Some Changes Going On Over Here

It’s been a while for sure since I’ve written anything down, so I’ll give you a brief life update. I’m still at the ‘new’ job from back in May, I’m making more jewelry and even more earrings now and the biggest thing for me is that I opened an Etsy shop! That’s the biggest thing I’ve done by far. Am I scared that people won’t buy anything, yes, but people aren’t going to have a chance to buy something if I don’t put myself out there! But more on that in a moment.

I feel like I’ve improved at making jewelry from where I started years ago in this venture. I’m coming up with my own ideas and adapting what I’ve learned from my past to my current methods as well as integrating what I see through videos and tutorials. The image on the right I created a few years ago when I was still trying to find my style, the other one on the right was created this spring.

I have a plus and minus to my sales I’ve had this year. Some of my favorite pieces, actually all of my favorite pieces have sold! I was really sad to see a few go but knowing they were going to be worn with as much love as I had helps. But I did make them to be bought and worn by others, not just myself. Now I have a few new favorites.

Now on to the biggest news of the moment, I have opened an Etsy store Chrissy Rock Hunts Jewelry (ChrissyRHJewelry)! I had been waffling on it for a while now, actually about a year. I did a video chat with someone who asked me why I wasn’t doing it since I wasn’t doing very many in person events. I said that I was unsure if anyone would like my pieces and I would be wasting my time and money. After that conversation, I came to a realization that by not putting myself out there is essentially the same thing really. Would I like to do in person events, yes, truthfully, I just don’t have the money to spend upfront on a booth space for an event. Do I think I won’t sell anything? That people will scoff at my pieces? Yes, to both, but you can’t sell anything if you don’t really take the leap.

I’m going to put this into the universe; I want to do at least 2-3 in person events next year. I’m hoping next year come springtime I will have sold enough that I can take the leap and do a few in person events over the year. Which events? I really have no idea. But I do want to try my luck at those. Some people might ask why, and I say it’s because I do enjoy talking to people and seeing the look in their eyes when they see the piece they want and go home with it. I like talking to people, I enjoy interacting with people. Am I afraid of hearing negative feedback, yes, but you get that in anything you do from art things through scientific events so it’s all part of putting yourself out there. For me doing an in-person event could be small pop up style or a full-on event that’s on the streets in downtown Reno or in Tahoe but I want to try. I have items I do need to buy for this to happen like a canopy, at least 1 more table, but mainly I need to see what kind of set up do I want to create. I would like to have space behind the tables to make earrings or pendants while people shop, because no one likes to feel like someone’s breathing down your back waiting for you to buy something. Plus, it gives people the freedom to ask questions about the process, and that can lead to sales and does help people who are curious but don’t want to feel bad about not buying anything.

Being fully transparent, I’ll be honest getting pictures and watermarking everything is the most tedious part of setting up the shop honestly. I’m so fortunate that the picnic tables behind my work have some of the best backdrops for the jewelry pieces. I’m taking 3-4 pictures of each piece, with the table as a backdrop, me holding them with the evergreen in the background and in the sun if it’s a reflective piece like labradorite. And with the earrings all the same plus with it on the jewelry cards I created. Creating any form of online shop isn’t easy for sure, but I really had just the tiniest ideas of what I was doing. I’m using my knowledge of watermarking pictures from when I was doing my nails heavily and how I’d seen people steal pictures claiming them as their own, I’ve started hearing about people doing that in the jewelry industry as well. Knowing all this I have altered how I’m watermarking all my pictures with the watermark going across the pieces rather than centered under the piece.

My takeaway from the last few months, go for the goal. Stop second guessing yourself and just do it. Be prepared for a learning curve no matter how much you plan for there not to be one, there will be one somewhere along the way and roll with it and learn as much as possible. Take the free classes where and when you can. Ask those questions you are thinking about to people who are in a business, your nail tech, your hair stylist, friends who already own small businesses. Ask what their lessons were they learned, how they take sales, what they would give for advice to someone like me starting out, what was the biggest hurdle they had. Just ask the questions, you might be surprised about their answer.

I’ll stop now, I’ve been babbling long enough. Let me know if you have questions. Leave me a like and follow if you enjoy my style of blogging. And most of all, have a wonderful day where ever you are when you read this.