So I have decided to put the shop on a small hiatus so that I can do new pictures and make it look fresh and inviting. I also have a jam packed year so far for 2012 with art and spiritual challenges that I am going to be focusing on. I would really like to sell the jewelry that I have in the shop before I make anymore. I got a new digital camera for a Christmas present and it takes really decent pictures so I can re-do all the pictures. That is going to be a time consuming job which is why I think putting the shop on vacation will take the added pressure off.
I am really excited about the upcoming Book of Days project! I've got the cover and my inside page done and being a total newb at this I'm happy with my journal so far. I know I am going to learn a lot as I go along, and I am very excited about that because I am going to try some of these techniques with making jewelry. Plus I am going to document my spiritual practice challenge in my art journals. That is going to tie in nicely with everything that I am doing in the new year. I figure I might as well jump in with both feet like a typical Aries and run with it!
The hardest part about pulling together a business is sticking with it when it gets tough. I plan on revamping the shop with the down time that I have now. I need to take new pictures and re-tag. I need to get a plan together and really knuckle down and put it out there. I plan on starting another jewelry line in the new year. This one is going to be different from Tribe Zen. It is going to have a darker, gothy, steampunk feel to it. I have narrowed down a name and I'm excited about it. I have many ideas pounding around in my head, being a spiritual creative I tend to see things in my head first. My focus is to get both businesses running and making them full time jobs. Not an easy thing to do in this economy and there is quite a bit of competition on etsy. So I plan on building up a strategy and working non-stop.
I got a boost of confidence with what I have managed to sell so far, and with the shop only being opened for a little over a month that is not bad. The hard part is keeping momentum and building a customer base. I have to look at what I make and try to make it stand out from everyone else's. Jewelry is not easy to sell and I know this. But with the right amount of build up and work I can make it happen. I am going to use all the resources I can to get Tribe Zen out there. That in itself is a full time job! And adding the second line is going to keep me busy! I know there is a niche for what I make, it is just putting it out there and finding the right buyers. I intend to do just that and make Tribe Zen grow into something successful.
For me being creative comes from a spiritual place. I have been making and designing jewelry for well over ten years now and I decided to get back into it recently. I have an etsy shop where I am selling my jewelry and so far it has been slow. Being the new kid on the block it is to be expected. My mission is not lose the real meaning behind why I create: because it is being spiritual for me. I get into my Zen side when I making a piece and it brings an inner peace that I can't explain. In Buddhism we want to find out livelihood, what brings us happiness and what we can do to make all beings happy. Creating jewelry for me is what makes me happy and can make others happy.
Creativity isn't something you are just "born" with, it is inside of all of us. You just have to dig deep and find it. Being creative is just another side of you and you would be surprised to find how spiritually satisfying it can be.
