I had a dream. No, no, this has nothing to do with Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech. I really had a dream and maybe still have it, but I don't think it will ever going to come true. It is not rant or complain either, these are my thoughts and I'm going to share it with the blockchain today.
Most likely I was born with a good amount of creativity and have been doing different creative works all my life, but it has never been my main focus or a profession. I learned knitting and crocheting from my grandmother and in school at a very young age. I have made several pullovers for myself and family over the years, socks for fun, scarves, beanies and so on. Sewing has also been part of my life in one way or another. We had needlework class in school for years and I loved it. I remember once I had some good quality cotton and made a full set of underwear for myself, all by hand as I didn't know how to use my grandmother's sewing machine. It was just for fun, but loved it.
Then a decade ago I think, I started creating jewelry using glass and wooden beads. I made a lot of money as I had a lot of orders. Then I learnt sewing from YouTube during the covid lockdown, also for fun and created bags that I sold on etsy.
Talent is not my thing, unfortunately, I don't have any, but that has never stopped me from trying to create different things. Like I started drawing, although I have no talent.
Hive had a huge influence on me. The needlework community gave me a push to try out sewing and I will always be grateful for that. We have a lot of artists here and my old friend from another platform Barbara, had a huge influence on me and gave me confidence to try out drawing. Not long ago I bought my first electronic drawing tablet and I'm about to start a new journey, a new chapter of my (untalented artistic) life.
As you can see, I had a lot of crazy dreams and some of them came true, but I have one that most likely never will and that is having my own souvenir shop. Now, most likely you're asking why is that so impossible, as you can rent a location, adjust it to your needs, fill the shelves with products and you're good to go. I wish it was as simple, but it's not. It requires more than that, but that's not the only reason.
The reason I will never have my own souvenir shop is ... or basically are many.
I'd want to fill my souvenir shop with my own creations exclusively. My own art, my own sewing, my own drawings and whatever my crazy mind tells me to create for those who might be interested. But the economist in me would aim for the highest profit possible, as the main scope and that would kill creativity instantly. In order to create a successful and profitable business, you need to have a very good understanding of the market, know what people demand and provide them at an affordable price and at the lowest costs. I could go on and on about this, but I suppose everyone here knows how a business works.
As much as I'd love to see love, how people react to seeing my products, the chances for that to happen are slim to none. Artists are dreamers and most of them have little understanding of how these things work (no offense), but my mathematical mind would never let my artistic side take over.
The worst thing you can do as an artist is create art on demand, meaning the same item endlessly. It kills you and it makes your art less valuable as well.
So what's the solution to this? There's one, no worries 😎
We live in a digital era, where you can reach the other end of the world without even leaving your home, or desk if you want. This gives a huge opportunity to artists. You can have your online shop, with very minimal costs and it takes off the pressure of covering the huge costs of a shop. You sell what you have, no pressure of creating mass products just to cover costs or end the month in red.
I love the idea and there are several platforms, that allows you to have your own shop. There are several marketing tools and options you can use to reach the targeted audience. If you have a bit ok knowledge, you can do it for free, or for as little as possible.
And this is exactly what my plan is. Creating art for me is not a business. It is my way of relaxation after my trading sessions but I'm going to mix business with pleasure by selling what I create. I'll be a way of living basically. Most likely I'm going to show you what I create and maybe write about how this whole crazy idea will be going. Who knows?
What do you think? Do you have an online shop where you are selling your creations? I know some of you have.