ETSY going public, will artisans stick?

It's beginning to become painfully clear why last week ETSY.com, the "artists market," suddenly and without any warning to its 30+ Million members made broad stroke changes to the Categories used by sellers.  Many sellers items now have a highly generic category locale and other have none at all.  This unforeseen sweeping change had the effect of taking a baseball bat to a wasps nest.

Though we Etsians (as we often call ourselves) use ETSY.com as our venue to sell artworks, crafts, supplies and vintage items, we consider ourselves the "owners" of our stores.  To know that changes like this are done in what appears a clandestine manner after having put so much work into taking time to list each item may see a mass exodus of members.

Now today, the news reports that ETSY has filed IPO paperwork and is going public.  Ughn.  As an artist, I just have a gut instinct (and I tend to trust my gut instincts when it comes to my artwork) that this will not benefit me as an artist and in fact will probably, if I stay a member, cost me.  I would LIKE to look at it as a good thing that will bring more buyers to the venue, but my gut tells me that large manufacturers and people mass producing, not hand crafting, will be getting the lions share of the business on my and other artists' backs as we continue to "finance" them by giving them a market place filled with amazing items.

Over the years, it has gotten more and more difficult and required more and more time and effort to get items seen without having to actually spend advertising dollars on "featured ads."  Time will tell, but it will be something I personally as an Etsian will watch very closely.  In the meantime, I will not be surprised by the many artists who jump ship in coming months.

Is ETSY going Artsy unfriendly??  *sigh*  Time to find other venues.

Is Etsy an Amazon Wanna Be?

I try very hard to keep my thoughts and blog upbeat and positive.  But something happened today/yesterday that really has be irked.

As an artist, I chose to have an account on Etsy.com to post and attempt to sell my artworks.  Over the past few years, there have been many changes to Etsy.  Some of those changes have been for the better and improved the look and feel of the site.  Others have really veered off course from a site that promotes art and crafts to what is beginning to feel like an Amazon Wanna Be.

The categories by which items are often found by searchers were drastically altered by Etsy staff and so many of my items from each of my four stores, Bohemian Art Cafe, Espresso Bar Designs, Ephemera Bistro and Flower Child Trends were completely obliterated.  Most of the categories I had previously used don't even exist on Etsy today as an option any more and just about every type of glass anything that I sell does not have a way to be categorized other than a very general "Arts" or "Supplies."

I'm so frustrated because I have spent so many hours working on setting up my stores, making sure that each of the four shops are offering specific types of items that I make without overlap, and just listing the items which takes hours when you take into consideration taking good photos and correcting photos to look as good as they can, describing and going through the insertion questions for each and every item.

I have to admit that for the past couple of years I have felt that Etsy was moving more to a mass produced market and away from the grass roots market of small artisans and crafters--so many more suppliers who make it impossible for small suppliers to compete, you can't leave negative feedback for them if you have a bad experience because they immediately give you negative feedback and fight to get your honest feedback removed so they look like they give good service even when they don't.

At 20 cents per listing (which comes to 5 cents per month) the question for me is whether the aggravation I feel is worth the admittedly small amount of money spent when I am having to constantly market my store so it even shows up anywhere near the front of search algorithms and not buried in the middle...I don't have time to join a bunch of teams and go around giving feedback and doing all the craziness that apparently some people do to make sales.

So, that being said, while I decide whether or not Etsy is for me, I've decided that I will be expanding my Square Market shop to include items that I have been posting on Etsy, as well as on Art Fire and Bonanza.  It's just such silliness and I don't have time for the silliness.  It takes enough time just to list an item or two a day.  I will be opening my shop on these three other sites beginning at the beginning of March.

I'd welcome thoughts from any readers who are also on Etsy and what you think about the new category changes, how you think they are going to affect you, etc.  Yes, I DID give Etsy feedback about what I found to be very problematic and am not just sitting here whining without trying to contact them first...but chances are they are not going to change it back to the old categories.  It is not, to my knowledge, even on the table as an option from them.  So irked I am and considering my options as to whether the Etsy as Amazon Wanna Be is the place for me to sell my artworks. 

Five Things I Love About Technology

Okay, I know I complain sometimes about the pitfalls of technology (viruses, Trojans and malware--Oh My!), but in the long run, I really love so many things that my computer, software and the Internet provide.  Like my Etsy shop BohemianArtCafe.

(c)SZing Pink and white hand painted on wood and wire wrapped pendant 2" x 2".  $30.

So here's my David Lettermanesque list:

#5.  Information--I love browsing and being able to follow links, quickly look up definitions and find other artists and their work.  Yesterday, having a memory fart, I looked up "subsume" because for the life of me I couldn't access it despite trying to force my synapsi to work harder. (is synapsi a word? perhaps I'll look that up online.)

 (c)SZing Koi fish fused transfer fused into opaque glass necklace.  $20.

#4.  Not having to write long hand--even though for my journals I still do and I have this undeniable fear that I should continue to write everything or print hard copies (my need to go paperless fights this) in case technology fails or, as it inevitably will, changes and I lose my "stuff."  I'm a much faster typist that writist. 

(c)SZing Beautiful turquoise and aqua dichroic glass on black glass with wire wrapping pendant.  $20.

#3.  Access to friends via email and social networking.  I'm growing to love using Facebook for example, just to see what people are up to and get a break from unpacking the studio.  Also so cool to catch up with people I haven't seen or heard from in years, as well as to make new connections with friends I hope to meet soon.

#2.  It's quick, it's (mostly) easy to learn and use, it makes me feel connected no matter where I go (okay, okay, I know some people call this the leash-syndrome.)  I LIKE knowing that if I need info or to reach someone all I have to do is pull out my cell phone.

