Annual Review

I just had mine at work and it went well.  Today is my three year anniversary with Etsy, so I thought I'd go over my accomplishments and struggles before asking for feedback from you all.  And this happens to be my 400th KBS post.  Wow!

Even though I opened my Etsy shop on February 15th, 2008, I didn't get my first sale until March 26th.  My friend Cassie scooped up some nuggets.  I think she felt sorry for me that I hadn't had any sales yet.  And she was the reason why I started selling on Etsy in the first place.  Some pieces of jewelry I had made and other beads sold, but it wasn't until May that I had my first 'real' customer (meaning it was friends or family buying pieces to help improve my rating and my sales #s).  In June, Lorelei bought some beads from me.  I was new to Etsy and hadn't started following blogs yet, so I had no clue what a massive following she had or how successful she was at making/selling jewelry.  I was just thrilled to have a new customer.  Little did I know that she would become one of my best friends, which is really so much more valuable to me than all of my sales combined.

My Etsy business slowly grew, as did my photography abilities.  Looking back, I wonder what I was thinking using the lighting I did or the backgrounds I chose.  I think I have come far in some aspects.  But others, I don't feel or see the growth.  So many of my bead designs are the same.  I like spirals and waves and swirls and have consistently stuck with those over the years in making new beads.  Something about the way the rod of glass moves in and out of the flame to make those waves and swirls is so calming for me.  I'm always a little take aback when someone says that my beads are getting so much better or so much cooler.  I'm stuck in my own mindset of doing what I do.  I'm just melting glass, like I have for the last five years.  Perhaps the novelty has worn off a little?  Or perhaps I have nothing to compare my work to because I follow so few other lampworkers (the ones I do follow all have their own styles that are much different from my own)?  I don't know, but I am always thankful for the compliments.

Over the last year, I branched out and tried new things.  My eggs were in phenomenal demand (I am still in awe of how many weeks people patiently waited to get some of their own).  I started making headpins.  And buttons.  Which makes me wonder, what will I do this year that is new?  Perhaps a twist on my buttons.  I have some ideas brewing, but haven't put them into effect yet.

Over the last six months, my focal bead sales have increased.  As a result, I have started making more of those.  Those sales continually surprise me because some of them are expensive (at least in my opinion).  I suppose all of my sales surprise me, but that is more because I'm just not a true beader.  And the sales are constant reinforcement that people like my work, which is so wonderful in itself.

I need to make more worry stones this year.  I'm out of all of them right now and don't even have a spare to keep in my pocket.  Worry stones make me happy.  My torch time over the last year has been more limited, so I have not devoted as much time to worry stones since they take me upwards of 30 minutes each to make.  Honestly, I've got bills to pay and have focused on making sets of beads that are more likely to sell faster than the worry stones.  Maybe this will be the year those two factors change for me.  We'll see.

As far as blogging, I feel I've been pretty scattered.  Some weeks, I'm on a roll and diligent about posting and setting up posts in advance.  Other weeks are spent flying by the seat of my pants, with days passing between posts.  I'm pretty sure the number of pics of my kids have increased over this last year, but you have stuck with me through them all.  I apologize to those of you are here strictly for the beads, but do appreciate the fact you are good, kind people and keep coming back to check in.  I think my number of random posts has also increased, which says something about the state of my mind and lack of focus or planning.  Whaddya think, is it part of my charm?  :)

Many of the blogs I follow, I follow because I'm more interested in getting to know the blogger and what they do in their day-to-day lives moreso than the beads/jewelry they are creating.  Sometimes I tend to zone out a little on the bead/jewelry paragraphs (it feels a little like work to me and I admit I just don't feel I fit in as a jewelry designer) and scan for the tidbits about personal lives, pets and kids or even vacations.  I feel safe with you all, being able to share bits and pieces of my personal life with you on my blog.  Thank you for that.

I have struggled to keep my torch top clean and organized, but am pleased I am keeping my glass cabinet neat and tidy.  I don't think either one of these things will change.  I have struggled with setting time commitments on when I will finish custom orders, which leaves me wondering what do I need to do to change that going forward.  Buckle down and just meet the commitments?  Or be better about adding a disclaimer about when I will have beads cleaned and photographed for approval.  At some point, I know it will no longer be okay to hope people will understand.

This past month, I have felt like I am on the slow climb of the first roller coaster hill.  I am filled with anticipation for this new year.  New plans are in the works to push me on a different path, but it is without a timeline on the events.  I feel like I'm wearing a blindfold on this roller coaster and have no clue how many more little clicks and ratchets I will hear before I reach the top.  There is no one sitting shotgun to whisper in my ear that it's just another breath or two away before plummeting down the hill at breakneck speed.  I am excited and a little bit terrified.

One of my beads was included in the book Chainstyle (and on the cover, no less!) and others were included in magazine publications when other jewelry designers incorporated my beads into their work.  That was a major thrill being able to walk into my grocery store or book store and pull out a beading magazine and see my beads.  My own dash with a little celebrity.  ;)  I also paid for an advertisement in the Artisan's Village section of BeadStyle magazine last year.  That was pretty cool, but I have no way of knowing if that really brought me any new business.  I have heard that some of my beads are featured in Lorelei's jewelry designs in the new book Wire Style 2.  Now I have to buy myself a copy!

So that is as far as my brain is stretching right now on my lampwork and blogging.  If you have new ideas on things I could do better or differently, I would love to hear what you have to say.  It is national de-lurking month, after all.  ;)