I am the Kat that Walks By Itself

Why? Because if you want to give someone one of my FABULOUS art prints, you have very little time left to order, if you are outside Australia and you want it to arrive before Christmas. Other items have more leeway, but the deadline for art prints is fast approaching! This is because, even though shipping overseas can take as little as two weeks, it can take a lot longer, and the art-prints have to be printed by my printer before they can be posted. Note that the later you leave it, the more likely the post will take longer to arrive, because everything goes crazy in the lead up to Christmas.

ART PRINTS - these are made to order, so they need extra lead time.
Australia: before 16th November 2018
Rest of the World: before 16th October 2018

Note that canvas prints have FREE SHIPPING within Australia!
And paper prints have flat-rate shipping everywhere; you can order as many paper prints as you want and the postage will be the same.

EVERYTHING ELSE - these are ready to ship
Australia: before 1st December 2018
Rest of the World: before 1st November 2018

GO TO MY SHOP: http://essence-of-eclectic.com

It has come around again.



I'm torn about whether I will sign up or not.

I made two works for the sshg_promptfest, and put them up on my Etsy store, thinking that at least somebody in the fest would give them a good home... and not a whisper. I think it was even more deeply discouraging because there were folks who commented on my fest entries (before the reveal) that they wanted them... but obviously didn't want them enough to buy them when I pointed out (after the reveal) that they could...

This is deeply frustrating, because I find it really fulfilling to make wearable art, but since I've run out of friends to give my SS/HG works to (they have said that they now have too much to wear...) then the only other way to give them a good home is to sell them; to sell them at a price that actually reflects what they are worth. But if nobody will buy them, then what is the point of making them, if they won't be worn by anybody?

(sigh)

Hence, I am torn.

Essence of Eclectic is now officially opening its doors wide! (Already had "technical launch", but with not much stock on "shelves"). But today I finished listing all the stuff I had made before Continuum XIII, so there is STUFF. Go and buy it! (Or don't buy it, as you wish).

There's still more catch-up for me to do (about half-a-dozen finished pieces of jewellery to photograph, enter into my inventory, figure out good names for, calculate prices of, and list on Etsy) but I figure there's enough listed there that I can say "come in, and welcome!"

And tell your friends, too (grin).

It's mostly necklaces up there at the moment, but I do intend to make more bracelets, and add in earrings (at request of L), keychains (at request of D), and hairchains (at request of X). I think there were a couple more types of things on the must-make list, but I can't remember right now.

I'm not sure whether I will bother selling scrunchies, there doesn't seem to be much of a market for them. 8-(

Can I make a living from this? Don't know yet.

Someone pointed out to me that "Handmade By KJA" sounds like a corporation, and suggested "Handmade By Kathryn" as an alternative. Unfortunately, that name is already taken. Indeed, many, many names (and variants thereof) are already taken for Etsy stores, because they never allow names to be reused, even if they are no longer active.

So, I've been checking possible names, and here are some which are available... for the moment. I've made a poll, to see what y'all think of them.



(those on LJ can answer in the comments)

• Handmade By KJA


• Artisan Of Awesome


• Gazillion Things


• Essence Of Eclectic


• Diverse Devisings


• Imaginary Cheese

Yes, the last one is silly. That's why it's there, because it's silly.

Every now and then I wonder if I ought to open an Etsy store... usually when people ask me if I have one, right after I've posted another bit of craft to a fannish fest.

Why? Because I want my craft to go to people who will appreciate it. Which is fine for the non-fannish stuff, it's what I give to my family every Christmas. But the fannish stuff, the symbolic stuff that I have very much acquired a taste for making? Well, if it's Doctor-Who themed I can give it to my sister (she's the one who scored Idris And Her Thief). If it's Harry-Potter themed - and most of it is - then there's only one person I know whom I can give it to who will understand the symbolism. Which would be fine if I only participated in one fest a year, but this last year, they've been multiplying. Fine, I know, Just Don't Do That Then. (sigh)

But...

Look, I don't want to Run A Business And Become Independently Wealthy. If I'd wanted that, I would have taken up contracting years ago. I just want to make cool stuff and have it used by people who appreciate it. The business part of such an enterprise is an utter pain. Getting to the post office to send snail-mail is a pain. But how else could I get it into the hands of people who would appreciate it? So far as I can see, there are two methods: (a) give as gifts to people who know me personally, or (b) sell it to people who are willing to pay what it is actually worth - which means I don't want to underprice it, either.

Yet all the info I've seen about running your own Etsy store is "Market yourself! Work hard! Promote yourself! Branding! Have lots of stock!" But I wouldn't have lots of stock at all. Just the occasional thing. Not until I retire, anyway. Which is more than a decade away.

(insert lots of sighs here)

What should I do? Craft keeps me sane. But I am running out of people to give it to.