I have been taking a break from blogging lately, although in fact, I have taken the time to write two posts that I changed my mind about and deleted. I have been spending my internet time focusing on getting my etsy shop up and running. I am big on crafting, crocheting and making critters, so spending time editing pictures, thinking of product descriptions and racking my brain about how to get people to like my stuff and shell out their money for it does not come as naturally. Honestly, I think that anyone that has been
successful at this thing called internet sales has my hat off to him or her. I have read endless blogs and lists and forum posts about how to make my pictures better, how to make an attractive banner, shop, avatar, how to get people to come to my shop, how to use social sites like twitter and facebook. holy cow, its so amazing to me how deep this rabbit hole has gone. So I have followed the white rabbit so to speak and done all that I think I can for the moment (although, really I know there is a ton more I could do if I wanted to spend more time on the computer rather than what I love, which is what started this whole thing to begin with!) And success! two weeks ago I had my first internet sale! yay! I sold my yoda, which sent me into a panic because now the real challenge started which was to remember how I made that yoda that I gave away as an x-mas present! I spent a solid two days crocheting and re-crocheting the stupid robe that I had improvised last december. So now I have decided to start writing down anything that I make so that I can have the pattern saved for later. I had been hesitant to do that before because it takes away from my creative process to have the computer or a pad of paper in front of me. But now I see why I need to be doing that and the next time I need to make a yoda, it will be a million times easier because I have my pattern i can follow, ALSO! bonus is that I can do a little more work on the pattern and sell it to other people!I have so many plans for where I want to go with my Red Hot Fibers business, which is exciting! I know that I will look back in a year or two and feel like this was just the beginning. I want to make a whole Star Wars line of crochet guys, I want to make more mobiles (and figure out how to photograph them better!), I want to really expand my baby line and i have lots of ideas for baby rattles, blocks, blankies with amigurumi animals as a part of the blankie, I want to make way more hair flowers and barretts, I want to widen and expand my wedding line. I probably should not give away all my ideas, but these are just rough ideas, its all really in my head. I have this huge long list of ideas, and scraps of paper floating around with little drawings of hats, and animals and ideas for patterns.
I really have felt like I have had a creative explosion in my head. My dad is an artist and he has talked to me for years about creative orgasms. Now I am a little more reserved and don't really feel comfortable likening my crochet creations to orgasms, but I get what he was talking about a little better lately.
also I feel like my work has gotten a ton better as well. This wedding bear couple and the alien that I have pictured here are two great examples of how much better and more creative and detailed I have gotten. The alien (inspired from toy story) was just a blast to do and figure out how to create those shapes. And the wedding bear couple turned out far and above better than I ever imagined. The details on those bears are just unbelievable, she has a ring, a garter with blue, a veil with a blusher, a tiara, a necklace, her dress has the puff sleeves and detailed skirt. and the groom has the boutonniere, buttons down the front and a white bow tie. It was the kind of thing that once I got going I kept on adding and adding different details. They are just awesome, really I don't mean to brag, but I couldn't believe that they all really came from my two hands. it felt almost beyond me. :)
I have had a lot of personal growth in the last two or three months. Its like all of a sudden, issues that I have felt lost and clueless about for ten plus years have fallen into place and I have understood myself in a whole new way. And somehow my creativity has tied into this growth process. Now, I can tell I am writing a lot more slowly because I am trying to put into words something that has been sort of under the surface. But yeah, I feel like my creativity is a lot more prolific now that I have developed a stronger sense of myself.
so that is what I have been up to, please come by my etsy shop and take a look at my critters for sale. I would love to hear what you all think of them, and even constructive criticism is welcomed as well! (just remember to be kind, I am new at this, lol!!!) www.RedHotFibers.Etsy.com
