

So #1 on my list of New Years resolutions, scheduling. Making the most of the time I have and doing it in an efficient way. And still find time for ME.

Promote, Promote, Promote

I love designing and creating jewelry. I really can't say that I have a particular "style". I dabble in just about everything. Crystals, gemstones, glass, wire, chain, weaving. I go with whatever mood I'm in when I sit down at my workbench. It isn't just about creating though. In my journey to become a jewerly artist, I have learned that there is so much more to selling your art than initially thought. I have learned that I need to balance creation with promotion. This week it is all about promoting. I have tweeted, Facebooked and joined a few of the promotional sites on my long to do list. I still have many more to visit and join.
We artists and crafters have many hats we wear. We are designers, CEO's, secretarys, creators, makers, marketing directors, inventory specialists, promotion officers, photographers (don't let me even go there), bookkeepers, postal workers, packagers. The list goes on. And that's not including our domestic duties and day jobs. Not thinking too much of it, I applied for a business license and got my tax ID # and my sole proprietorship certificate. Only weeks later, did it sink in, that I am a business OWNER. Me, little ole me. WOW!
So now it's time to really sit down, figure out my business plan, carefully plan my schedule and list of daily to-do's. Right now, the Holidays are upon us and there are lots of things to do.

 The first of the year will bring many changes.