Painting and Reflecting
The only painting I've done recently is to add a knitting gift tag to my Etsy Shop . I went through the usual anxieties over being sure I chose the wrong colors, made it too big etc etc but I did finally finish it and get it posted. I also printed some in grayscale and was actually quite pleased with the result. Judging by the number of pre-Christmas sales events I'm seeing on Etsy I am beginning to realize I'm not the only one underwhelmed with sales. I can't help but wonder if the penny is dropping on the proliferation of indie dyers as predictions a year ago were forecasting. I'm not saying this to criticize, just making an observation. There are many talented dyers out there but in a tough economy and a saturated market I think the limited dollars are only going to support so many. Even if everyone gets a small slice of the pie it is unfortunately not going to be enough for everyone to continue. The ones I feel the most for, are those trying to supplement their income in a way that will sustain their farm or allow moms to stay home with their children, keep the wolf away from the door because the main wage earner's job was downsized... it's a heartbreaking list to be sure! I think at this time of year we grow so accustomed to sale prices from the "big chains" who overprice to begin with or rake it in buying cheap from China and selling it high retail here, that we lose our perspective. We begin unconsciously to think of every retailer in that light and stop seeing small businesses for what they are; everyday people just trying to keep their heads above water. Most have fixed product input costs so a sale really means less income, period. Most are pretty careful about their "everyday" pricing to start with so margins are not high to begin with. This is the time of year most small retailers hope to recover from slow summer sales and I can't help but wonder how many this is really happening for. It certainly isn't for me! I honestly don't know what I'd do if I had to depend on my craft sales to make ends meet because they certainly wouldn't! Sorry to sound like I'm on a downer, especially right before Christmas. I guess I'm just trying to send out some empathy because I know a lot of people are struggling - many in silence - and I just want to say you're not alone! Anyways, hopefully I will be able to do better for a post tomorrow, but our internet is garbage tonight and I'm exhausted. I'm swimming in bookkeeping and I took a break and bottled my wine kit of Leifbramilch this afternoon but it didn't make me any more cheerful, even though it turned out great! Take care all! 
Posted by Gloria Patre at 12/20/2010 10:13 PM 
Categories: My Artwork, Classic Posts, Musings
Tags: watercolor
Categories: My Artwork, Classic Posts, Musings
Tags: watercolor
You do great thing by posting links to other independents as well. Just the other day I saw here how people made purchases at one of the etsy stores you linked too! Being independent also means doing tons of networking and you have helped with that. Hopefully others will link back to you more and you will get more exposure for your store too! Your stuff is amazing, it just takes so much more traffic to get a sale. Wishing you well.
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