it's always best to push yourself forward artistically, even if it puts you into a sales market you aren't necessarily comfortable in? I like selling to my neighbors and friends.
It's funny - I can tell just from the few short sentences you wrote that you and I are very different in the way we work. You make OOAK objects. I am happiest doing what I guess you might call production work. I don't like to make things
exactly the same, but I do like to make the same piece in different colors and patterns. I'm the type who finds a shirt she likes and then buys one in every color. I'm the same with the jewelry/gifts I make. In fact it makes me twitch to have only one of something - I usually have to make it a few siblings in different colors, LOL!
So, take this necklace:
(more detailed image here:
http://www.polkadotcreations.com/gifts/zoom_jtnk609.html)
I think it's a very attractive necklace, made with Sterling Silver findings and Greek Leather cord. The pendant is smooth to the touch and I get many complements when I wear one just like it. I sell these for $15. I know that I could improve upon pendants like this by sanding and buffing. That would make the edging virtually seamless and fix some of the less-than smooth areas on the back of the pendant. That kind of work, though, adds to the time it takes to make each piece and while it elevates the piece to a more artistic level, it also prices it out of the range of the casual middle-class shopper. I guess my question is - should your target audience be a concern in how well you finish a piece? Or do you just have to do the best work you are capable of, and sell it to whoever can afford it? I think my work is really
nice the way it is (and so do plenty of other people) but I see ways I could improve it. Yet I hesitate to do so.
Maybe my big issue here is that I'm lazy and that I just don't
want to spend the time going through 5 grits of sandpaper, and I don't
want to seek out those ritzier markets
That's certainly part of it...
(Thanks for your response - this whole diatribe wasn't really aimed at you, it was more clarification for the sake of keeping the conversation going. I appreciate you posting your opinion, and welcome you to continue to do so if anything I said struck a chord with you
)
Lisa
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Lisa Clarke
Have had your daily dose of Polka Dots?
