A post is in order, after months of not blogging.
Summary of what’s happened:
- Moved house, now on west side of Melbourne.
- Opened supplies store on Etsy.
- Took a glass beads class and loved it! Want to make more at home.
- Decided to go back into academia.
- Closing down ArtFire Pro and only keeping a basic account.
- Reducing amount of polymer clay products to the ones that I like making.
I’m no longer terribly excited about pursuing this craft career, because it just isn’t working! I guess I am not dedicated enough, or it’s just meant to be a hobby. I had a few opportunities to sell at craft markets, but with no one to help me with stalls and not having my own trestle, it’s sadly not possible. A lot of markets are overpriced and provide no rental trestles. The worst part is also having to do this all by myself!
I’ll still be making clay jewellery and other odds and ends, but slowing down. I’m only making those I really like and think are worth the effort. ArtFire was not bringing in enough business, so I’ve terminated the Pro status as of March.
Postal services are evil. I am still limited by the 2cm rule, so my lovely white 4cm boxes have to be sent at parcel rates. Thus, low sales. It’s a tough struggle to balance quality and security against postage costs. I’ll be looking into purchasing matchboxes that can be sent as 2cm letters. Not sure if they will withstand the real possibility of being squashed in transport. I will do some testing. What Etsy and other online platforms need is a way to select different kinds of postage. Then, the responsibility lies with the consumer. They can decide if they prefer a secure package that also looks great, or cut costs and run the risk of damage. Ah well, maybe I just like to complain.