I hand craft sterling silver jewellery.
Each piece is individually made.
I have been making these little treasures for over a year and a half now, spending many a 12 hour day at my workbench. Having pretty much self taught myself, with the exception of one basic course when I was very young, I can say that I have come a long way & that I have learned a lot.
Putting yourself out there.
I've learned that it's hard...
It's hard to bare your heart & soul & share it with the people you know & those that you don't.
It's hard to ignore that voice in your head that tells you it's not good enough, or that you'll never get there.
It's hard to believe in yourself when you don't get as many likes/comments/followers or as many sales as you'd hoped.
It's hard to be a business owner, jeweller, photographer, web designer, social media manager, graphic designer... all at the same time.
It's hard to keep on working hour after hour, day after day, without always getting paid.
It's really, really hard to find & reach those people who you know are out there that will adore your art.
I'm afraid that I'm doing it all wrong, I'm afraid that I'll get myself into debt & I'm afraid that I'll put in all this effort & never get there.
Why do I do it?
Because I'm more afraid of how I'll feel & what will happen if I don't try.
Oh, & I frickin love it.
In this space of time I have also learned some lovely, important things.
I've learned that you really do improve tremendously when you have done something over & over again.
I have found myself improving vastly in each element of my work, from website design to photography to silversmithing, which in itself makes the hard work & hours invested worth it.
I have learned that it's important to make the art that you truly love & believe in & to never sell out - selling out would never create the kind of long lasting passion you need to keep going. Creating beautiful pieces of art that you adore gives you a feeling of satisfaction & joy.
I have learned that when you finally do decide to take the leap & bare your heart & soul, most people are amazingly supportive & are happy to help you in any way that they can.
I've learned that it's okay to charge the proper amount for your art because the people that love what you do, & are willing to pay the right amount for it, want you to keep going.
Remember that just because something comes easily to you, doesn't mean it's easy . The things that are easy or enjoyable to you may be hell for someone else... For example, I hate cooking! So someone who loves to cook & can cook well adds extreme value to my life.
(Thank god I have a boyfriend/best friend that loves to cook! ;) @hadestraining)
That product you love to make, the music that you love to compose, the art that you paint or the article that you can't wait to write, DOES have value to other people.
What do I really need?
All I need is to make enough money selling my jewellery so that I can pay my bills & afford to make more jewellery.
If I were to build an empire: of course that would be fantastic! However, I don't need an empire, just enough so that I can get by & continue doing what I love. I don't think that's too far out of my reach. I just need to find ways to get my jewellery out in to the world.
For now, my plan is to invest in myself, I'm designing a whole new collection with Smoky Quartz & Ametrine Crystals that I'm so excited about! I want to make as much stock as I can afford to - which may not be a lot unfortunately but it'll have to do! Then I will try to get that stock in a couple of galleries & hotels around Cornwall. I'm hoping that will give me enough money in sales to keep me going & to continue to create more jewellery.
I believe I can get there, and if you're in the same boat as me, I believe you can too.
It takes real hunger, persistence & so much love for what you do to keep going, so stay strong & keep aiming high.
I know there are lots of creative people on Steem, I hope we can come together & support one another - let's fight the good fight!
Love,
Trixie Kiddo
