Baskets or Patterns

Hi everyone.

Here are some examples of Hand Knit Felted Baskets I have designed and made.

Do you think people would more readily buy the patterns for these?

They didn't sell too well just as a product to purchase.

What do you think?

www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

After Much Consideration...

I'm still clueless.

I am an artist. I want and need affirmation. Does that mean I need to sell my artwork in order to feel valued? No.

Creating art is about the overwhelming need to say something. As a fiber artist I need to have my hands around a pair of knitting needles. (Or a crochet hook.) I need to have challenges in design and color play that keep me moving forward. I guess that's why I feel that I've moved beyond crewel, cross stitch, needlepoint. Nothing challenges me like figuring out how to do something with yarn or string and needles or hooks. It has been posited that I am border line ADD. I don't wonder. I know. And the soothing swish of needles and the steady rhythm of moving the stitches from one side to the other keeps me centered and allows me to think more clearly and pay closer attention to what is being said by those around me.

But back to that pesky question about selling.

I am a consumer of goods. I have HUGE stashes of yarn. ( It really is a kind of obsession.) I spend hours most days clicking away. I have been a home maker and stay home mom for most of my life. It would feel so good to contribute in a way that makes me happy. (As opposed to working outside the home at a minimum wage job that eats up hours and gives me no sense of achievement.) I guess, for me, it boils down to me wanting to have a reason to stay home and yet make money. I want to feel useful. I want to help out.

Stay tuned for my next installment: "How I became a painter."

Where Do I Go From Here?

Where do I go from here? For the past ten months I've had a wonderful time designing and knitting my baskets, setting up an Etsy shop, doing shows and marketing the best way I knew how. But they just won't move. So now it's time to sit back, examine my process and strike out in a different direction.

I made an impulse buy this past fall. (Actually it was several impulse buys!) I purchased 443 pink plastic barrettes at my local dollar store for an insanely low price and will now fiddle around with them and see what I can come up with. Fiber continues to be my main focus, so I see a lot of felt in fun, colorful shapes!

I'll also be doing a little more exploring into the world of fine art, doing more painting and maybe printing out note cards and prints.

I really do think, though, that my main problem seems to be poor marketing.

As a left handed, right brained thinker, I have a really hard time focusing on technical things. Etsy has been a wealth of information but I've had a rough time compartmentalizing.

I will continue to market my Incredibly Cute Canvas Growth Charts. They are just too precious not to keep trying!

Next year I'll be focusing more on local craft shows. Living "Down the Shore" provides me with a solid higher end clientele. I just have to find the right shows. There's plenty of help for me to draw on. After all, I'm not new to craft shows. I put myself through college selling batik tee shirts!

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/
http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/
http://www.judygoddard.homestead.com/