(c)SZing A large variety of pierced earrings.  Some are glass beads, some are not. 

All are fun and beautiful to wear and very affordable at $12 a pair.

 (c) SZing Charming butterfly earrings.  $12.

#1.  Etsy, Ebay and Pinterest.  Wow, wow and wow.  Oh, and did I forget Amazon? 

(c)SZing REVERSIBLE (yes, two sides for the price of one!) stained glass necklace. 

 Butterflies on one side, flowers on the other.  $20 with chain.

Speaking of Etsy, I just uploaded a bunch of my jewelry and a few other non-jewelry art pieces and supplies to my shop, BohemianArtCafe.   Please come and shop, like my shop, tweet and re-tweet, share the link to the shop with others.  Not having a public venue studio as I used to, I'm having to rely more on virtual storefronts. I appreciate your help in this. Muchos gracias!! 

 

(c)SZing REVERSIBLE (yes, two sides for the price of one!) stained glass necklace.

Pink and blue abstraction on one side, yellow and blue abstraction on the other.  $20 with chain.

Time to Make the Donuts....

Livin' the Dream!  Stayed up very late (early) taking photos, cropping and resizing them for posting on my website, Etsy and Ebay.  This process of selling requires dedication and while I MUCH prefer the face time of a shop or studio where people come in, chat, look, try on, buy....this methodology is also a part of the new Bohemian Art Cafe way since we don't HAVE a public location to sell from at this time...

If you see something you like and want to buy, you can email me (include your name and mailing address!) and I'll send you a paypal invoice, which will include shipping/handling of $5.50 each or if you buy more than one item, $5.50 for the first item and $3.25 for each additional item s/h.  You pay, I send. :-)  They will be posted on Etsy within the next week.

(c) SZing Live Your Dreams Charm bracelet.  Each charm is

soldered to stay on the bracelet.  Bracelet is 8" long.  $28

(c)SZing  In honor of Independence Day, some cute red glass,

white (clear and silver beads) and blue bead drop earrings.  $12.

(c)SZing  This may be TMI, but a butterfly will be the next tattoo

I get, in honor of transformations (plan to have it done on my

left hand in bright colors.)  These charming butterflies with

irridescent purple/green/blue beads are adorable drop earrings.  $12.

 (c)SZing  This charming koi charm pendant is a fused transfer

on opaque white glass cabochon.  Sweet & adorable.

$20 with 16" snake chain.

(c) Szing  The lime green glass sets off this irridescent

purple patterned dichroic glass well.  Pendant is 2" from top 

of bail to bottom and 7/8" wide.  Include 16" snake chain.

$20.

 (c)SZing  I love orange.  Who knew?  This is a textural piece...

the two bars of orange glass and the black center piece are

tack fused meaning they have not completely lost their own

dimensionality into the base glass.  (My frustrated quilter

takes over my studio now and then).  Includes 16" snake

chain.  Pendant is 2" long x 1" wide.  $20.

 (c)Szing This is a green, turquoise and metallics painted pendant

that is lacquered.  Pendant is 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" square.  Includes 16"

snake chain.  $20.

 (c)Szing This is a purple, pink and metallic silver painted pendant

that is lacquered.  Pendant is 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" square. Includes 16"

snake chain.  $15.

 (c) SZing  This is a reversible "stained glass" style necklace.  The artwork on each

side was digitally created.  A fun way to have two-looks-in-one piece.  Includes

a 16" snake chain.  $20.

 (c) SZing  This is a reversible "stained glass" style necklace.  The artwork on each

side was digitally created by me and is totally one of a kind. 

 A fun way to have two-looks-in-one piece.  Includes

a 16" snake chain.  $20.

Resolutions

"Beautiful Monster" most recently on display at the Oxford Community Art Center
May 2012 solo show (c) Stephanie Zing 2012 Used with permission.  All rights reserved.

Traditionally, New Resolutions are made on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.  I missed that opportunity this year and with the many changes 2012 have wrought in my artistic life, it feels like now is the right time to consider what I want to do to reinvent my artistic world. I've moved away from my studio at the Pendleton Art Center in Middletown Ohio and am getting ready to embark on my exploration of the Gainesville/Ocala Florida artistic corridor.

I'm sad to say that for the third time in as many years, my art studio is in boxes waiting to be unpacked.  That fun begins June 1--and although I LOVED my studio in Oxford and I LOVED my studio in Middletown, I'm hoping that this third time really IS the charm and I can create my studio to be a permanent haven that reflects the look and feel I want it to--even if it takes me a while to get it there. 

I plan to document this process of recreating my studio, but in the meantime, I decided I need some public commitments to keep me on track.  I resolve:

1.  to blog at least three times a week.  Please follow my post and send me your comments and thoughts on my topics.  Feedback will help keep me motivated.

2.  to work on developing new venues to sell my current inventory before beginning new works.  With this in mind, I'll be revising and adding items to my Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/BohemianArtCafe  and Ebay http://myworld.ebay.com/bohemianartcafe stores (actually, I haven't had anything on either of them for a very long time--but that is going to change within the next 60 days.) I'll also be revising my website http://www.bohemianartcafe.com/.


3.  to develop a strong, new art community both virtually and here in my new homeland of Florida.  This includes finding a co-op where I can be a member, to find some venues for group or solo gallery shows, and to join the area art leagues.  I'm very excited to meet new friends, colleagues and see what people here are working on.

These feel like important resolutions.  Perhaps, since resolutions don't often get kept, setting them in the middle of the year will help me to keep them.  Blogging will also help.

Have you thought of setting new resolutions mid-year?  How do you keep your resolutions? I'm happy to hear any one's tips on keeping resolutions.