Hellooo...2021 and ValentineCollection

Although I've been back in the studio (if I'm being honest, it was re-al-ly almost immediately after Christmas, that's not a real break!) it was mostly for some promised large custom orders, the dreaded paperwork that comes along with having my own business, and some aRt time (you'll be excited to hear about that SOON!).

I've been getting some happy items ready for the upcoming ValentineCollection which will be part of the studio's Valentine Trunk Show February (4?) or 5-10. 

I plan (weather permitting) to have the studio open for in-person shopping Friday and Saturday, switching over to the virtual-shopping portion, beginning Saturday afternoon-Wednesday. I am still considering a bonus Thursday evening preview. IF weather does not permit in-person shopping, the show will be shifted to virtual only. 

I have a handful of original Valentine shakers, all one-of-a-kind. I made bronze bezels for some new resin hearts, assuming I can get the studio warm enough for pouring resin. I currently have 4 left from the last time I created the hearts! There are several new glass charms and NEW silver/hearts/bangles and more! Oh my!!!

I am currently working on a possible add-on page to my website that would allow me to make all of these new creations ready for online purchasing during the show. This will be a test-run for a virtual shopping page for future shows, as well as temporary fix while I begin the work of building my new website that should debut in August. If you remember, adding new jewelry and editing the current website is very time and labor intensive, making it impractical for my new dual-show format. If I get the add-on page finished in time, it will appear HERE as a link on the WEBSITE Valentine Trunk Show Page and the Home Page. After several days of research and design I really hope it all comes together, but if I can't work out all of the bugs (and really, I do need/want/no NEED! to keep working on the actual reason we all get together...the jewelry) I will go back to the FB album format with Paypal invoicing that I used for Christmas. More details will continue to be added to the Valentine Trunk Show Page on the WEBSITE.

So you KNOW that I am always working on new pretties and collections, but here is a quick listing of some information and updates in the works...

• Weekly Facebook Live sessions will resume Tuesday February 2 (8pm). 
• Look for more frequent postings on FB and Instagram.
• I am currently submitting applications to "more than a handful" of shows in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and beyond!
• I will be focusing on collecting new emails and editing my current list. A new email with an invite to the Valentine Show will be coming out Tuesday or Wednesday of this week!
• There is always a giveaway recipient chosen from subscribers each time I send out a monthly-ish email.
• Did I mention how much work building the new website entails? But it will be very lovely...
• If you know of a good show/opportunity/idea for the studio? Let me know!

As always, I want to thank everyone who helped me finish out the past year, and this was one that threw a lot of curves. On a VERY positive note, 2020 helped me try out lots of new ideas and many of those ideas were ones I'd been mulling over for a LONG time...Would I have done FB Lives in a normal year? Doubt it, and as awkward as I am in them, a part of me loves showing up there for you! Would I have finally gotten around to changing my out-dated website? Probably not! I am very slowly learning some prioritizing and I hope that it shows in what I bring to the studio and YOU, my friends.

Note...if you want to comment on this post, you just click below on the link that (right now) says No Posts. After there are comments, you would click on 1 comment, etc.

 

august goals and september travels...

I have lists of goals (I'm referring to the studio...this isn't about LIFE goals, that's a whole different set of items to tick off, and you really don't want to hear about those...)

The creative side? That's easy enough...I keep lists, a combination of tight and loose objectives...daily, weekly, longer term. I have projects and collections sorted into stacked cupcake tins, lists of techniques, sketches. 

When I look back on some days-weeks-months, I'm surprised at meanderings that often lead my work in unplanned directions. Sometimes I go back to my sorted project tins and decide I'm kind of meh about what I wanted to make and other times I just know it's gonna be good...I find that keeping my creative goals a bit looser can have wonderful outcomes.

I took a creative journey in July that turned into the "Slow-BenchWork" Collection I offered at the Studio Trunk Show and Hastings Art in the Park, my second (the first being back in February) "on the road" show of 2020...I compiled a list of projects from past workshop samples and inspiration from an online artist group I'm part of. My self-imposed goal was to create single examples of each project, unless making an additional piece allowed me to delve even deeper into the technique. The resulting pieces were quite varied...keum boo and granulation earrings, box clasp closures on my popular big link bracelets, layered gemstone pendants, fused sterling shield rings...very focused studio days with many notes in my bench journal. Remaining pieces will head to website (as SALE items leave) this week.

Then there is the business side of the studio...I have goals to which I have been trying to adhere...Let's see if I am able to check these off...

• My monthly blog post...a friendly, wordy studio update that I like to think is the most conversational Sarah you can find online, unless you participate in my FB Live sessions (more in a minute!). Additionally, I list my monthly goals, show plans and travels, new collections on the blog. It acts a bit like my studio-accountability. I allowed this blog to go silent for nearly 4 years, and that did not help keep readership...studio friend comments on the blog are very welcome (hint-hint). CHECK! 

(a note...a studio friend attempted (and finally succeeded!) to post a comment...not an obvious task! Still would LOVE your comments...go to end of each post you are reading...you will see NO COMMENTS or 2 COMMENTS (for example)...click on that and you will find the area to post comments. I am looking to see if I can add a widget that makes commenting easier!)

• A monthly email...studio updates, especially focused on show dates and special collections. Besides the excitement of receiving a letter from me in your inbox each month...I know, right!...it's the sole means of getting invited into my personal studio for Trunk Shows. You're not on the list? Well, go HERE and get signed up! As an added bonus, I do a monthly give-away to one random subscriber! CHECK (mostly)!
• More frequent postings on Facebook and Instagram...these are snippets of current work, collections, reminders leading up to shows, views from a show I'm at (not many of these lately, but MORE SHOWS ARE COMING!!!). This gets a HALF CHECK...here's some Sarah-honesty...I don't stop what I'm doing at the bench often enough to take photos or make a posting. I don't use IG Stories to our best advantage, thinking I have to get it perfect for it to "work" for all of us...oh you're laughing now because I just said I wait until I can get things done perfectly?..."That was PERFECT, Sarah?" Hoo-boy...now we're both laughing...

Less travel time and more time at the workbench equals a lot of thinking time...and I have had (what I think are) some amazing ideas...Have I made them happen? Nope! But I'm writing them here and planning to talk about them on a FB Live tomorrow evening (Monday August 17) at 8pm EST.

• themed Instagram posts (many of these will carry over to FB), some encouraging "play along" posts...I am proposing #mystackmonday and #facetimefriday among others, but there may be some further modifications before I "finalize" these...
• weekly FB Live, probably a weekday evening, during which I have a proposed theme for the visit, potentially a RealTime selling event for some of the weeks? Content would be available to rewatch after the Live event. Not every week would follow same theme...I need to come up with a way to let you know content ahead of time...either website or as an announced EVENT on FB...
• Instagram Auction on Sunday afternoons/evenings? I will be requesting input for best time period for this style of event.

So...one of my big concerns has always been not wanting my studio friends to get the impression that I think "I'm all that!". I have serious over-post anxiety...you'll not want to hear from me if I post too much or too frequently. I used to only send out 4-5 emails a year...strictly ONLY when I was having a show in the studio...so that I wouldn't have people unsubscribe...

But I know that YOU know that I'm not asking you to take notes about every time I'm going live or making a post. You do know that, right? And...I've decided not to compare myself to retailers who think I want 3 daily emails in my inbox...if my one a month is too many, just lie and tell me you check me out on FB or IG...

...and I like talking to you. Sarah