Hello Jennifer,
I can only encourage you to follow your heart…I can only advise on
what I myself have experienced? I spent years going to silver
jewellery making classes while working in the corporate world. At
25, I started a 5-year apprenticeip to feed my dream. at 30, I had
two babies, a small house, a large debt and a supportive husband. I
bought a truck-load of scap equipment from a “fire-sale”… no
really, there had been a fire and the equipment had been damaged. It
took time and effort… I set up with what I had from home and bit
by bit, built up my client base, starting from dealing with my
neighbour over the wall. The reality is, there are ups and downs…
If you employ someone, you become an employer - which takes time…
If you supply a retailer, you become a supplier - and you have no
identity… If you supply a gallery - you sign a lot of rights over
to them… If you work for someone else - you are just the
employee…
So, what to do? I advise, start small, you don’t need to compete
with debt-ridden retailers…keep an index card of each and every one
of your clients so that you can contact them again. Photograph
everything that you do so that you can have things to show people
without having to keep a stock (and remind them that their piece will
also be featured in the book, because you only make unique items!)
Promote yourself, word-of-mouth is the best way to get business.
Remind your satisfied clients that you work on referrals. Send them
reminders, have parties… Remember that if you get more orders than
you can cope with, you then have to decide if you are now going to
become a business (and relinquish control of your own art) or remain
small so as to keep your identity and enjoyment in what you do? IT
CAN BE DONE. It can also be lucrative, satisfying, flexible. Keep
your promises. If you say something will be ready in three weeks,
deliver it in two…
The time spent at the bench is therapy for some… It is possible to
make a bit of profit, but the good comes with the bad, you have to
dedicate time to book-keeping, paperwork and promotional stuff too,
but it doesn’t have to be all the time…
Above all, when you feel that it’s not fun anymore, something has
run away with you, stop, look, and go back a few steps… You might
just find that some well-intentioned business person has recognised a
good thing and want to make money out of you! (now you need to
decide, do you want fame and glory, or just to be content with who
and what YOU are??)
Set up facebook page, but, careful with what info you give out if
you work from home. (eg. don’t publicise your address…)
It really all boils down to the fact that you can manage yourself,
or you can sell yourself so that someone else can do the paperwork -
but part of your soul goes with the deal… All the best of “hard
work” to you,
Gwen Doran