Tucson 2002 "Wholesale" did not exist

Kind of a tangent off the original topic…

kpkelly wrote:

       You must find your own way.  Do what you are passionate
about. Don't look to see what others are doing.  If you compete
with mass produced stuff quit.  There are factories that can
produce cheaper. The competition for low end is intense. Make
things that are distinctively your own... 

BRAVO! If there is one thing I’ve learned in the last year(+),
having quit my “real” job and starting to do shows, this is it! Every
time I try to “out think” myself and attempt to anticipate what
people want to see, I fall flat on my face. When I do pieces that are
truly my own design and inspiration, people respond strongly… even
if they don’t buy. Commercial type work doesn’t even get a first
glance, but if it is something unique they won’t see at Zale’s or on
QVC, it gets attention.

Occasionally someone will come up and ask if I have some specific
piece of trendy jewelry they’ve seen elsewhere, and I politely send
them on their way. IF I did have it, I know the next thing would be
whether it was cheaper than what they saw it for at Service
Merchandise… a market I don’t even want to look at. I don’t even
make a mental note of the “request”, because once you start trying to
chase those trends you’ll just start spinning your wheels.

I’ve consciously had to tell myself that when I am ready to start
some new work, I need to go back to my trusty book of my own jewelry
designs I’ve done over the years, and start something that is my own
unique statement.

Of course, this perspective is framed from the point of reference of
a jewelry artist, a not large volume jewelry manufacturer. Their
market is different than mine, but equally legitimate and important.
Properly identifying your target market is critical to the success of
any enterprise. Getting to 'em is the hard part! :wink:

All the best, and thanks kpkelly!

Dave

Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans’ Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com
http://www.CarolinaArtisans.com