Master techniques that nobody else, or very few folks, can do. Think
skills that can’t be outsourced or done by a computer.
Decide who you want your audience to be and cater to their desires.
Never apologize for your prices.
DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?
Everyone wants to be the best at their craft and delight in
knowing your own skills as well as having other praise your work.
But lacking an income that you’re happy with while doing it is to
me a BIG part of being successful. I didn’t say wealthy, I’m talking
about a good income.
OK David- You are spot on. I tell folks that I am the luckiest girl
in the world and that the world doesn’t owe me a darn thing… I have
been paid reasonably good money all of my life to do things that I’d
do for free anyway. If I worked in a bank I’d still be making
jewelry and playing music in all my spare time for free. Shhh. Don’t
tell my clients!
I have been in this industry for over 40 years off and on… I took 14
years off to volunteer and teach others in Belize C. A. in the prison
there… as well as to start a school for disadvantaged children…
then have gone back to work using my skills to make money… self
taught through the public library… long time before computers… lots
of hard work and lots of mistakes and lots of highs… won many
competitions world wide and have enjoyed every minute of it… no
health insurance except what I could provide myself. so had to give
up a few nights out and lots of drinks… but had good insurance… it
is kind of like housing… do you put your money into a house you can
not afford or into insurance you can not do without…
Was in a car accident and set in a chair for 4 years… insurance was
great then… not when I was paying all those payment every month
before the accident…
my suggestion is to take a look at what you can really do without
and bite the bullet and get insurance…
I did not get rich making jewelry… just a very nice life style in
the upper middle income bracket…might have been one of the lucky
ones… Work hard Study and be Honest with your clients… the key to
success.
OK, time to recognize what is positive, and leave the rest alone.
The responses I most agree with are in no way a surprise to me. I
have known, and/or ready many of their prior commentary, and know
them to be individuals of great integrity and willing to
unconditionally share
I totally agree with the suggestion to avoid “my way of the
highway.” These teachers are extremely limited, fearful of
competition, and basically limited in skills beyond which they have
exclusively practiced for eons.
Newer techniques and ideas are wonderful, New Approach School is
certainly one of those. Workshops are always of some value, even if
it is what not to do. Airline pilots must undergo Recurrent
Training, why not jewelry teachers and yes even at University level.
Define your best skills and focus on making them better.
Do not underprice yourself. David Geller has preached that for
years. Not everyone is in the lowest socio-economic bracket. Many do
willingly pay for value. Do not think you know what a person will
pay based on your cost of materials.
Recognize that artistic skills do not translate into business
skills. At least take Business 101 at a local community college, or
even on line.
So we complain about Asian’s interfering with our ability to earn,
and Canadian’s are complaining about Maine’s Lobster costs. the
pendulum does swing in both directions.
There has been great advice, Look at some of the web sites listed
below the poster’s name, decide if you like what you see, and
reevaluate their post. There does need to be effort on your part.
Spoon feeding has different qualities of spoons.
I have been paid reasonably good money all of my life to do things
that I'd do for free anyway. If I worked in a bank I'd still be
making jewelry and playing music in all my spare time for free.
Shhh. Don't tell my clients!
Not a word from me, Jo! I’d do it for free too, if I could. And
Vernon, bless you! Serving other people is why we were all put here
in the first place, in my humble opinion. This industry has blessed
me too. Like I said in my first post, success can be defined in many
different ways. One of the ways I enjoy success is in creating
jewelry for benefit auctions. I decided many years ago that instead
of entering contests and juried shows, I would measure my design
skills by seeing how much my designs could raise at auction.
Currently my record for dollars raised versus dollars spent was set
with an 18K two tone ring with a spessartite garnet and about 3/4
carat of nice melee. My initial investment was about $1800 and
fifteen hours of my time. It raised $15,000 at the Duke University
Teddy Bear Ball auction, a charity that raises money for Duke
Children’s Hospital. The “Thank You” note from them is worth more to
me than any trophy or certificate ever could be. This industry has
also blessed me with the ability to volunteer in my community
(Durham, NC) as a Guardian ad Litem (an advocate for children in
court, mostly in cases of parental abuse or neglect). My other
chosen charities are Duke Hospice and First Candle, a group dedicated
to preventing SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. My wife says I’m
“covering them comin’ and goin’.” I call what I do “leverage”.
I would ask that anyone that has achieved some degree of success
help other people in a similar way. I’ve never really gotten anywhere
near enough of a return on my investments in these charities to
warrant further donations if you ask my accountant, but I promise
that a Thank You note from a charity that really needs your help will
give you a sense of personal satisfaction you won’t find anywhere
else.
I make my very best stuff for these auctions. It’s the only time I
really get to do what I want instead of what someone else is paying
me to create. Being in a position to do this is one of the things I
use to define and measure my personal success.
Just for what it’s worth, I have three days of formal training. A
casting class in 1972 in which I learned how to catch, gate and cast
bugs.
I am currently a part-time instructor at a large community college,
here in Toronto. I have found some of these so-called day time
teachers haven’t the foggiest idea about Bead-setting, or Princess
stone setting. Either they feel it is not warranted or too difficult
for their students to learn. Well guess what? I teach both in my
class! Some of these so-called teachers haven’t seen any proper
’day-to-day’ setting if they were looking at it.
One teacher said I’m a setting instructor, I teach cabochon setting,
duh?
The American setting teachers are light-years ahead of some of these
community college teachers. One teacher told me she just learned it
and now teaches the same thing she learned last year. I asked her
"What is your past bench experience?". Still no answer till now! I
threw her a loop in asking her, “Can you Bezel/Gypsy set a Princess
stone in a wedding band?” If I was an administrator in any school, I
would put all of these “teachers” to a test and re-evaluate their
setting skills. This would be before heading to the front of their
class!!!
During one of the remaining teaching classes, I give a few ‘facts of
life’ in the business world…buying stones and pricing their own
work from the bench! I am serious when giving this to
them, and no humour at this juncture of learning!..Gerry!
Newer techniques and ideas are wonderful, New Approach School is
certainly one of those. Workshops are always of some value, even
if it is what not to do. Airline pilots must undergo Recurrent
Training, why not jewelry teachers and yes even at University
level.
Theresa, can I ask if you ever attended new approach school, and if
so what classes? I would be interested in learning how they teach
you what not to do? In my experience they only ever taught the most
up to date and practical methods.
school of visual arts continuing education $470 + $30.00 materials,
12 week s e.g. 9-18 thru 12-11-12. two instructors lori hollander,
victoria p. tillotson both great instructors some of the course in
beginners and advanced includes granulation, enamelling, repousse.
victoria p. tillotson